One form of tutoring is proven to work: high-impact tutoring. Rigorous research found that high-dosage, high-impact tutoring is one of the few interventions with large positive effects for both Math and Reading and one of the most effective ways to increase achievement for students from lower-income households.
Based on this evidence, implementing a high-impact tutoring program is an effective way to accelerate learning and improve student outcomes. There are three essential elements to maximize the impact of high-impact tutoring: equity, scale, and outcomes. To meet the needs of millions of students nationwide, tutoring providers must work in partnership with districts to achieve successful implementation of a high-impact tutoring program.
Here are five best practices for success when implementing a high-impact tutoring program:
1. Set goals driven by school and district data.
When implementing a high-impact tutoring program, it’s critical to set measurable goals that are driven by school and district data. Existing data points allow FEV Tutor to differentiate tutoring for each student by creating highly targeted Personalized Tutoring Plans that align with existing school and district initiatives. Monitor progress towards these goals and adjust the tutoring plan and update goals when needs change.
2. Ensure your implementation model is flexible.
Create a consistent structure for scheduling tutoring sessions, ensuring this fits within the tutoring model you’ve developed. Sessions are scheduled for 40-60 minutes, three to four times per week, building in some additional time for traveling to a computer lab, logging on and off, and other transitions. FEV Tutor connects students with a live tutor, making programs adaptive and allowing the schedule to be adjusted on an ongoing basis as needed.
3. Build a collaborative tutoring program.
Ensure teachers, principals, and administrators are aware of how the platform is structured, including the variety of ways they can communicate with tutors and where to find useful data. Students also need to understand communication tools, platform functionality, and where to see their progress. FEV Tutor works directly with schools and educators to align tutoring to standards and initiatives, resulting in a targeted tutoring program that represents a natural extension of the student’s core classroom.
4. Monitor implementation and student growth data.
A successful high-impact tutoring program has the structure in place for monitoring attendance, performance, and progress. All FEV Tutor programs are planned with one goal in mind: to demonstrate objective and measurable student growth that can be correlated to the use of our tutoring programs. Our Data Analysis team analyzes quantitative and qualitative data to measure student growth and program effectiveness.
5. Involve parents and families.
Student success within a high-impact tutoring program is a team effort, fostered by communication and involvement from all stakeholders. FEV Tutor has a Family and Student Engagement team available to provide 24/7 support to parents and families. Schools leverage this team to inform parents about virtual tutoring services, communicate the goals of the tutoring program, and provide academic consultation.
These best practices will help to guide schools who are implementing a high-impact tutoring program to accelerate learning and improve student outcomes. Learn more about FEV Tutor and high-impact tutoring best practices in our guide: Activating Effective Test Prep with High-Impact Tutoring: Best Practices for Implementation