Agenda Item
g. Purchase of Amira Tutor, Supplemental High-Dosage Tutoring (Not to exceed $600,000)
Summary: Presented by: Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum and Instruction
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the purchase of Amira Tutor, a high-dosage, research-based tutoring program to support foundational reading skills, fluency, and reading comprehension development in kindergarten through third grade, in an amount not to exceed $600,000.
Why: The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) administers the Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) three times per year. The 2025 spring MAP Fluency data results in the areas of phonics and word recognition are as follows:
Phonics and Word Recognition
Grade
Below Expectation
Approaching Expectation
Meets Expectation
Exceeds Expectation
Kindergarten
27%
16%
25%
32%
First
52%
46%
2%
0%
Second
96%
0%
4%
0%
Third
95%
0%
5%
0%
Amira ISIP is the Georgia Department of Education’s approved reading and dyslexia screener provided to local school districts at no cost. The District is seeking to adopt and purchase Amira Tutor, a supplemental tutoring program that algins directly to the Amira Assess. Amira Tutor will provide high-dosage, evidence-based, AI-guided, 1:1 tutoring to support teaching and learning. Real-time micro interventions are individualized and use research-based techniques and explicit decoding strategies to enhance foundational reading skills.
Pursuant to Board Policy DJE (III.D.3.g.2), the purchase of Amira Tutor does not require a competitive bid because it meets the policy definition of supplemental resources needed for instruction. In addition, Amira Tutor was evaluated and selected by qualified professional personnel based on sound pedagogical judgment and in the school district’s best interest.
Details: Amira ISIP provides a comprehensive and culturally responsive assessment system that evaluates key early literacy components such as phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension-many of which can be completed in 15-20 minutes. The voice-enabled technology listens as students read aloud, detects errors with high reliability and validity, and generates actionable data reports that support differentiated instruction and early identification of reading difficulties, including dyslexia risk.
Amira acts in three essential roles: a dyslexia screener and diagnostic tool, a skilled instructional assistant, and a personalized reading coach. These roles are particularly valuable for early learners who benefit from responsive, individualized practice grounded in the science of reading.
For educators, Amira Tutor enhances classroom efficiency by allowing small group, whole group, or individual support by delivering immediate feedback through an AI-powered 1:1 tutor. For students, Amira Tutor fosters independence and engagement through interactive read-aloud experiences and real-time positive reinforcement. This tool is especially effective for supporting diverse learners thanks to its universal design features and multilingual sensitivity.
Overall, Amira Tutor empowers K-3 teachers with the data and tools needed to deliver responsive instruction, monitor progress, and close early literacy gaps, making it an asset in building foundational reading proficiency across all student groups. The selection of the Amira Tutor followed a two-round review process:
Round 1 (March 17, 2025): The five GADOE approved vendors presented their universal reading and dyslexia screener in person. A total of 15 participants attended, including central office coordinators, directors, assistant superintendents, and chiefs. Participants provided structured feedback and posed questions regarding instructional design, alignment with science of reading, and support for differentiated instruction of each resource.
Round 2 (April 3, 2025): Vendors addressed specific questions that arose in Round 1.
Financial impact: The total contract amount will not exceed $600,000.
120.2100.553200.26021.7210.1613.8010.035.2025
GEER II Dyslexia
Communication-Web Subscription
100-1000-553200-00011-7580-9990-8010-035-000
Communication-Web Subscription
100-2220-530000-00011-7580-9990-8010-035-0000
Purchased Professional/Technical Services
Contact: Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0731
Dr. Sean R. Tartt, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0731
Dr. Penny Mosley, Assistant Superintendent K-5 Curriculum & Instruction, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0137
Dr. Lynn Angus Ramos, Director, Literacy, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0136
Mrs. Lummie Baker, Director, Educational Media and Instructional Materials, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-2421
Effective: July 15, 2025- June 30, 2026
Status: Approved by Office of Legal Affairs
High usage of Amira led to an
amazing 13 Percentile Rating point
2025 gain for Louisiana students.
Louisiana
Efficacy Research
The Science of Reading + AI = Growth
Efficacy Research
Evidence from Louisiana
Abstract
The Louisiana Department of Education has made Amira available to
all Louisiana Districts. Instructure was retained by the LADOE to
evaluate Amira’s impact on student performance on the state’s
summative assessment.
The research found that, when used frequently, Amira produced a
positive acceleration on State Scores for students in every single
grade. For example, as shown below, high-use Amira First Graders
gained a full 13 Percentile Ranks on non-users.
