According to research from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, “high impact tutoring leads to substantial learning gains for students by supplementing (but not replacing) students’ classroom instruction.” High-impact tutoring has been shown to be one of the most effective interventions for students who have fallen behind academically, and it can also enrich and accelerate learning for on-track students.
The most valuable high-impact tutoring programs are designed to be customizable and adaptable to schools’ and districts’ learning standards and goals. For schools who want to implement high-impact online tutoring during their afterschool programs, this is particularly important. Afterschool programs are all created with different purposes and goals in mind, so it’s critical to develop a tutoring program that matches these goals and the needs of the students who are participating.
Here are four steps to implement high-impact online tutoring in after-school programs:
Create a Structured Program
The first step to a structured afterschool online tutoring program is deciding how much time students will be expected to participate in tutoring each day. In Manchester School District (MSD), the first 45 minutes of the afterschool program is an extension of the school day, and students participate in a customized FEV Tutor program as part of their regular academic support. Another important step to create a structured afterschool online tutoring program is choosing which subjects students need to receive tutoring in, whether they alternate between subjects each day or focus in on one subject they are struggling in.
Target Skill Gaps
An afterschool online tutoring program can supplement regular instruction, support struggling students, and scaffold learning. By implementing an online tutoring program and enrolling the students who have the most to gain from high-impact tutoring, it’s possible to target students’ skill gaps. High-impact online tutoring can be an effective intervention for students who have fallen behind, leading to significant learning gains. MSD found that implementing FEV Tutor in their afterschool program led to a positive impact on students’ learning gaps, particularly with students who were one to two years behind.
Offer Flexible Options
While the goal of an afterschool online tutoring program is to provide support at school after the regular school day, it’s still critical that online tutoring is flexible for students who may not always be able to attend in person. For example, MSD students who aren’t able to stay after school still benefit from the school’s FEV Tutor program since it’s available to them at home or anywhere else they need it 24/7.
This is helpful for students who play sports, have after-school jobs, or have other responsibilities that lead them to do their schoolwork later in the evening. Flexible access to the online tutoring program ensures students stay consistently engaged, resulting in more effective tutoring.
Develop a Data-Driven Program
A successful afterschool online tutoring program utilizes multiple growth measures to track achievement gains and evaluate program effectiveness. FEV Tutor meets with each school or district to develop a data-driven tutoring model to accelerate learning for any student group. Through weekly progress reports and ongoing data sharing and analysis, FEV Tutor supports schools’ emphasis on bridging achievement gaps, supporting students and families, and providing direct support through high-impact tutoring.
FEV Tutor’s high-impact online 1:1 tutoring is flexible enough to implement in various learning models and aligns with curriculum goals and learning standards to drive growth in student achievement. Learn more about how Manchester School District implemented FEV Tutor in its afterschool programs by reading the white paper: High Impact Online Tutoring for Academic Success: An Afterschool Implementation