Stanford/NSSA Randomized Controlled Trial of OnYourMark Education SY23-24
This article shares the results of a Stanford-led randomized controlled trial on OnYourMark’s virtual tutoring program and links to the full study.
We’re proud to share the results of the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a virtual early literacy tutoring program—a study featuring OnYourMark Education and published by researchers from Stanford University’s National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA).
About the Study
Title: The Effects of Virtual Tutoring on Young Readers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Susanna Loeb, Sarah Novicoff, Cynthia Pollard, Carly Robinson, Sara White
Date Published: October 16, 2023
This study evaluated the impact of OnYourMark’s virtual, science-of-reading-based tutoring during the 2022–23 school year. Across 12 schools in the southern U.S., kindergarten through second grade students participated in high-dosage virtual tutoring—four sessions per week, 20 minutes each, from September through May.
Students were randomly assigned to:
-
- 1:1 tutoring (N = 510)
- 2:1 tutoring (N = 570)
- Business-as-usual control group (N = 1,005)
Key Findings
- Students assigned to OnYourMark tutoring scored ~0.08 SD higher on end-of-year early literacy assessments than control group peers.
- Lower-performing students saw even greater gains (0.18 SD).
- First graders in 1:1 tutoring saw the greatest benefit (0.19 SD).
- The study provides early evidence that virtual tutoring is an effective and scalable approach, particularly in settings where in-person tutoring may not be feasible.
Access the Full Study
You can read the full report and access related materials on Stanford’s National Student Support Accelerator website.