Tutoring

Educational leaders in schools that are experiencing improvement in student achievement embrace the challenge of increasing time for instruction. Therefore, many schools have included extended day tutoring programs and school day tutoring programs during non-instructional periods. Tutoring programs provide additional time, an opportunity to learn academic content, and accelerate learning for students whose academic performance lags significantly behind their peers.

The following summary indicates what research tells us about effective tutoring programs.

Effective tutoring programs include the following components:

• Assessment: Summative, diagnostic and formative assessment measures are critical to monitoring student achievement.
• Instruction: Explicit, systematic instruction is critical to accelerate student learning. In addition, the research substantiates the efficacy of flexible groups that provide targeted, skill-based instruction. These groups are constructed based on initial assessment data and accommodate the movement of students among the groups based on skill mastery.
• Curriculum: Research-validated, evidence-based curriculum products and tools (programs and materials) aligned to classroom instruction and are selected to meet the specific skill needs of the students.
• Professional Development: Ongoing professional development includes onsite training, guided practice, and coaching.

For support with establishing tutoring activities, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education at the following link:  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/grants_and_subsidies/7207/pa-pact_information/507147