OnYourMark Partner Knowledge Base

OnYourMark Education provides high-impact virtual literacy tutoring, specializing in early foundational skills.

Our program focuses on young learners during critical development years:

• Core Specialization: Grades K–2
• Extended Capacity: Serving students through Grade 6

All instruction is grounded in the science of reading to ensure personalized, evidence-based skill development for every student.

We partner with schools as a supplement to the literacy instruction already in place to ensure students get the foundational reading skills they need to excel! Tutoring takes place four days a week for 20 minutes each session. 

OnYourMark Mission

OnYourMark exists to ensure that the students we serve learn to read by 3rd grade. We also believe that spreading an understanding of the science of how children learn to read can be transformative for tutors, teachers, children, and families. Getting foundational literacy skills right in K-2 will support children to read on grade level and diminish the need for schools to remediate at their current levels.

In this short video, our CEO shares the mission, vision, and values behind OnYourMark — and why your partnership, whether you’re a district leader, campus facilitator, or classroom teacher, is essential to ensuring every child learns to read.

Our results to date have received national attention. OnYourMark tutoring is worth the investment because it actually works.

The first randomly controlled trial (RCT) of a virtual early literacy tutoring program, conducted by the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) at Stanford University in October 2023, found that:

• Tutored students reading on grade level increased by 23% across the year.
• 41% of tutored students demonstrated above average or well above average composite DIBELS growth.

Kindergarten Results

• Improvements in letter sound mastery were 13.4% higher than the control group, amounting to 24 additional days of school.

First Grade Results

• Improvements in decoding were 28.4% higher than the control groups, amounting to 51 additional days of school.

OYM earned the prestigious NSSA Tutoring Program badge in recognition of our alignment to high-impact tutoring standards, valid through 2025–2028.

OYM Tutors:

• Receive rigorous training
• Participate in ongoing professional development
• Engage in weekly feedback sessions with their assigned coach

OYM Organizational Values:

• Children first
• High-quality service
• Bold innovation
• Empowerment

To learn more about the impact of our tutors, read our Partnering for Literacy Success Article detailing how one of our veteran tutors brought not just expertise but also warmth and dedication to her students.

The Ouachita Parish School District, located in Northeast Louisiana, serves approximately 19,000 students across 37 schools. This video highlights their successful implementation of OnYourMark’s high-dosage, in-school tutoring program to significantly improve student reading skills.

This case study highlights how Lincoln Parish Schools in Ruston, Louisiana partnered with OnYourMark to close early literacy gaps in kindergarten through second grade. Chief Academic Officer Dana Talley shares how the district prioritized programs aligned with data, state policy, and strong partnerships—and why OnYourMark became a clear fit.

Key Focus:

• The impact of high-dosage, data-driven virtual tutoring
• Alignment with Louisiana Senate Bill 177
• Measurable student growth in letter sounds, decoding, and composite literacy
• The importance of relationship-building in virtual tutoring
• Insights on tutor training, implementation, and outcomes from a school leader’s lens

 Read the Full Case Study Here

Leaders Nick Erber (Director of Learning Acceleration) and Imani Thomas (Primary Dean at Uplift Luna Preparatory) reflect on how OnYourMark helped fill critical reading gaps for K–2 students—especially in the wake of COVID-related disruptions. Through a pilot supported by a randomized controlled trial, Uplift students receiving OYM tutoring made significant gains in letter recognition, decoding, and confidence.

This case study features insights from Uplift Education, a charter network in Dallas–Fort Worth, and their experience piloting and expanding OnYourMark’s virtual early literacy tutoring.

Key Focus:

• Why Uplift chose OYM as a literacy partner
• How they embedded tutoring into the school day
• Measurable student growth and engagement outcomes
• The importance of buy-in, trust, and educator partnership
• What made OnYourMark “the single unqualified success” of their tutoring efforts

Read the Full Case Study Here

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)
• 1:2 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.

These video clips are designed to provide school partners and educators with a clear window into how OnYourMark tutors deliver foundational literacy instruction. Each video highlights a key skill or strategy commonly targeted in early reading development, aligned with our research-based curriculum.

