The program's goal is to bring students up to the level of their peers and to give students the assistance they need to develop independent reading strategies. Once students are reading at a level equivalent to that of their peers, they are discontinued from the program. Clay's theory of learning to read is based on the idea that children construct cognitive systems to understand the world and language. During the daily half-hour sessions, children read many small books, some of which are written in a style close to that of oral language. The books also often use predictable language.
Teachers keep a running record to analyze the child's reading performance.
Children also compose and read their own messages or stories. In addition, children read slightly more challenging texts that they have not read before. Teachers provide detailed support for the children as they read these more difficult texts. Magnetic alphabet letters might be used to assist in analyzing words. An essential component of the Reading Recovery program is the training of the teachers who provide the tutorial instruction.