In just 60 hours of tutoring, the average LearnUp student makes impressive reading gains.
Jump 2.2 grade levels in reading
Gain over 17 words per minute in fluency
Increase word fluency by more than 50%
Our assessment methods
While parent, student, and teacher testimonials are incredibly powerful, we also use multiple assessment methods to measure the true impact of the program on our students.
At LearnUp, we use a structured, multi-layered assessment approach to track student progress, personalize instruction, and ensure measurable and visible reading gains.
Before starting tutoring, each student completes:
- Tattum Student Reading Survey: Identifies where the student falls on the reading spectrum and within our program.
- LearnUp Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) (Curriculum-Based Measurement): Evaluates grade-level reading fluency within our curriculum.
- Scholastic 3 Minute Reading Assessment: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): Benchmarks student grade-level reading fluency, comprehension, and prosody against national standards.
- Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Measures phonemics and word reading efficiency using real and non-words.
- LearnUp Literacy Spectrums: Assesses comprehension, fluency, spelling, and writing development.
- Video Documentation: A baseline reading video is recorded to visually track progress.
Weekly Progress Monitoring
- Daily Concept Tracker tracks a student’s progress through each concept of the program.
- Weekly Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Check-Ins track correct words per minute (CWPM)
- Ongoing Video Recordings capture milestones and true reading growth.
Benchmark Assessments (Every 20 Sessions)
- Students undergo reassessments of the battery of assessments, including LearnUp and Scholastic Oral Reading Fluency, TOWRE, and Literacy Spectrums, to measure gains and adjust instruction.
Final Reading Tests quantify overall improvement.
- Exit Assessment & Impact Measurement
- Video Recordings capture milestones and true reading growth.
- To see examples of pre/post student readings go to LearnUp Student Stories page.
Our history of results
Our reading director, Steve Tattum, has been training educators and teaching kids to read for over 40 years. In 1998, he took all that experience and created the Tattum Reading Program. LearnUp is replicating his methodology and scaling his success with students and schools in the Bay Area.
LearnUp outcomes are in line with the historical outcomes of schools, learning specialists, and tutors using the Tattum Reading Program (also known as F.A.S.T.) Despite the different names, they are the same innovative approach, curriculum, methodologies, and materials. The research cited below was conducted on both the Tattum Reading Program and the F.A.S.T. Program.
Studies show that it works.
Beyond Basics, a literacy nonprofit in Detroit Michigan, uses the same approach to teaching reading as LearnUp–one on one, high intensity, high frequency tutoring with highly trained tutors using the Tattum Reading program. Studies of their student outcomes are in line with the same results we see from LearnUp tutoring sessions.
Read their outcomes along with additional studies showing the efficacy of the Tattum Reading program in teaching kids to read.
Beyond Basics Wayne State University Report
Beyond Basics Wayne State University Report (2015)
Third-Party Validation
An evaluation conducted by Wayne State University researchers Dr. D. Carl Freeman and Dr. Hilary Horn Ratner found that students receiving Beyond Basics’ one-on-one literacy intervention made statistically significant gains across core reading skills in just six weeks, outperforming peers who did not receive tutoring.
Synopsis: Results reveal clear evidence of success at enhancing literacy among children in the study group who traditionally struggled with reading proficiency. Dr. Freeman stated, “The data are unequivocal, students who participate in the Beyond Basics’ reading program make progress on the basic reading skills, at many times the rate of students in their same school participating only in the general education reading program. This is especially true of reading comprehension skills–the ultimate goal of reading.”
According to the research, the treated group, 2nd through 5th grade students, made significant progress in every area vs. those who were in the control and not tutored.
✓ Grade level word identification showed 12.5 times the growth vs. the control group.
✓ Word Attack, showed 21.9 times the growth vs. the control group.
✓ The measurement for grade level showed 5 times the growth vs. the control group.Word identification assesses the student’s ability to recognize words with increasing difficulty as they are read by the tutor.
Overall reading grade level movement can be impacted by a variety of factors, but critical is both the number of sessions students are present for along with the number of sessions that the students missed.
Beyond Basics 2023 Longitudinal Study Full Report
Beyond Basics Longitudinal Study 2008-2022
By Dietz Consulting 12/31/2022
Synopsis: The Beyond Basics reading assessment program utilizes the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT- A pre-test and WRMT-B post-test) to evaluate students’ success in the program. This testing system relies on measurements in five primary reading areas: word identification, word attack, word comprehension, passage comprehension, and fluency:
✓ Word identification assesses the student’s ability to recognize words with increasing difficulty as they are read by the tutor.
✓ Word attack evaluates the student’s ability to read nonsense words with increasing difficulty.
✓ Word comprehension measures reading ability in antonyms, synonyms, and analogies.
✓ Passage comprehension evaluates the student’s ability to study a sentence or short passage.
✓ Fluency measures the ability of students to integrate learned reading abilities such as decoding, expressions, and phrasing.
✓ Holistic approach that includes art and writing sessions to accompany reading curriculum. Moreover, total grade level reading capacity is based on rolling these five measurements up into three equally weighted categories: Basic Skills (word identification and word attack), Reading Comprehension (word comprehension and passage comprehension) and Fluency.
Overall reading grade level movement can be impacted by a variety of factors, but critical is both the number of sessions students are present for along with the number of sessions that the students missed.
Michigan Five Year Study Shows Amazing Reading Growth
Implementation of a Reading Intervention Program: Internal Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis
By Derrick R. Fries, Eastern Michigan University, Tom Harwood and Greg Johnson, Grosse Pointe Public School System
Synopsis: The results of a five-year study show that students who used the Tattum Reading Program (a.k.a. F.A.S.T.), who were initially performing below expectations in reading, made substantial reading gains during the time they were in the program. Moreover, they made reading gains more often associated with students who were not identified as struggling readers. Students in the study showed unexpected strong growth on the Michigan Educational Achievement Program (MEAP) tests.
Denver Students Make Significant Reading Gains
Reading Outcomes Over Multiple Year Assessment: Fall 2008 — Spring 2010
Report Generated By Melissa Dietz, Research Consultant
Synopsis: Four Denver Public Schools used Beyond Basics (Beyond Basics uses the Tattum Reading Program) as a reading intervention program for 155 students in the 3rd to 6th grades. The impact the program has made on these students can be tracked by overall grade level reading readiness as well as to the individual student’s ability to master key reading skills such as word identification, word attack skills, fluency and overall comprehension.
In two years
- On average, the students went from a full grade level behind in reading to reading at grade level.
- Word Attack skills, a developmental foundation for future reading success, were on average elevated by more than 2 years.
- Word Identification and Comprehension skills on average were elevated by nearly a full reading grade level.
- Fluency jumped by 28 words per minute.
“The benefits of the program are far-reaching past the core measures used to assess reading proficiency… offers these children an opportunity to embrace who they are, develop confidence and overcome the hurdles that stand in their way.”
Other Research On Tattum Reading
Research and Case Studies of Tattum Reading Reading Outcomes
Collection of papers, case studies, and research reports done on Tattum Reading (aka FAST Learning) from 2000 to present.
