Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of...
Hoot Reading’s Virtual Tutoring Program in Grades 1-4
Reviewed
National Student Support Accelerator (February 2026) published an RCT of Hoot Reading’s virtual tutoring program for struggling readers in grades 1-4. Despite the study abstract’s unambiguously positive portrayal of the results, this high-quality study found no discernible impact on its preregistered primary outcome: end-of-year scale scores on the i-Ready reading assessment for the full sample.
Relevant Excerpt from the Study Summary:
The study analyzes data from 1,550 students across 14 elementary schools, focusing on grades 1–4. Findings show that the program had a positive and statistically significant effect, particularly for students who scored well below grade-level benchmarks on beginning-of-year assessments (MTSS Tier III students). Tier III students in the treatment group outperformed their peers in the comparison group by 0.08 standard deviations in end-of-year i-Ready Reading Overall Scale Scores. Among Tier III students who were assigned to and actively participated in tutoring, the effect was slightly larger (0.09 SD). Both effects were statistically significant at the p < .05 level.
The intervention also improved other measures of learning. Students randomly assigned to the treatment group demonstrated significantly higher Annual Typical Growth (+10.84 percentage points) and Annual Stretch Growth (+5.24 percentage points) on i-Ready reading growth metrics. For third- and fourth-grade students who took the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) English Language Arts test, estimated impacts were of similar magnitude to those found for i-Ready, though not statistically significant. Additionally, Hoot tutoring showed a promising trend in improving academic performance and reducing the need for special education placement for the most struggling students, particularly among upper elementary students.
Overall, integrating high-impact tutoring into the MTSS framework significantly enhanced reading outcomes for struggling readers. The findings suggest that schools can reduce disparities in early literacy and improve student learning at scale through structured, technology-supported tutoring without substantial additional cost.
The study analyzes data from 1,550 students across 14 elementary schools, focusing on grades 1–4. Findings show
no discernible effect on the study’s primary outcome – students’ end-of-year i-Ready Reading Overall Scale Scores (the effect, 0.05 standard deviations, was not statistically significant). An exploratory analysis
found that the program had a positive and statistically significant effect, particularly for students who scored well below grade-level benchmarks on beginning-of-year assessments (MTSS Tier III students). Tier III students in the treatment group outperformed their peers in the comparison group by 0.08 standard deviations in end-of-year i-Ready Reading Overall Scale Scores. Among Tier III students who were assigned to and actively participated in tutoring, the effect was slightly larger (0.09 SD). Both effects were statistically significant at the p < .05 level.
Exploratory analyses suggest the intervention also improved other measures of learning. Students randomly assigned to the treatment group demonstrated significantly higher Annual Typical Growth (+10.84 percentage points) and Annual Stretch Growth (+5.24 percentage points) on i-Ready reading growth metrics. For third- and fourth-grade students who took the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) English Language Arts test, estimated impacts were of similar magnitude to those found for i-Ready, though not statistically significant. Additionally, Hoot tutoring showed a promising trend in improving academic performance and reducing the need for special education placement for the most struggling students, particularly among upper elementary students.
Overall, integrating high-impact tutoring into the MTSS framework
did not
significantly enhanced reading outcomes for struggling readers,
based on the study’s primary analysis. Exploratory analyses found possible subgroup and other effects that may warrant examination in future research.
The findings suggest that schools can reduce disparities in early literacy and improve student learning at scale through structured, technology-supported tutoring without substantial additional cost.
No-Spin’s Study Overview
Large, high-quality RCT of Hoot Reading’s virtual tutoring program for struggling readers in grades 1-4 finds no discernible impact on the preregistered primary outcome: end-of-year scale scores on the i-Ready reading assessment for the full sample. An exploratory analysis finds modest impacts for the lowest-performing students, which may warrant examination in future research.
Program and Study Design:
- Hoot Reading provided struggling readers in grades 1-4 with one-on-one virtual tutoring for 30 minutes, at least three times a week over a period of 20 weeks during the 2024-2025 school year.
- The study sample comprised 1,550 grade 1-4 students across 16 public elementary schools in Kansas City, Missouri, who were reading below grade level. The students were randomly assigned to receive Hoot tutoring (treatment) versus services-as-usual (control).
- Based on our review, this was a high-quality RCT (e.g., large sample, baseline balance, negligible sample attrition, preregistered analyses).
Findings:
- 91% of treatment group students received at least one tutoring session. However, students received fewer tutoring sessions than intended - an average of 32 sessions, just over half of the planned 60.
- The study found no discernible impact on the study’s primary outcome – students’ end-of-year i-Ready Reading Overall Scale Scores (effect size: 0.05 standard deviations; not statistically significant).
- An exploratory analysis found a modest, statistically significant impact for the lowest-performing students - i.e., MTSS Tier III - that may warrant examination in future research. (The effect size was 0.08 standard deviations.)
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