Montgomery Blair High School student Rishik Shenolikar turned a small pandemic tutoring effort into Potomac PiRates Inc., a nonprofit helping elementary students overcome math anxiety through games, puzzles and mental‑math activities.
During the pandemic, Rishik Shenolikar offered to help tutor neighborhood kids in his garage.
It was a small group of elementary schoolers, and he used a mental math book that intrigued him. He helped the kids with their homework, explaining different tricks and using engaging math puzzles.
Shenolikar, a junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, has enjoyed math ever since he was a kid. He hoped to spread that excitement, and was successful. Some of the younger students wanted to discuss the puzzles with their parents over dinner.
What started as a kind gesture while in-person schools were closed has evolved into a nonprofit.
Shenolikar created Potomac PiRates Inc., which aims to help students recognize that math can be a lot more than formulas and equations.
“It’s such a useful skill,” Shenolikar said. “There’s so many careers that involve math, but it also just helps your brain in so many different ways.”
The group, which started about two years ago, offers tutoring support to elementary schools and other local organizations. It’s an official partner with the Montgomery County Recreation Center and supports their “Club Adventure” after-school program. They’re also offering math support to students with disabilities.
The sessions usually involve a lot of games, puzzles and mental math tricks. They aim to empower students to arrive at an answer faster than they would have otherwise. They often get feedback from teachers too.
“The main point is to help students with math anxiety because I’ve noticed a lot that I enjoy math a lot, but a lot of kids out there just don’t find it that fun,” Shenolikar said.
Separately, the nonprofit has sent nearly 1,000 math kits to students in underresourced communities. The contents of the kits depends on who they’re going to, but they typically include basic math supplies and a logic puzzle, such as a Rubik’s Cube.
Recently, they created and shipped 60 kits to a classroom “of very smart kids in Africa who, unfortunately, don’t have the resources to get into math,” Shenolikar said.
He’s planning to travel to Africa this summer to meet those kids and offer them some tutoring help.
Shenolikar first paid for the work using money he earned judging debate tournaments. But now, the group of 15 kids has been using funds from a grant it received through the Dodge Family Foundation. Moving forward, they’re hoping to collaborate with small businesses.
The work, he said, is making a difference.
“The best sign of our impact … where they start out not liking math, but eventually it grows on them, because they enjoy the games,” Shenolikar said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
New national survey from Huntington Learning Center and YouGov finds overwhelming demand for personalized, supplemental learning programs.
ORADELL, N.J., June 5, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– A new national survey conducted by Huntington Learning Center in partnership with YouGov reveals overwhelming demand among parents for more personalized, supplemental learning programs to support students with ADHD and learning disorders. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 77% of parents agree that tutoring programs are important tools for addressing educational gaps, and 79% say they would enroll their child in a specialized tutoring program if diagnosed with a learning disability. Over half of parents (57%) report that the pandemic negatively impacted their child’s academic progress, with middle schoolers facing the most significant setbacks. While reasons for enrolling in supplemental learning vary, ranging from improving confidence to enhancing focus and executive functioning, 40% of parents who felt the pandemic had a negative impact have at least one child enrolled in such support.
The survey also found that 70% of parents believe supplemental learning programs are important for every child’s academic success, and 80% agree that schools should subsidize these programs specifically for students with learning disorders such as ADHD. For many families, traditional classrooms alone are no longer enough, especially when learning differences make it harder for students to stay organized, focused, and engaged.
“With appropriate and intensive intervention, students with ADHD and learning disorders can thrive,” said Dr. Mary Rooney, a clinical psychologist and featured expert in Huntington’s recent national webinar, ADHD and Learning Disorders: Understanding the Overlap and Unlocking Effective Intervention. “A diagnosis doesn’t mean a child isn’t smart-it means their brain learns differently. Understanding that can preserve self-esteem and open the door to real progress.”
