~16,000
students across the district
District case study · Lawrence Township, Indiana
A stronger start for kindergarten readers
Lawrence Township put existing support staff at the center of early reading intervention. With 15 minutes of one-to-one Once instruction each day, district leaders reported stronger i-Ready growth, more confident students, and tutors who took pride in their new instructional role.
District at a glance
Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
A diverse district serving Lawrence and northeast Indianapolis, Indiana
21
schools across the district
4
early learning centers
Indianapolis, IN
Lawrence and northeast Indianapolis
The challenge
Years of training. Still not the reading gains they needed.
After 30 years in Lawrence Township, Chief of Programs Stephanie LaPlante had a clear goal. She wanted to be able to tell families that their children would learn to read and arrive ready for school.
The district had invested in readers' and writers' workshop, Reading Recovery, Orton-Gillingham, Seeing Stars, and LLI. A shift toward phonics began to change what leaders were seeing, but students who needed extra support still needed a better answer.
For LaPlante, the problem was not only the reading gains. Interventions required substantial materials and professional development. When a trained staff member left, that investment could leave with them. Thirty-minute, one-to-one sessions were also difficult to sustain.
“It’s always been important to me to be able to tell a family: if you come to school with us, your child will learn to read. They will be ready for school. And for a while, our district just really wasn’t showing that.”
“We really had tried it all, and none of it had the gains that we needed.”
The first-year result
Tutored students outpaced their peers
Students participating in ONCE tutoring demonstrated accelerated reading growth, making greater progress toward their i-Ready Typical Growth goals than their peers who did not receive tutoring.
Lawrence Township uses i-Ready to measure students' reading progress toward both Typical Growth and Stretch Growth goals. Across both pilot schools, students receiving ONCE tutoring demonstrated stronger growth outcomes than their peers.
At the Early Learning Center at Amy Beverland, students participating in ONCE tutoring increased their progress toward Typical Growth from 82% at mid-year to 143% by the end of the year, exceeding their annual Typical Growth targets.
| i-Ready progress toward typical growth | Middle of year | End of year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Once students | 82% | 143% | +61 ppts |
| Students without Once | 74% | 121% | +47 ppts |
“That just held true for every single building and in every single category. When we’re having growth like that, that’s when we feel very confident.”
Why kindergarten, not later
Build the reading foundation in kindergarten
LaPlante sees kindergarten intervention as a way to send children into later grades with stronger letter-sound knowledge, including students who are already struggling. She wants that support to be part of the school day, not something that waits until reading difficulties have continued for years.
A strong start matters
The district focuses its Once support on kindergarten, where LaPlante wants students to build the foundational skills they will need next.
Fifteen minutes makes one-to-one support more doable
Short daily sessions allow tutors to work with more students than a 30-minute model, while preserving time with one child at a time.
Correct errors while children are learning
LaPlante highlighted the in-the-moment adjustments tutors learn through coaching. Children receive a correction rather than continue practicing an error.
“When the kindergarten students have a strong start, that's what makes the difference.”
The approach
Start small. Give existing staff a focused instructional role.
Lawrence Township began with two schools whose students had some of the district's greatest reading needs. LaPlante asked principals to identify an instructional assistant already in the building who would enjoy the work, commit to it, and take on a change in responsibilities.
Choose the right people already in the building
Rather than build a separate tutoring workforce, principals reassigned existing support staff to focused kindergarten reading instruction.
Train quickly and keep coaching
LaPlante described two half-days of training at the start of the year, followed by ongoing coaching. Video recording, which she had thought might deter tutors, had not been an issue.
Get the data and start early
District leaders and Once worked together to collect assessment data and begin intervention promptly. LaPlante welcomed the urgency, especially during the busy start of the school year.
“Two things I was really drawn to with Once: it taps into our support staff, and I loved finding a better way to use those people in our building. And the professional development is quick, but it's ongoing.”
Beyond the scores
Daily wins for students. A new sense of pride for tutors.
LaPlante remembered one student who had set his sights on the 100-book milestone. When he reached it, he celebrated with his tutor. For LaPlante, that moment captured what small, daily successes could mean to a child.
Tutors also began to see their work differently. They felt ownership of the instruction and pride in the growth they were helping children make. Principals reported that classroom teachers were noticing changes, too.
“There's just a small win every day and so they leave with that confidence that they're taking back into their classroom.”
“It did not take long for the tutors to feel a strong sense of ownership with what they were doing, to have a strong sense of pride because they were seeing the growth.”
What comes next
A second year with all four tutors back
By September 2026, Lawrence Township was in its second year of Once. All four tutors had returned, and the program had moved into Title I funding. LaPlante saw that continuity as a sign of the pride tutors felt in their work, particularly in a role where turnover can be high.
“I don't think there's a better way to use a paraprofessional. I really don't.”
“In my mind, this is one of the best ways to use Title I funding for kindergarten students.”
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