~5,700
students across the district
District case study · Goshen, Indiana
Once students grew nearly twice as fast
In a district where one in three students is an English learner and 31 languages are spoken, Goshen Community Schools piloted Once as a Tier 3 reading intervention. In the district’s middle-to-end-of-year Acadience analysis, participating students grew nearly twice as fast as students who did not receive Once.
District Acadience analysis
~2×growth
Students receiving Once grew nearly twice as fast as the comparison group.
District-reported comparison of middle- to end-of-year growth among Once and non-Once students
District at a glance
Goshen Community Schools
A diverse, mid-sized suburban district in north-central Indiana
1 in 3
students are English learners
31
languages spoken across the district
The challenge
Give every child the same opportunity to become a reader, on time
Goshen’s elementary leaders saw literacy as their most important academic responsibility. In a district where one in three students is an English learner and 31 languages are spoken, the challenge was not simply raising an average. It was making sure every child could build foundational reading skills on time.
That included English learners, students receiving special education services, and children who needed intensive Tier 3 support. Teachers were already working in teams through the district’s multi-tiered system of supports, but Goshen wanted one approach that could bring greater consistency to both student outcomes and adult practice.
“Given our demographics and the diversity that we have, ensuring that all of our kids—including our language learners and special education students—have the same opportunities to develop their literacy skills on time was probably the biggest thing for us to solve.”
The pilot-year result
Nearly twice the growth from the middle to the end of the year
Goshen compared Acadience Reading growth for students who received Once with students who did not. Although the Once group started below the broader student population, the district found its growth was statistically significant and nearly twice as fast.
Tier 3 reading interventionDistrict comparison analysisKindergarten–grade 2 screener
Acadience Reading growth
Middle to end of pilot year
Students without Once
Reference
The district’s comparison group for growth over the same period
Students receiving Once
Nearly 2×
The district-reported rate of growth relative to students who did not receive Once
“Our kids in Once grew almost twice as fast as kids that did not receive Once. That was the number one reason why we have it in every school now.”
“We knew it was going to be a difficult task because of the language needs in our district, and we were pleasantly surprised.”
Why Once fit Goshen
Structured enough to unify the work. Personal enough to reach each child.
Jiménez had seen Once help students in a previous district. In Goshen, he introduced the opportunity without mandating it, giving school leaders room to study the model and opt into a pilot.
A clear instructional routine
Scripted daily lessons gave instructors a shared practice rather than another collection of loosely connected activities.
One adult focused on one student
The model created the consistent attention and relationship students needed to build skills and confidence.
Coaching tied to real instruction
Monthly meetings and lesson video helped instructors, principals, and teachers see progress and improve practice together.
“It’s great because we don’t want this to fail, and Once doesn’t want this to fail, so we get that support and accountability—and it’s been great. The results really speak for themselves.”
The approach
Let the pilot earn the district’s confidence
Two elementary schools began the work in the pilot year. Once the right building leaders and instructors were in place, Jiménez described implementation as smooth—and the student results gave every elementary school a reason to join.
Pilot in two elementary schools
Goshen started with two principals who understood their students’ needs and could identify strong candidates for intensive, one-to-one support.
Choose the right instructor in each building
The district paired a structured program with paraprofessionals who would prepare carefully, persist with students, and treat the work as a professional responsibility.
Scale after the evidence was clear
After the pilot group’s growth stood out in the district’s analysis, all six elementary schools joined the second-year rollout.
“It’s easier on the adults than you may think. It does take some planning, but it’s a great partnership. The support that we get from Once is incredible.”
“Don’t do it because I brought it here. Study it—and if anybody wants to try it, we want to support this. We were able to grow it organically.”
Beyond the scores
Students changed, and adult practice changed with them
Jiménez saw students mature as they experienced success, with stronger confidence, engagement, and behavior over time.
The learning spread beyond each one-to-one lesson. Principals shared effective moves from Once instructors with classroom teachers, helping those practices become part of how their schools taught reading.
Success changed student behavior
Consistent attention from a caring adult helped students grow into the expectations placed on them.
Practice traveled across the school
Principals used what they observed in Once lessons to strengthen broader reading instruction.
“Behaviorally, it’s like different kids—beginning of the year to later in the year—just from the expectation and having that one-on-one with a caring adult that’s working really hard to make them successful.”
What came next
From two pilot schools to all six elementary buildings
By the third week of the following school year, nearly 120 students were already receiving daily instruction from six Once instructors. The district had moved from a voluntary two-school pilot to an elementary-wide model.
“This is our third week of school, and we have six buildings and almost 120 kids receiving their daily instruction. I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
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