Tearica Watts beamed Monday as she described the reading gains her daughter, Giovanni, has made this academic year.

Giovanni is among the hundreds of students who received tutoring this year through READ USA, a nonprofit based in Jacksonville.

Monday, the local literacy organization announced that students who participated in their reading programs increased their reading accuracy and comprehension as well as their oral reading skills.

Watts reassured her daughter that failing a test did not mean she was a failure.

“Giovanni was a little nervous about tutoring at first because she didn’t know what to expect,” Watts said. “And, now, ever since she has been in tutoring, my baby went from being a ‘F’ to being an A student. … She has improved her reading comprehension, and we’re seeing the results.”

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READ USA worked with 159 students between second and fifth grade at seven under-resourced elementary schools throughout Duval County over three months during the fall 2023 semester.

Students were randomly assigned from Arlington and Lake Lucina elementary in Arlington; Beauclerc Elementary in the San Jose neighborhood; Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary; Long Branch Elementary in the Talleyrand community; S.A. Hull Elementary in Northwest Jacksonville; and Mamie Agnes Jones in Baldwin.

READ USA Chief Executive Rob Kelly says the partnership with Duval County Public Schools has been integral in applying data to achieve student literacy development.

“Because these students are starting one to two grade levels below, they don’t need regular core (classes) alone,” Kelly said. “They have to have something accelerated, which is why this board and superintendent brought in READ USA to help that.”

Kelly stressed that no students were excluded from tutoring opportunities. The 154 other students at the schools received the same tutoring in the spring 2024 semester.

Since 2017, Duval County has lagged other large metro districts in the state in third grade literacy.

A Jacksonville Today analysis in 2023 indicated that third grade students at elementary schools in less affluent ZIP codes in the county scored worse on statewide testing than those in more affluent areas.

Ohio State University professors Jerome D’Agostino and Emily Rodgers analyzed the data collected from the seven Jacksonville elementary schools. They concluded “students across all demographic subgroups did not differ significantly in their average (Gray Oral Reading Test) gain scores, and the gains were rather consistent across grades and schools.”

Interim Duval County superintendent Dana Kriznar says READ USA’s efforts have complemented the district’s current literacy efforts.

This is the first year the district is using a phonics curriculum from the University of Florida Literacy Institute for students in kindergarten through second grade. The program was initially introduced in November 2022 as a pilot in schools that needed a literacy lift and expanded throughout the district.

“The evidence is in the data and the results,” Kriznar said. “We are happy to see the improvement of reading for elementary students participating in the program, who are at such a critical age to cultivate skills for lifelong learning. (The) READ USA literacy tutoring program is a key component in helping our school district move the needle on closing the reading gap.”

In the 2022-23 academic year, only 46% of Duval County third grade students were considered proficient in literacy. That was below the statewide average of 50% and well behind the surrounding counties — all of which have a lower percentage of students from under-resourced communities.

Kriznar added that the benefit is not solely for the elementary students. READ USA incorporated dozens of teenage tutors to help cultivate confident readers.

“This tutoring initiative provides our teens with workforce skills that they can apply throughout their lives,” Kriznar said. “Some of these tutors have been inspired to pursue careers in education and to become teachers in our school district.”

April Carney’s 18-year-old daughter might be one.

Carney, one of six school board members in attendance Monday, said her daughter wanted to be an educator before she became a READ USA tutor. Working with third grade students reinforced the idea that she wanted to become an educator.

“My kid is one of those kids who suffered from confidence when she was younger,” Carney told Jacksonville Today. “Now, she is thriving and ready to spread her wings and become a teacher.”

Carney said she gets goosebumps when she recalls how overjoyed her daughter was to see two of her students increase their reading capabilities by a grade level.

Kelly said creating trust between an educator and student is critical. He noted that some of the students viewed their teenage tutors akin to an older sibling.

“A lot of the kids that come to READ USA tutoring … they are dealing with not only a reading issue, but a confidence issue,” Kelly said. “Experiencing failure or people telling you you’re wrong all the time, ‘No, that’s not right. You need to do better.’ That just erodes your confidence. I think that’s where the relationship part comes in as well. Not only are they improving literacy, but improving confidence and building them back up that ‘You can do this.’”

The idea of rebuilding a child’s confidence brought board member Kelly Coker to tears. As she listened to Watts describe Giovanni’s reading gains, the former teacher in her burst with pride that she didn’t try to hide.

Watts said she has been astounded to see her daughter’s growth this year.

“She’s very proud of herself,” Watts said. “And, I’m so proud of her as well for having the courage to face her challenges.”