Pupil-to-teacher ratio is kept very small.

The highest number of students who work with one teacher in any of these early intervention programs is seven. Programs such as Early Intervention in Reading and the Boulder Project present evidence that many children can make significant progress when instruction is given to small groups of students; however, there is no question that one-to-one tutoring is the most powerful form of intervention (Pinnell, et al., 1994; Wasik & Slavin, 1993). It seems highly likely that at least some children who are encountering very serious problems in learning to read will need the intense support of one-to-one tutoring. As yet, no one has suggested guidelines for determining which students can respond to group instruction and which require individual tutoring. It seems reasonable to begin with group instruction for most students and to switch to individual instruction for those students who are having difficulty making progress.