Program Summary
The MiSsion Acceleration pilot program is designed to accelerate reading achievement for 1000 children from Mississippi. The program will provide the trifecta of support for readers in grades K-5:
- an evidence-based intervention with explicit, systematic 1:1 academic assistance (also known as high-dosage tutoring) in reading
- a student-centered, personalized, digital literacy environment giving students access to more than 6,000 enhanced digital books matched to the students’ interest, grade, and Lexile® reading level to deliver appropriate texts for reading practice that can be monitored and assessed, as well as utilized for parent/child/academic guide engagement
- a meaningful connection with a role model for academic, social, and emotional support.
To combat pandemic-related learning loss due to extensive periods of time out of school or time spent learning asynchronously, this intensive program will span four academic semesters: Summer and Fall 2021; as well as Spring and Summer 2022.
Goals
The goals of this proposed project are:
- increase the number of skilled reading Academic Guides (tutors) in Mississippi
- positively impact academic outcomes in reading for students in grades K-5
- increase the total number of minutes a struggling reader spends on appropriate, Lexile®-leveled text
- reduce the negative effects of the pandemic on the academic and social/emotional well-being of students in grade K-5
- expand resources for parents to support reading development at home.

Ashley Parker Sheils
Program Director
missionacceleration@gmail.com
A native Mississippian, Dr. Ashley Parker Sheils has fifteen years of experience in literacy education as a teacher and an evidence-based, job-embedded literacy coach, which requires designing, delivering, and evaluating professional learning opportunities to improve literacy instruction and ultimately literacy achievement among PreK-12 learners. In addition to literacy coaching, Ashley has served as a Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, the Director of the Mississippi Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a project coordinator for a federal research study related to literacy coaching, and a literacy consultant for national & state-level organizations, school districts, and non-profit agencies, specifically related to planning, implementing, and scaling evidence-based literacy practices and interventions. Most importantly, Ashley is a mom of four-year-old twin boys. Ashley is passionate about reading instruction, as well as designing and delivering high-quality learning experiences for children & educators, and was recently recognized for her dissertation work related to vocabulary instruction with a national award.