Cross-Age Peer Tutoring to Improve Literacy Outcomes for Students With Disabilities

Learning to read is of primary focus in the early grades. Reading can be a challenge for many students, especially those with disabilities. With rising class sizes, and more students with disabilities included in the general education setting, the need for more individualized support in literacy instruction is vital. Innovative approaches are needed to increase learning opportunities in ways that are both practical to implement and cost-effective for schools. Cross age peer tutoring presents a promising approach to support students, both academically and socially. This involves pairing an older student, the tutor, with a younger student, the tutee, for tutoring sessions. This article provides elementary general and special education teachers with a step-by-step plan for implementing a cross age tutoring program to increase literacy outcomes for all students, specifically those with disabilities.