Readers take flight at Forest Hills

Hannah Solawetz loves seeing students succeed. As the instructional excellence coordinator for Forest Hills Elementary, Solawetz works closely with both volunteer tutors and Forest Hills teachers to ensure that each child who needs additional support in reading and math can reach grade level. But there’s been a unique challenge lately: students receiving tutoring in reading are succeeding so quickly — and through such a rewarding experience — that when they’ve excelled to the point of exiting the program, they don’t want to leave. In fact, so many students at Forest Hills are thriving in reading that tutors are asking to support even more Eagles. It’s a great problem to have.

By early March 2025, more than 90% of Forest Hills students who were being tutored in reading were performing above their expected growth. “It was so cool to see, and honestly not all that surprising,” said Danielle Stage, the district’s PreK-12 Coordinator of Literacy. Stage, who previously held Solawetz’s role, works throughout the year to help schools implement assessments to determine which students need support. “We’re really intentional about which assessments we use to pinpoint the area of need,” Stage explained. FastBridge assessments are given several times each year to help determine which students can most benefit from tutoring, meaning “intervention” — stepping in to provide targeted support — can begin as soon as possible. Stage then helps support instructional excellence coordinators, like Solawetz, across the district.

“We know from research and from practice that the earlier the intervention takes place, the more likely a student is to be on track during their future academic years,” Solawetz said. “A surprise for me has been the speed at which students can grow when they have consistent, systematic and research-based support with adults that care about them. It’s incredible.”

The 56 students being tutored in reading at Forest Hills this school year had a tutoring session an average of three times per week, equating to approximately an hour of additional reading support. More than 90% of those students are now excelling above and beyond their expected growth. “It just gives me chills a little bit to see how kids come out of that at-risk range within a school year. We see it all the time,” Solawetz said.

Much of the tutoring happens in the classroom so that students are not stigmatized for leaving the room to receive help. For Solawetz, that’s the “culture that we’re trying to create where we normalize getting help and supporting each other.” And supporting each other is what tutors, teachers and other support staff like Solawetz do best. Teachers learn each student’s opportunities for growth, and tutors — who come from a variety of professional backgrounds, but are all trained in the same techniques for teaching reading — connect with students in individualized ways based on what works for each child. “We know that every single adult in this building is working so hard to meet students’ needs,” said Solawetz.

When principal Joel Knorr shared the news earlier this year about students excelling in reading at Forest Hills, staff were filled with excitement. It was proof that the system was working, and working very well. “There is this can-do belief and collaborative spirit that really centers kids,” Solawetz reflected. “And I think that we all know when our kids are thriving, our community can thrive.”