High-use Amira users had higher spring 2024 DIBELS scores compared to non-users, and this
difference was statistically significant (g = 0.32; p < .001); Figure 4. A Hedges’ g value of 0.32 means
that if an average Grade 1 student (one who scores right in the middle, at the 50th percentile) had
used Amira at this level, they would be expected to perform at the 63rd percentile.
467
Marginal means for
DIBELS Composite
Scores
458
454
Figure 4. Adjusted mean spring 2024 DIBELS scores for Grade 1 non-users, all Amira
users, and high use Amira users
1
What does this research demonstrate…?
The study’s conclusion states…
In conclusion, the study found a consistently positive and statistically
significant association between the time spent on Amira and students’
achievements as measured by DIBELS and LEAP assessments.
Overall, researchers found modest Hedges' g values and impact
findings were consistently positive and statistically significant. Since
the user group was not modified in terms of dosage for the main
comparative analyses, these findings are reflective of real-world
implementation. Moving forward, Amira Learning could consider
conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to further validate
these results and/or investigate the reasons behind the lower-than-
expected usage.
Who Conducted and Published the Research?
This study was commissioned by the Louisiana Department of Education.
The research was conducteed by Instructure, a third party research firm.
2
Why Is This Research Consistent with the Science of Reading?
Louisiana has been a leader in adopting the Science of Reading. As a consequence, students in the
state have outperformed students in every Other state across the country since the pandemic.
The data from this research shows Amira had a highly positive impact for ELL students which is
the one subpopulation the LADOE had not been able to impact.
What was the study population? Overall Association between Amira Usage and Grade
Student demographics by group for matched sample 2 Students’ Spring 2024 DIBELS Scores
3
How Was the Study Conducted? Details of the Demonstrated Effect
This study used a quasi-experimental design to align with ESSA Level II evidence standards. It
included a matched analysis sample of 79,158 elementary school (Kindergarten–Grade 5) Main Research Findings
students (39,579 treatment, 39,579 comparison) from across 12 school districts in Louisiana.
The sample was predominantly African American and White (38%, respectively), followed by
Hispanic (18%), multi-racial (4%), and Asian (2%). In terms of socioeconomic status (SES), this There was a statistically significant, positive association between
sample was classified as 75% economically disadvantaged. Ten percent of the sample has the total number of minutes spent on Amira and DIBELS scores
for students in grades K–3.
English language learner (ELL) designation, 14% of the sample has special education
designation, and 50% of the sample identified as female.
There was a statistically significant, positive association between
Researchers analyzed Amira’s implementation data—including total minutes used and passages the total number of minutes spent on Amira and LEAP ELA scores
read—along with demographic data from the 2023–24 school year and standardized for students in grades 4 and 5.
assessment results to assess Amira’s impact on student outcomes. The analysis included
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS®) composite scores from fall 2023 and
There was a statistically significant, positive association between
spring 2024 for the K–3 sample, as well as Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) the total number of passages read in Amira and LEAP ELA scores
ELA scores from spring 2023 and 2024 for the Grades 4–5 sample. for students in grades 4 and 5.
For impact analysis, researchers created within-grade matched samples and conducted
Grades K–3 students who used Amira had higher Spring 2024
baseline equivalence testing. All analyses met What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Version 5.0
DIBELS scores than non-users. This result was statistically
baseline equivalence standards (What Works Clearinghouse, 2022). Analyses also included
significant across all grade-level samples.
descriptive statistics and multi-level models to examine the association between Amira usage
and students’ spring 2024 DIBELS and LEAP performance (while controlling for fall 2023 and
spring 2023 performance, respectively). Researchers also included student-level covariates to Grades 4–5 students who used Amira had higher Spring 2024
control for potential selection bias. LEAP ELA scores than non-users. This result was statistically
significant across both grade-level samples.
4
Where Can One Access the Full Study?
Background is available on the Amira Learning website. You can also reach out to
info@amiralearning.com.
Learn More About Amira In Louisiana
Summary & Conclusion
Main Research Findings
There was a statistically significant, positive association between the total number of
minutes spent on Amira and DIBELS scores for students in grades K–3.
There was a statistically significant, positive association between the total number of minutes
spent on Amira and LEAP ELA scores for students in grades 4 and 5.
There was a statistically significant, positive association between the total number of
passages read in Amira and LEAP ELA scores for students in grades 4 and 5.
Grades K–3 students who used Amira had higher Spring 2024 DIBELS scores than non-users.
This result was statistically significant across all grade-level samples.
Grades 4–5 students who used Amira had higher Spring 2024 LEAP ELA scores than non-
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/30/nx-s1-5153916/louisiana-schools- users. This result was statistically significant across both grade-level samples.
use-artificial-intelligence-to-help-young-children-learn-to-read
5