Whether you’re looking to understand the flow of a full tutoring session or observe a specific skill in action, these videos offer valuable insight into the instructional approaches we use to support student growth.

Short Clip of Lesson Example 

Full Lesson Example

To ensure a successful OYM tutoring experience, the following technology and equipment are required or strongly recommended for each student participating in sessions:

Device: Chromebook, Laptop, or iPad

Each OYM student needs access to a Chromebook, laptop, or iPad to participate in tutoring sessions.

We understand that fiscal restraints may prevent 1:1 technology for all students; however, this is an important factor to consider when deciding which tutoring model your campus will follow.

Students will login to the tutoring platform (Pearl) via SSO: Clever, Classlink, etc.

Headphones with Microphone

OYM tutoring students need headphones with an attached, noise-canceling microphone.

• Here are OYM’s Headset Recommendations.
  
• If you opt for a different headphone model, please note that both the noise-canceling feature and attached microphone are essential to ensure audio quality and successful communication between student and tutor.

Like devices, we highly recommend 1:1 headphone assignment if possible.

Each campus should also have multiple backup headsets available to replace any that become damaged during use.

OYM provides virtual high dosage tutoring four days a week for 20 minutes each day. Please refer to your district’s OYM calendar to view the selected tutoring days.

To ensure we provide the best support for your campus, your assigned Partner Success Manager will share a OYM Time Block Request Tracker with campus leaders. Campus leaders will use the provided tracker to list the preferred time blocks.

Our Tutor Talent Team will review and approve the campus selections. Once approved, the assigned Partner Success Manager will lock in the time blocks. At that point, our Tutor Talent Team will begin hiring and assigning tutors to those specific times. For this reason, once time blocks have been selected and approved, we are unable to make changes.

Important Criteria to Consider When Making Time Block Selections

Consecutive Time Blocks
We encourage campuses to select consecutive time blocks. This allows for seamless session transitions for tutors assigned to your campus.If selecting consecutive time blocks is not ideal for your campus, we encourage you to break the time block selections into a.m. and p.m. blocks.

Balanced Student Count in Time Blocks

Based on the number of tutoring seats allocated to your campus, we encourage you to divide the number of students evenly across the time blocks selected. This allows OYM to schedule the tutors assigned to your campus for consecutive sessions. The tutoring seats can be divided among the selected grade levels served for your campus.

Account for ancillary schedules, such as recess, lunch, electives, etc. 

Examples:

40 tutoring seats
B01 (10-KG)
B02 (10-KG)
B03 (10-2G)
B04 (10-2G)

12 tutoring seats
F02 (4-2G)
G01 (4-2G)
G02 (4-2G)

27 tutoring seats
D01 (7-KG)
D02 (7-1G)
H01 (7-2G)
H02 (6-3G)

**For additional guidance on tutoring time block selection, please consult with your assigned Partner Success Manager.** 

OnYourMark offers flexible tutoring implementation models to meet the unique needs, staffing structures, and classroom environments of each school partner.

Below, you’ll find a description of the three primary models—In-Class (Teacher Led), Common Space (Tutoring Facilitator Led), and Hybrid—along with an overview of the benefits and challenges associated with each. These models are designed to support informed decision-making as campuses plan for the most effective and sustainable tutoring setup.

In-class – Teacher Led

Tutoring sessions occur in the teacher’s classroom.

Common space – Tutoring Facilitator Led

Tutoring sessions occur in a designated space. 

(Ex: computer lab, library)

Hybrid – Teacher Led & Tutoring Facilitator Led

Some OYM tutoring students may remain in their classroom, while other students that need additional support are pulled to a common space.

Example: K students tutor in common space for more involved tech support, while 1st & 2nd students tutor in the classroom.

Our program focuses on young learners during critical development years:

• Core Specialization: Grades K–2
• Extended Capacity: Serving students through Grade 6

Recommended Student Profile

OYM tutoring is most effective for students in the mid-to-lower range of foundational reading skills, particularly those:

• Approaching benchmark levels (yellow or mid-high red in DIBELS)
• Struggling with phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, or high-frequency word recognition

We encourage schools to:

1. Prioritize “bubble” students first—those close to benchmarks.
2. Then include students with more significant needs who may still benefit from Tier 2/3 tutoring support.

