“So, high impact tutoring is tutoring that happens with a qualified tutor and that means someone who is trained and is receiving coaching. It also happens frequently. So at least three to 5 times a week, in a small group or one-on-one. It is very personalized,” says Director of Partnerships and Policy for the National Student Support Accelerator Nancy Waymack.
Research Guidance
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm, high-dose tutoring is the most effective—though often the most expensive.
The National Student Support Accelerator, a Stanford University center that studies effective tutoring, finds that effective high-dose tutoring programs require:
- Tutoring integrated into the school day to increase tutor-teacher coordination and avoid transportation or time problems for students.
- Targeting students based on academic need rather than requiring parents to opt into services.
- Budgeting services for at least three to five days a week for extended periods of time.
- Differentiated tutoring based on particular student needs and skills.
- Data-gathering and progress-monitoring, particularly when schools work with outside tutoring providers.
Districts across the nation use Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to target appropriate supports for each student. High-impact tutoring is the most effective research-backed academic support – consistently demonstrating from six months to over two years of learning gains for students across grade levels and content areas in a single year of tutoring.
Districts that have chosen to integrate high-impact tutoring with MTSS are finding that embedding this highly effective support into the fabric of their schools improves student outcomes, reduces implementation challenges, improves instructional coherence, and streamlines operations.
Purpose
One-on-one goal setting conferences between tutors and students empower each student to take ownership over their education. Tutor coaching can help students clarify their goals and codify their plans of action, making it easier to communicate students’ progress to their families and other stakeholders such as teachers. Tutors can use the agenda below collaboratively with students to analyze academic growth and mastery, reflect on overall progress towards goals, and create a new action plan to keep moving forward.
Why should tutors/tutoring programs continually update students’ families?
Continual updates make student progress (and the value of the tutoring program) visible and tangible for families.
Why does In-Service Training, Oversight and Support Matter?
Training, providing oversight and supporting your tutors are the most effective ways to ensure they are building and maintaining the skills and mindsets required to tutor successfully in your program.
Why is tutor training important?
Training your tutors is the most effective way to ensure they are building and maintaining the skills and mindsets required to successfully tutor in your program. There are two main methods of training: Pre-Service Training, which takes place before tutoring sessions begin, and In-Service Training, which is an integral part of a tutor’s ongoing support.
This tool is not legal advice
Consult an attorney to ensure program compliance with all federal, state, and local laws.
This tool is not legal advice
Consult an attorney to ensure program compliance with all federal, state, and local laws.
Your candidate pool should reflect the backgrounds of the students being served. Also, when developing selection criteria, consider how advanced you need tutors to be when it comes to understanding systemic oppression and being anti-racist. Some programs look for an openness to learning and an acknowledgement of intrinsic bias as this sets the foundation for future training.
Why build an intentional recruitment plan?
The more applicants your program can recruit, the more selective you can be when choosing tutors. If your program cannot recruit enough qualified tutors, it must either serve fewer students or provide each student with less support. Poor recruitment can make it harder for your program to serve its mission, starting a downward spiral of lower impact, less funding, and fewer high-quality tutors.
Why create a tutor job description?
If your program plans to recruit tutors from outside the community, you will need a job description to post online or otherwise circulate. If your program plans to rely on teachers at partner schools, students’ families, or peer tutors, you should still create a job description internally for selection purposes. The checklist and the examples below will help you make sure your job description gets read, attracts applicants, and targets the specific kind of candidates you think would make ideal tutors in your program.