If your child is more than two grade levels behind in reading, one summer with us can change that.
Most students who are significantly behind in reading have already been receiving some form of support, whether through school services, weekly tutoring, or accommodations in the classroom. For many, that support has helped, but it has not been enough to close the gap. The research is clear on why: the amount of structured, expert instruction a student receives is the single strongest predictor of how much progress they will make (Hall et al., 2023). Students who are two or more grade levels behind in reading need more than what a typical schedule can offer. They need intensive intervention.
LEAP Online is Pine State Learning's summer intensive reading program, delivered live and one-on-one through Lessonspace, our interactive virtual learning platform. It is designed specifically for students in rising 4th grade through high school (ages 10 and up) who are more than two grade levels behind in reading. This is not a general tutoring program. It is a structured, diagnostic-driven intervention built to produce measurable gains in a concentrated period of time.
Admission Requirements
LEAP Online is designed for a specific population: students who have a significant gap between where they are reading and where they need to be. To qualify, a student must meet the following criteria:
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Rising 4th grade through high school. This program serves older students who need concentrated intervention to close persistent reading gaps. Many of our students have been receiving support for years without making the progress they need.
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More than two grade levels behind in any academic area. Students are assessed before enrollment to confirm that their reading level reflects a gap of two or more grade levels. This ensures that every student in the program is receiving intervention at the level of intensity their needs require.
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Committed to an intensive schedule. LEAP Online is structured around two, consecutive, 50-minute sessions per day, five days per week, for a total of 10 sessions per week. The length of the program is individualized based on each student's assessment data and learning goals. This is a serious commitment, and it is designed that way because the research tells us that concentrated hours of the right kind of instruction produce the largest and most lasting gains.
If this sounds like your learner...
Every student in LEAP Online receives live, one-on-one instruction delivered through Lesson Space, an interactive virtual learning platform designed for individualized instruction. Sessions are not pre-recorded videos or self-paced modules. They are real-time, responsive lessons with an expert clinician who knows your child's data, their strengths, and exactly what they need to work on next.
Two consecutive sessions per day, 50 minutes each. Students attend a morning session and an afternoon session, five days per week. This structure mirrors the dosage levels that research has shown to be most effective for closing significant reading gaps (Torgesen et al., 2001).
10 sessions per week. That adds up quickly. In a single week of LEAP Online, a student receives more structured reading instruction than many students receive in a month or more of weekly tutoring.
Program length determined by your child's needs. There is no one-size-fits-all timeline. After a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, we build an individualized learning plan that outlines where your child is, where they need to be, and how many hours of instruction it will take to get there. Some students attend for several weeks; others attend for the full summer. The plan is built around data, not a calendar.
Available nationwide. Because LEAP Online is fully virtual, students can participate from anywhere in the country. All they need is a computer, a reliable internet connection, and a quiet space to work.
Why Intensive Instruction Works
Perhaps most compelling: neuroimaging research shows that intensive intervention doesn't just improve reading scores. It changes the brain.
A six-year randomized controlled trial led by Stanford University found that children who received intensive Seeing Stars instruction grew the visual word form area, the brain region responsible for word recognition, while children who did not receive intervention showed no comparable change (Yeatman et al., 2026). As lead researcher Dr. Jason Yeatman noted, "The intervention is not only improving reading; it's also building the brain circuit."
Additional fMRI research has shown that after intensive, structured intervention, children with dyslexia demonstrate increased activation in key reading regions of the brain, bringing their neural patterns closer to those of typical readers (Shaywitz et al., 2003). White matter structural changes have been observed in as little as two to three weeks of intensive instruction (Huber et al., 2023).
Why Seeing Stars
Our reading program is grounded in Seeing Stars: Symbol Imagery for Phonological and Orthographic Processing, a program that develops the sensory-cognitive function of symbol imagery, the ability to visualize letters in words that connects phonological awareness with decoding and spelling. Seeing Stars draws on structured literacy principles, including explicit, systematic, and sequential phonics instruction, diagnostic and responsive teaching, and multisensory scaffolding. However, it goes far beyond just phonics and that is why we choose it over Orton-Gillingham.
Every session is tailored; every decision is grounded in assessment data, and it takes into account the entirety of the science of reading rather than one specific part.
Seeing Stars is recognized by the What Works Clearinghouse, a project of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, and has been validated by the National Center on Intensive Intervention, which rated its effect sizes as "substantively important."
"With intensive, individual tutoring by Pine State Learning, her grade equivalent jumped 2 grades in 4 months. Pine State Learning is solely responsible for my daughter's significant reading advancement which has given her a big boost to her self-esteem. For that, I am so grateful." — Rebecca, parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Her reading level has increased from a second-grade level to a fourth-grade level. This growth represents not only academic improvement but also a significant emotional milestone. She now approaches reading with determination rather than fear." — Parent of a Pine State Learning student
Our daughter started her journey with Pine State the summer between 3rd and 4th grade with three weeks of the LEAP program, and she continued with weekly tutoring throughout 4th grade. She has gone from avoiding reading whenever possible to playing letter sound games with friends and reading signs that she never could before." — Jenny J., parent of a Pine State Learning student
How It Works
Step 1: Assessment. Every student begins with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment. This tells us exactly where your child is in their reading development, what skills are in place, and what needs to be built. We use this data to determine whether your child qualifies for the program and to design their individualized learning plan.
Step 2: Individualized learning plan. Based on the assessment, we build a plan that is specific to your child. This includes the skills to be targeted, the structure of each session, and the recommended number of hours needed to reach their goals. No two plans look the same.
Step 3: Intensive instruction begins. Your child works one-on-one with an expert clinician, two sessions per day, five days per week. Instruction is delivered live through Lesson Space and follows their individualized learning plan. Progress is monitored continuously and the plan is adjusted as your child grows.
Step 4: Ongoing communication. You will receive regular progress updates so you can see exactly how your child is advancing. We believe families should never have to wonder how things are going.
Is Online LEAP the Right Fit for Your Learner?
If your child is in rising 4th grade through high school, is more than two grade levels behind in reading, and has not made the progress you expected with their current level of support, LEAP Online may be what they need. Summer is one of the most effective times to deliver intensive intervention because there are no competing academic demands and your child can focus entirely on building the skills they need.
This program is not for every student. It is for students who need it most, and it is built to deliver real results.