If Your School Uses DIBELS 8th Edition:

• Use Beginning-of-Year (BOY) data to identify students scoring in the yellow or red ranges.
• Focus on skill-specific results (e.g., LNF, PSF, NWF) to determine where support is most needed.
• OYM will continue using DIBELS for progress monitoring and to assess continued eligibility.

LAUSD DIBELS Cut Scores Reference

If Your School Does Not Use DIBELS:

• Use internal reading assessments to identify students below benchmark.
• OYM will conduct a BOY DIBELS assessment for flagged students to finalize selection.
• OYM will administer a UFLI Placement Test on the first day of tutoring to identify each student’s precise starting point in the lesson sequence.

Tutoring Graduation & Roster Management

• Students who consistently meet benchmarks may graduate out of tutoring.
• New students with greater needs can be added as slots open up.
• Grade-level skill expectations shift as the year progresses (see below).

Skill Difficulty Guidance by Grade Level

As the year progresses (MOY and beyond), the focus shifts to decoding and more advanced phoneme-grapheme correspondence.

Additional Notes

• Schools should coordinate with OYM to confirm rosters after BOY testing.
• Substantial ongoing data sharing is key to refining support and identifying student readiness for graduation.

OnYourMark will work with campus and/or district leadership to build tutoring rosters for each campus. It is up to each district/campus regarding how they want to allocate tutoring seats by grade, classroom, and so on.

We strongly recommend campuses include teachers in this decision-making process as well as consider historical literacy data to determine student needs, though final decisions rest with applicable leadership.

Rostering Steps: 

1. Campuses select OYM students using OYM’s Student Selection recommendations. 

2. Campus leaders will fill in the OYM Roster Template provided by the assigned Partner Success Manager. All information included on the roster is covered in our data sharing agreement with the district, and all of OnYourMark’s data procedures are in accordance with FERPA guidelines.

3. Campuses share DIBELS benchmark data with OYM or create a schedule with OYM to conduct DIBELS benchmark placement testing. 

4. OYM uses the DIBELS benchmark data to assign a UFLI Skill Category to each student. In the 1:2 model, students are paired with a peer sharing aligned UFLI skills.

OYM recommends that rostered students complete the full 10 or 20 weeks of tutoring based on the district’s contract.

However, OYM recognizes that there are circumstances that may result in a student needing to be removed from a campus roster. Some examples include: 

• Drops/transfers 
• Overlapping required minutes (ex: IEP) 
• Parent has requested removal 
• Large scale behavior issues 
• Limited EL proficiency 

Please review the OYM Campus Roster Change Guide for more details.

OYM Roster Change Request Form 

• Campus leaders, teachers, & facilitators can provide feedback about tutoring sessions or request support. 
• After a form is submitted, an email confirmation will be sent acknowledging that the form has been received by OYM. 
• The assigned Partner Success Manager to your campus will follow up with feedback/actionable steps within 2 business days.

OYM provides campuses with ready-to-share materials for families to introduce the tutoring program, outline what families can expect, and ensure consent for media usage. Campuses are welcome to include their own informative materials as needed.

OYM Parent Letter

Informs parents that their child has been selected by your campus to participate in OYM tutoring.

OYM Parent Flyer

Provides parents with a review of OYM’s Literacy Tutoring Program and a QR code to access our parent FAQ webpage.

OYM Media Release Form

Gives parents the option to give consent for OYM to use tutoring session videos or pictures for educational or promotional purposes. (Voluntary – not required to participate in tutoring)

Each district is assigned an OYM Partner Success Manager. Throughout the partnership, the PSM will serve as the go-to contact for any questions or support needed with OYM. 

Before the launch of tutoring sessions, PSMs will offer campuses training options: in-person, virtual live, or virtual recorded. It is up to campus leadership which option will best prepare their campus for a smooth implementation of virtual tutoring sessions.