Huntington Learning Center has long recognized the unique challenges students with ADHD face in the classroom. That’s why its ADHD support program is built around personalized instruction designed to address the specific struggles tied to attention, impulsivity, time management, and organization. Each student receives individualized support tailored to their learning style, with tutors breaking down complex skills into smaller, manageable parts to help reduce overwhelm and build confidence. Huntington’s program also emphasizes executive functioning strategies, helping students develop stronger study habits, plan ahead, and stay focused during assignments and tests.
In addition to academic instruction, Huntington maintains ongoing collaboration with parents and schools to ensure continuity and support across learning environments. Regular progress updates and communication with classroom teachers allow tutors to adapt plans and provide more targeted support, helping each child reach their full potential both in and out of the classroom.
“No two students with ADHD are the same,” said Anne Huntington Sharma, President and Board Member of Huntington Learning Center. “That’s why our programs are customized to each learner, addressing not just academics but the skills and confidence they need to succeed in and out of the classroom.”
By addressing the root challenges that often accompany ADHD and learning disorders, Huntington Learning Center is helping students rebuild confidence, close learning gaps, and re-engage with school in a meaningful, sustainable way.
Huntington Learning Center is the nation’s leading tutoring and test prep provider. We offer customized programs in person, online, and hybrid options. Our certified teachers provide individualized instruction in phonics, reading, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. We prep for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington’s programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Huntington is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1977, Huntington’s mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.HuntingtonHelps.com
Contact Information
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 843 adults with children from ages 10 to 18 yrs. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd – 12th March 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US parents with children from ages 10 to 18 yrs (aged 26+)
Students Show Significant Gains in Reading and Math, Advancing up to 3.6 Grade Levels
ORADELL, N.J., October 15, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Huntington Learning Center, the nation’s leading tutor and test prep provider, continues to see remarkable improvements in student performance across reading and math through its innovative high-dosage tutoring programs. These results further solidify Huntington’s role as a top provider of targeted, small-group and 1-1 tutoring, effectively addressing learning loss and supporting academic growth in students across the U.S.
Through partnerships with local schools, districts, and state departments of education, Huntington has provided customized instruction to thousands of students, achieving measurable progress in critical academic areas. These results come as part of several collaborations, including Ohio’s Future Forward High-Dosage Tutoring Initiative, which has been instrumental in supporting middle school students across the Worthington and Columbus area public schools.
Highlights of Huntington Learning Center’s recent program successes include:
Worthington and Columbus, Ohio (6th-8th Grade Students): Huntington delivered targeted reading and math instruction to over 500 students through in-person and small-group sessions (4:1 ratio). Over the 40-hour program, students demonstrated significant improvement, with reading scores increasing by 9% and math scores by 15%, as measured by the Renaissance Star Assessment.
Centerville and Clinton Massie, Ohio (6th-8th Grade Students): In small groups of 3:1, Huntington provided 40 hours of focused math instruction, leading to a 10% improvement in average scaled math scores, with students gaining 1.19 grade levels.
Fort Collins and Weld Re-4 District, Colorado (K-7 Reading, 7-10 Math): One-on-one tutoring for 60 hours resulted in an impressive jump in student performance, with reading scores rising 18 percentile points and math scores improving by 11 percentile points. Students increased by an average of 1.1 grade levels in reading and 0.9 grade levels in math.
Skokie, Illinois and District 65 (4th-8th Grade Students): Huntington’s 48-hour online program delivered via Zoom yielded significant gains in reading (+23 points) and math (+17 points) scores. The students also experienced an increase of 2.1 grade levels in reading and 1.3 grade levels in math.
Englewood, New Jersey and Yeshiva University High School for Boys (11th Grade Students): Huntington’s SAT test prep resulted in an average score increase of 134 points for students in this 48-hour, small-group program.
Bronx Charter School for Excellence, New York (K-8 Students): Huntington’s individualized approach helped students achieve up to 82-point increases in math and 37-point increases in reading over 63 hours, with math scores jumping by 3.6 grade levels.
