TULSA, Okla. –
Beginning next school year, a new state law could require some third graders who are not reading at grade level to repeat the grade.
One summer program is working to help students improve their reading skills before they return to school. Project Lit, held at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Tulsa, provides intensive reading instruction for children who are behind grade level.
One-on-one support for struggling readers
The four-week summer program serves 24 students with individualized instruction. Each tutor works with two students, focusing on phonics and foundational reading skills.
“Some kids, they get their B’s and D’s confused. Some kids don’t know where all the letters are in the alphabet, so some kids come in. They really have to have to put some work in,” tutor Alyxandra Fredieu said.
Project Lit Director Lindsey Douglas said the program is designed specifically for students reading below grade level.
Learning through games and phonics
Douglas, a teacher who started Project Lit three years ago, said the program combines intensive phonics instruction with games and activities that keep students engaged.
“And so kids, they don’t even realize sometimes they’re having so much fun and not even realizing that even within the games, oh, I’m learning. I’m getting this skill more naturally. And kids begin to grow and we begin to see them excel,” Douglas said.
Douglas said students typically make about seven months of reading progress during the four-week program.
Families see measurable improvement
Pam Boxley enrolled her granddaughter, Averi, in Project Lit last summer after noticing she was struggling to retain basic concepts.
“Most children would pick up on the ABC song, colors, days of the week. I noticed that she wasn’t retaining the days of the week,” Boxley said.
After completing the program, Boxley said her granddaughter’s reading assessment scores improved dramatically.
“So she went from 1% to 40%. And I just cried. She did it. You know, and it was this program. It was this program. I can’t even take credit for it,” Boxley said.
Boxley, who also works as a public school administrator, said she has taken lessons from the program back to her own work.
“It’s giving me more tools to put in my toolbox to help the children that I serve,” she said.
Community partnerships fill learning gaps
Douglas said programs like Project Lit help provide instruction that many struggling readers need beyond the classroom.
“It’s just not enough. A lot of times in the school system, it’s not enough,” Douglas said. “And so we need organizations like the church to really just step forth and really be that. Be the hands and the feet to pick up the slack.”
As Oklahoma prepares to implement stricter reading requirements, Project Lit organizers hope their work continues to help students gain confidence and improve their reading skills one child at a time.
