For many elementary students, early reading difficulties can shape confidence, classroom participation, and long-term academic opportunity. A new project, STAAR-TRI: Supporting Teaching Assistants in Accelerating Reading with Targeted Reading Instruction, aims to help schools provide more students with timely, individualized reading support by preparing paraeducators and non-traditionally certified educators to deliver a proven literacy intervention.

The project, led by Heather Aiken, PhD, an advanced research scientist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, focuses on K–5 students with or at risk for reading disabilities in Title I, low-performing schools in North Carolina. Through structured professional development, ongoing coaching, and the TRI–Reading App, participating educators will learn to implement Targeted Reading Instruction, a one-on-one model designed to meet children where they are and accelerate foundational reading skills.

STAAR-TRI grew from a practical challenge: classroom teachers reach the greatest number of students but often lack enough time to plan individualized instruction for paraeducators to deliver. “This is where we think TRI could be a great fit,” Aiken said. The digital platform and related resources are intended to give paraeducators an easy-to-implement program with proven results while requiring minimal additional planning from teachers. The project also responds to the growing number of educators entering classrooms with limited formal preparation in literacy instruction, offering a practice-based way to learn how children read and how instruction can be individualized for specific learners.

TRI’s distinctive 15-minute lesson structure connects decoding with comprehension through real words and texts. Every word used in a lesson is defined or placed in a sentence, and students apply new skills in simple texts from the first lesson. The approach emphasizes sounds more than letter names and strategies rather than rules. By moving the intervention online, the project also addresses two of schools’ largest barriers—time and personnel—reducing lesson preparation, eliminating the need to manage multiple sets of materials, and making transitions between students faster.

Central to the effort are paraeducators, whom Aiken described as “the heart of a school” and often among its longest-serving employees. Although they are eager to help students succeed, paraeducators may be left out of instructional professional development or feel unsure how to support children learning to read. STAAR-TRI is designed to put “a ready toolkit at their fingertips,” building their confidence and capacity to provide direct instruction. The digital version could ultimately allow certified teachers, paraeducators, and volunteer tutors to use TRI, expanding access to one-on-one reading support.

“Ensuring that every child has access to effective instruction is at the heart of what we do." 

Implementation will unfold across two development sites, three pilot sites, and ten dissemination sites. The first year will engage educators experienced with earlier versions of TRI in an iterative design process: researchers will listen to what users value, identify what is not working, develop prototypes, and refine tools and resources in response to feedback throughout the project. Guided by design-based implementation research and universal design for learning, the team will also design for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. This sustained input from educators, school leaders, and district partners will help identify barriers and create a more responsive product tailored to Title I schools.

The evaluation will examine whether educators report greater confidence and instructional time, whether students demonstrate stronger-than-expected gains in reading, and whether the intervention helps students progress toward literacy goals in individualized education programs or reading plans. Measures will include surveys, focus groups, embedded assessments, student engagement data, implementation fidelity measures, and reading assessments over multiple years.

Previous TRI work illustrates what is possible. Aiken recalled a kindergartner, who began the school year knowing only the letters in his name. After seven weeks of TRI, he knew all his letters and sounds and had begun decoding three- and four-sound words. Following another period of TRI later that year, he was beginning to decode multi-syllabic words. “In this one year, he’d gone from not meeting kindergarten expectations to reading at an end-of-first-grade level,” Aiken said.  

“Paraeducators are an amazing resource—they know the students and the community and STAAR-TRI provides them with the support they need to build their confidence with providing direct instruction.”

For schools serving communities with limited resources, early access to research-backed programs is especially consequential. “Ensuring that every child has access to effective instruction is at the heart of what we do,” Aiken said. She hopes students increase their reading ability and find joy in reading, while paraeducators and other school staff gain confidence using an effective, accessible program.  

If STAAR-TRI succeeds, Aiken contends that paraeducators could become an integral part of school reading-intervention plans—and some may be inspired to pursue teacher certification and lead classrooms of their own. “Paraeducators are an amazing resource—they know the students and the community,” said Aiken, “and STAAR-TRI provides them with the support they need to build their confidence with providing direct instruction.”

For Aiken, the project’s promise also lies in its flexibility: “We will work hand-in-hand with schools to adapt TRI to support their instructional needs and context.”