These high-dosage tutoring programs have made a tremendous impact on students from elementary through high school, not only improving academic performance but also building their confidence and motivation.
Educators praise Huntington’s approach: “We have been so blessed to have Huntington Learning Center working with us to support our middle school math students,” said Hollie Brofford, Title I Director at Cornerstone Academy in Ohio. “The Huntington teachers have been professional, supportive, and kind, truly becoming a part of our Cornerstone Family.”
The results are clear—Huntington Learning Center’s tailored approach to high-dosage tutoring is driving measurable academic improvements and transforming the lives of students across the country.
About Huntington Learning Center
Huntington Learning Center is the nation’s leading tutoring and test prep provider. We offer customized programs in person, online, and hybrid options. Our certified teachers provide individualized instruction in phonics, reading, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. We prep for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington’s programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Huntington is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1977, Huntington’s mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.HuntingtonHelps.com and for franchising opportunities, visit www.HuntingtonFranchise.com.
Maryland school officials said they are confident they will able to obligate almost $780 million in federal funds in the next 10 days – money that will have to be returned to the federal government if they don’t.
Maryland school officials said they are confident they will able to obligate almost $780 million in federal funds in the next 10 days – money that will have to be returned to the federal government if they don’t.
The funding is part of $1.95 billion Maryland received in use-it-or-lose-it pandemic-relief funds for schools from the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, program. As of this week, Maryland had spent 60.7% of the total, for $1.18 billion.
Maryland’s rate of obligating its funds is one of the lowest in the nation, ahead of only Nebraska and the District of Columbia, according to a U.S. Department of Education dashboard.
In a letter to all states dated Sept. 10, Laura Jimenez, director of state and grantee relations in the department’s ESSER Office, reminded grantees that they have until Sept. 30 to report on how they will commit to draw down the remaining money. States have until Jan. 28, 2025, to liquidate, or spend, the money, but can also request an extension to March 2026.
That’s what Maryland has done and will do, said Krishna Tallur, deputy state superintendent for the state Department of Education’s Office of Finance and Operations.
“We believe that all of the funds will be obligated by the deadline and liquated by the extended deadline,” Tallur said in an interview earlier this month.
The federal dashboard still shows that Maryland spent 59.4% of its allocation, but Tallur said that the number as of July, the most recent available, was actually 60.07%.
But if the state doesn’t obligate that money, then it goes back to the federal government.
“At the end of the day, our kids cannot afford for this money to just disappear. This is tax money, right?” said Tracie Potts, executive director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College, which released a report last month on ESSER funding.
The pandemic-era relief money in this third and final round can be used for a variety of needs and services such as summer enrichment programs, upgrades to facilities and mental health support.
“Federal funds just don’t come out of the air,” Potts said in an interview. “This is money that was designated for our kids to catch up. The question becomes, ‘What are we going to do with it?’”
Her institute’s report, “Building America: Reinventing Education Funding Education in Maryland During and After the Pandemic,” was completed last fall with data updated through January 2023. The state Department of Education updated a source file last month on what districts spent in federal pandemic-era funding.
The report offers recommendations for school district officials to invest and evidence-based strategies to address pandemic learning recovery such as community school and summer learning programs. It also highlighted high-impact tutoring, which will be done this school year in Baltimore City.
Potts said research has shown it’s best for high-impact tutoring to take place during the school day in small groups and done several times a week.
“Number one, more than likely you’ll be able to get the teachers because they’re already there,” she said. “There are additional costs when we keep kids after school and try to get them there before school. If transportation is not provided, then only the kids who have somebody at home and who’s not working…can pick them up. So that’s an equity issue.”
Except for the District of Columbia, which had allocated just 44.4% of its funding, according to the federal dashboard this week, all of Maryland’s other neighbors had obligated or spent significantly larger share of their ESSER funding:
Delaware reported spending 83.1%, with $69.5 million left to obligate;
West Virginia has allocated 79.8%, with $153.9 million left;
Virginia spent 77.1%, and had $484.4 million left;
and Pennsylvania had spent 77% money, with $1.1 billion left to obligate.