OYM Campus Leader Training – New Partner (slides)

OYM Facilitator/Teacher Training – New Partner (slides)

OYM Facilitator/Teacher Training – Returning Partner(slides)

OYM Practice Classroom Slides

OYM Audio & Camera Troubleshooting Tutorial (PDF)

OYM Student Attendance & Engagement Tracker

The purpose of this optional resource is to provide OYM students with a way to be actively involved in tracking their attendance and participation. By making a copy of this template, the calendar can be edited/aligned to your district’s OYM tutoring schedule. This can be used as a motivational tracker for your OYM students or as a schoolwide motivational tracker for all OYM students. 

Attendance Goal – 75% ( 3 out of 4 tutoring sessions/week) 

The student can track their daily session attendance by shading, using a sticker, or placing a “✔” or “X” in the date box.  Depending on your district’s tutoring schedule, there will be one day of no tutoring each week.  (Ex: Fridays) 

Participation 

Following each tutoring session, the student can rate their participation during the session by circling the appropriate emoji.

UFLI Skill Category  

Every two weeks, your campus will receive a progress monitoring report for each student identifying their current UFLI Skill Category and how they are progressing in tutoring sessions.

OYM Student Certificates

Printable student certificates will be provided to campus leaders on a quarterly basis to celebrate student success, such as attendance goals, accelerated lessons, etc.

Because OYM tutoring sessions are unable to be rescheduled or made up, it’s important to have a plan in place for when teachers or tutoring facilitators may be absent.

Teachers or tutoring facilitators can use the customizable OYM Tutoring Substitute Template.

OYM strives to provide high quality tutoring sessions with minimal technology issues and with an emphasis for our tutors to create instructional time that is sacred so ALL students can learn and know the joy and freedom of reading.

In order to provide high quality instruction time, tutors may request support from campuses after troubleshooting technology issues on their own or attempting to reengage the student. 

Campuses also have the option to provide feedback or request support from OYM.

OYM Feedback & Support Request Form (Steps)

OYM Success Steps for Campuses

OnYourMark recommends UFLI Foundations as our core instructional program because it delivers what research shows matters most: systematic, explicit, and engaging foundational skills instruction that gets results.

What is “UFLI” Foundations?

UFLI Foundations (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum designed to ensure all students master the critical building blocks of reading.

• Scope & Sequence: Clear, cumulative progression of phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, and encoding.
• Structure: 128 explicit lessons with built-in practice and assessment checkpoints.
• Design: Developed by literacy experts to address the needs of all readers, including those at risk of reading difficulties.

Why does OYM use UFLI?

Evidence-Aligned

UFLI is grounded in the Science of Reading and aligns with the most rigorous research on how children learn to decode and encode words.

Clear, Consistent Instruction

Its systematic approach reduces variability and ensures every student receives high-quality, structured lessons, whether they are working 1:1 or in a small group.

Engaging and Accessible

Lessons are active, fast-paced, and interactive. Decodable texts, hands-on practice, and multisensory routines keep students engaged and motivated.

Targeted for Acceleration

Because OnYourMark focuses on foundational literacy tutoring, UFLI is uniquely suited to rapidly close skill gaps. Its cumulative sequence builds confidence and fluency efficiently.

Aligned Assessment

Each lesson includes built-in skill checks to monitor progress. Combined with external progress monitoring tools, tutors and administrators gain a clear picture of growth over time.

Flexible and Scalable

UFLI materials can be delivered virtually or in person, making it an ideal match for OnYourMark’s virtual tutoring model.

How does UFLI Support District Goals?

UFLI Foundations is the gold standard for foundational reading instruction. By selecting UFLI alongside OnYourMark’s tutoring model, your district ensures that students get access to the most effective, evidence-based literacy intervention available, helping them unlock the lifelong power of reading.

