QUESTION 4: Does your site have time available for students to meet with tutors?
A tutor is a person that provides extra help to students. Tutoring provides students with the opportunity to receive extra support to close the academic achievement gap. Tutors play a vital role in the schools and the classrooms. To be an effective tutor, the research recommends that tutors create positive student-tutor relationships and be available to meet with students’ multiple times a week. Ideally, tutors should meet with students three days a week.
When creating a tutoring plan, the group size should ideally be less than 4 students. The most effective group size is when the tutor can meet 1 on 1 with a student. Research has shown that tutoring sessions during the school day are more effective than after-school and that the sessions can take place either online or in-person understanding that in-person tutoring is the goal. If structuring an after-school program for tutoring visit Structuring an After-School Tutoring Program for research-based recommendations.
As a tutor, it is important to collaborate with the teacher to learn about the students and what works best for that student. Your role is to support the learning in the classroom and provide additional instruction for the struggling student. Understanding how a student is doing and if they are progressing is a vital part of tutoring and instruction. Informal Assessments are often a gauge of the effectiveness of instruction or a lesson.
Tutoring can begin:
- Once identified students who are performing below grade level expectations are selected.
- Tutors have been recruited and trained on materials they will be implementing.
- Tutors have a space to meet with students.
NO
In-person tutoring is the goal.
Group Size should be 1:1 ideally, but groups up to 4 students are also effective.
Students should meet with their tutor at least 3 times a week, this allows a high dosage of tutoring and supplemental support to students over a specific period. The tutoring sessions should at least be 30 minutes but no more than 50 minutes.
As you embark on developing the tutoring program at your site, it will be important to set aside time to train tutors in the program and the materials that are chosen. Well-trained and well-supported tutors have a greater effect on student learning. In addition to initial training, tutors will need ongoing support and guidance.
As students attend tutoring and receive supplemental instruction that supports classroom learning, informal and formal assessments should be implemented to measure and monitor growth, the assessments along with the program or materials that are selected should be aligned with the B.E.S.T. ELA standards.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. (2021). ED COVID-19 handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to reopening safely and meeting all students’ needs. Washington, DC. This report is available on the Department’s website at https://www2.ed.gov/​documents/​​coronavirus/​reopening-2.pdf
