Can AI Tutors Teach Struggling Readers? Experimental Evidence from Secondary Schools in Colombia

Last registered on July 23, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Can AI Tutors Teach Struggling Readers? Experimental Evidence from Secondary Schools in Colombia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019168
Initial registration date
July 20, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 23, 2026, 8:15 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Colombia
Region
Barranquilla

Primary Investigator

Name
Sandra Rozo
Affiliation
World Bank
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-08-01
End date
2027-01-31
Keywords
Education, Gender
Additional Keywords
AI, Education
JEL code(s)
I21, O33, I25, I28
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many secondary students in developing countries cannot read fluently enough to learn from written text. This study evaluates whether an artificial intelligence reading tutor improves oral reading fluency and reading comprehension among struggling readers in public secondary schools in Barranquilla, Colombia. We randomly assigned 31 classes serving 845 students in 11 schools to a structured remedial reading program (Avanza+), or to the same program with its oral reading routines completed on Microsoft Reading Coach, which scores speed and accuracy through speech recognition and generates individualized practice on the words each student misses. Because both groups receive identical curriculum and instructional time, the design identifies the marginal contribution of automated, individualized feedback the alternative for education systems considering AI tutors as a complement to structured remediation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rozo, Sandra. 2026. "Can AI Tutors Teach Struggling Readers? Experimental Evidence from Secondary Schools in Colombia." AEA RCT Registry. July 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19168-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
All students in the study receive Avanza+, a structured remediation program developed by the World Bank for secondary students who can decode but have not automatized reading. The program includes 48 one-hour sessions, delivered three times per week over approximately 16 weeks. Sessions are grouped into eight units and combine explicit instruction in phonological awareness, spelling, morphology, and vocabulary with repeated oral reading routines and formative assessments. Treatment classes implement the identical curriculum with one difference: the oral reading routines, consisting of three timed readings per unit and the end-of-unit fluency check, are completed on Microsoft Reading Coach using tablets/computers. In each exercise, the student reads aloud for one minute; the platform scores speed and accuracy through speech recognition, returns immediate feedback, and generates individualized practice on the words the student misread. Control classes complete the same routines on paper, working in pairs: one student reads aloud while the other times the reading and provides feedback, with occasional support from the teacher. The treatment effect therefore captures the marginal value of automated, individualized feedback relative to peer feedback, holding curriculum and instructional time constant.
Intervention Start Date
2026-08-30
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The study has two primary outcomes. The first is oral reading fluency, measured as words read correctly per minute (WCPM) on a one-minute reading of a 308-word informative text. The second is reading comprehension, measured as the number of correct answers (0 to 10) on a multiple-choice test with six literal and four inferential items based on a second informative text.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experimental sample includes 845 students in 31 instructional groups across 11 public schools in Barranquilla. The unit of randomization is the instructional group. Randomization was blocked by school: within each school, half of the groups were randomly assigned to treatment, and in schools with an odd number of groups a fair coin determined the extra assignment.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
computer randomization
Randomization Unit
Instructional group (classroom).
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The study was blocked by schools and clustered by instructional class.
Sample size: planned number of observations
842 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
842 students, 11 schools, and 31 clusters
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Universidad de los Andes
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-27
IRB Approval Number
Acta N.331
Analysis Plan