While Nebraska and D.C. were at the bottom among states, having allocated 56% and 44.4% respectively, Hawaii and Washington state had allocated the largest share among states. Hawaii has spent 93.7% of its $412.5 million, and has $26.2 million left, while Washington had $169.5 million left, having spent 90.9% of its $1.85 billion total.
California received and spent the most, getting $15 billion and spending $12.3 billion, or 81.5%.
Del. Bernice Mireku-North (D-Montgomery), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said she didn’t know about the upcoming deadline, or amount left. But she said federal dollars have helped to address pandemic challenges such as food insecurity and laptops for children in her jurisdiction.
“We will continue our commitment to a world-class education for our children, by making sure they have the resources they need around the state,” she said in an interview Aug. 30. “There’s going to be a point for us to consider how we’re going to fund them once federal money goes away. We’ll continue to work together as a legislature to find the right steps that the gains from those federal resources aren’t lost.”
The Campaign for Grade Level Reading will host an online discussion Tuesday from what some state education officials learned in applying the ESSER funding to their schools as the “looming ESSER funding cliff” approaches.
Ever since the pandemic shut down schools in the spring of 2020, education researchers have pointed to tutoring as the most promising way to help kids catch up academically. Evidence from almost 100 studies was overwhelming for a particular kind of tutoring, called high-dosage tutoring, where students focus on either reading or math three to five times a week.
But until recently, there has been little good evidence for the effectiveness of online tutoring, where students and tutors interact via video, text chat and whiteboards. The virtual versionhas boomed since the federal government handed schools nearly $190 billion of pandemic recovery aid and specifically encouraged them to spend it on tutoring. Now, some new U.S. studies could offer useful guidance to educators.
Online attendance is a struggle
In the spring of 2023, almost 1,000 Northern California elementary school children in grades 1 to 4 were randomly assigned to receive online reading tutoring during the school day. Students were supposed to get 20 to 30 sessions each, but only one of five students received that much. Eighty percent didn’t and they didn’t do much better than the 800 students in the comparison group who didn’t get tutoring, according to a draft paper by researchers from Teachers College, Columbia University, which was posted to the Annenberg Institute website at Brown University in April 2024. (The Hechinger Report is an independent news organization based at Teachers College, Columbia University.)
Researchers have previously found that it is important to schedule in-person tutoring sessions during the school day, when attendance is mandatory. The lesson here with online tutoring is that attendance can be rocky even during the school day. Often, students end up with a low dose of tutoring instead of the high dose that schools have paid for.
However, online tutoring can be effective when students participate regularly. In this Northern California study, reading achievement increased substantially, in line with in-person tutoring, for the roughly 200 students who got at least 20 sessions across 10 weeks.
The students who logged in regularly might have been more motivated students in the first place, the researchers warned, indicating that it could be hard to reproduce such large academic benefits for all. During the periods when children were supposed to receive tutoring, researchers observed that some children – often ones who were slightly higher achieving – regularly logged on as scheduled while others didn’t. The difference in student behavior and what the students were doing instead wasn’t explained. Students also seemed to log in more frequently when certain staff members were overseeing the tutoring and less frequently with others.
Small group tutoring doesn’t work as well online
The large math and reading gains that researchers documented in small groups of students with in-person tutors aren’t always translating to the virtual world.
Another study of more than 2,000 elementary school children in Texas tested the difference between one-to-one and two-to-one online tutoring during the 2022-23 school year. These were young, low-income children, in kindergarten through 2nd grade, who were just learning to read. Children who were randomly assigned to get one-to-one tutoring four times a week posted small gains on one test, but not on another, compared to students in a comparison group who didn’t get tutoring. First graders assigned to one-to-one tutoring gained the equivalent of 30 additional days of school. By contrast, children who had been tutored in pairs were statistically no different in reading than the comparison group of untutored children. A draft paper about this study, led by researchers from Stanford University, was posted to the Annenberg website in May 2024.
