Look at measurements, not feelings. Ask for a baseline, a specific goal with a date, regular progress monitoring, and a graph of scores over time. If scores are on or above the goal line and the trend is climbing, the instruction is working. If scores stay flat or fall below the line, the team should change the approach.

A baseline is the starting point measured before instruction begins. Good reading assessments look at letter sounds, sounding out words, reading fluency, spelling, and understanding, and the scores are compared with grade-level expectations.

For children getting intensive reading help, research supports progress monitoring about every one to two weeks, using the same kind of short check each time so scores can be compared fairly. Testing only once or twice a year is not frequent enough to catch problems early.

Ask how long the team will try the current approach before reviewing the data, and what they will change if scores stay below the goal line. Options include more lessons per week, a smaller group, or a different teaching approach. Waiting and hoping is not a plan.

Ask how many minutes per session and days per week, how big the group is, who teaches and whether they are trained in structured literacy, and which program or method is used and why. You should hear a clear answer that connects the teaching to your child’s needs.