• Accelerates Reading Proficiency
• Systematic phonics helps all students, including those most at risk, develop decoding skills essential for comprehension.
• Promotes Equity
• Provides consistent, research-based instruction for every learner.
• Empowers Educators
• Simple, user-friendly lesson plans mean tutors spend less time prepping and more time teaching.
• Delivers Results

OnYourMark Education (OYM) partners with schools and districts across the country to deliver high-impact, data-driven tutoring in early literacy. Not every partner uses the same classroom ELA curriculum or the same state test, so this guide brings together, in one place, how OnYourMark’s assessments and tutoring model connect to whatever a partner district already has in place: its state’s ELA standards, its state test, and its classroom curriculum.

We are actively building the OnYourMark Education – Assessment & Curriculum Alignment Resource and currently offer crosswalks for the following states:

• Arkansas
• California
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Washington

If your state is not yet represented or if there are specific elements you’d like to see included, please reach out—we’re happy to expand and adapt this resource based on your needs.

Students are placed into the curriculum using a UFLI Placement Test and/or DIBELS Benchmark, aligned to the scope and sequence. There are 12 distinct placement starting points that map directly to initial UFLI lessons. Progress monitoring is conducted during the third session of each week, provided the student is present and able to engage.

UFLI offers progress monitoring in the form of a spelling assessment to measure encoding and decoding. Students apply familiar letter/sound correspondences to spell new words.

Schedule & Policies

• Progress monitoring occurs during the 3rd session of each week.
• Missed PM sessions will not be made up — the student will complete PM the following week instead.
• PM reports are available on a biweekly cadence.

Interpreting Progress Monitoring Results

Tips for Student Success

Step 1: Within the tutoring session, check that the student’s camera is turned on.

Step 2: Check that the student has not “blocked” the browser’s camera access to the tutoring platform. (Unblock Camera Access Video Tutorial)

Step 3: Check that the device’s camera isn’t being used by another app. Close the app.

Step 4: Troubleshoot the wifi network the device is connected to.

Step 5: If the camera is still not working but the student can be heard by the tutor, a temporary solution is to allow the student to continue participating without their camera.

Camera access is crucial for successful tutoring sessions. If the problem persists, please submit a ticket. The assigned Partner Success Manager to your campus will receive the ticket & help troubleshoot this issue.

OYM Feedback/Support Request Ticket

OYM Audio & Camera Troubleshooting Tutorial

Step 1: Confirm that the headset is fully plugged into the device.

Step 2: Within the tutoring session, check that the student’s microphone is turned on.

Step 3: Within the tutoring session, check that the student’s microphone is selected to the plugged in headset – not to the default device speakers.

Step 4: Check that the student has not “blocked” the browser’s microphone access to the tutoring platform. (Unblock Microphone Access Video Tutorial) (Check Device’s Default Microphone Setting Video Tutorial) 

Step 5: If the headset microphone is still not working, please have the student use a backup
headset if available. If a backup headset is unavailable, a temporary solution is to allow
the student to continue participating by unplugging their headset.

Microphone audio is crucial for successful tutoring sessions. If the problem persists, please submit a ticket. The assigned Partner Success Manager to your campus will receive the ticket & help troubleshoot this issue.

OYM Feedback/Support Request Ticket

OYM Audio & Camera Troubleshooting Tutorial

After a student has logged into the Pearl (OYM) tutoring platform, their assigned sessions will appear in the center dashboard in the “Upcoming Sessions” box.

If the student’s session is not appearing, please try the following: 

• Confirm the student is logged into their OYM account and not another student’s OYM account. 
• Instruct the student to log out & log back in.

If the session is still not showing for the student, please take a picture/screenshot and submit a ticket. Your assigned Partner Success Manager will review the ticket and follow up with actionable steps/feedback as quickly as possible to ensure the student doesn’t miss this session or additional sessions.

OYM Feedback/Support Request Ticket

Within OYM’s tutoring platform, Pearl, students can prepare for tutoring sessions by accessing the practice classroom. The practice classroom provides students with the opportunity to practice on signing into sessions, adjusting audio/camera features, and using the classroom tools that will be implemented during lessons. 

OYM Practice Classroom Tutorial Slides

OYM Student Training Slides

OYM Student Sign In Tutorial (slides)