Another small study in Grand Forks, North Dakota confirmed the downside of larger groups with online tutoring. Researchers from Brown University directly compared the math progress of middle school students when they received one-to-one tutoring versus small groups of three students. The study was too small, only 180 students, to get statistically strong results, but the half that were randomly assigned to receive individual tutoring appeared to gain eight extra percentile points, compared to the students who were assigned to small group tutoring. It was possible that students in the small groups learned a third as much math, the researchers estimated, but these students might have learned much less. A draft of this paper was posted to the Annenberg website in June 2024.
In surveys, tutors said it was hard to keep all three kids engaged online at once. Students were more frequently distracted and off-task, they said. Shy students were less likely to speak up and participate. With one student at a time, tutors said they could move at a faster pace and students “weren’t afraid to ask questions” or “afraid of being wrong.” (On the plus side, tutors said groups of three allowed them to organize group activities or encourage a student to help a peer.)
Behavior problems happen in person too. However, when I have observed in-person small group tutoring in schools, each student is often working independently with the tutor, almost like three simultaneous sessions of one-to-one help. In-person tutors can encourage a student to keep practicing through a silent glance, a smile or hand signal even as they are explaining something to another student. Online, each child’s work and mistakes are publicly exposed on the screen to the whole group. Private asides aren’t as easy; some platforms allow the tutor to text a child privately in a chat window, but that takes time. Tutors have told me that many teens don’t like seeing their face on screen, but turning the camera off makes it harder for them to sense if a student is following along or confused.
Matt Kraft, one of the Brown researchers on the Grand Forks study, suggests that bigger changes need to be made to online tutoring lessons in order to expand from one-to-one to small group tutoring, and he notes that school staff are needed in the classroom to keep students on-task.
School leaders have until March 2026 to spend the remainder of their $190 billion in pandemic recovery funds, but contracts with tutoring vendors must be signed by September 2024. Both options — in person and virtual — involve tradeoffs. New research evidence is showing that virtual tutoring can work well, especially when motivated students want the tutoring and log in regularly. But many of the students who are significantly behind grade level and in need of extra help may not be so motivated. Keeping the online tutoring small, ideally one-to-one, improves the chances that it will be effective. But that means serving many fewer students, leaving millions of children behind. It’s a tough choice.
The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.
Schools spend billions of dollars a year on products and services, including everything from staplers and textbooks to teacher coaching and training. Does any of it help students learn more? Some educational materials end up mothballed in closets. Much software goes unused. Yet central-office bureaucrats frequently renew their contracts with outside vendors regardless of usage or efficacy.
One idea for smarter education spending is for schools to sign smarter contracts, where part of the payment is contingent upon whether students use the services and learn more. It’s called outcomes-based contracting and is a way of sharing risk between buyer (the school) and seller (the vendor). Outcomes-based contracting is most common in healthcare. For example, a health insurer might pay a pharmaceutical company more for a drug if it actually improves people’s health, and less if it doesn’t.
Although the idea is relatively new in education, many schools tried a different version of it – evaluating and paying teachers based on how much their students’ test scores improved – in the 2010s. Teachers didn’t like it, and enthusiasm for these teacher accountability schemes waned. Then, in 2020, Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research announced that it was going to test the feasibility of paying tutoring companies by how much students’ test scores improved.
The initiative was particularly timely in the wake of the pandemic. The federal government would eventually give schools almost $190 billion to reopen and to help students who fell behind when schools were closed. Tutoring became a leading solution for academic recovery and schools contracted with outside companies to provide tutors. Many educators worried that billions could be wasted on low-quality tutors who didn’t help anyone. Could schools insist that tutoring companies make part of their payment contingent upon whether student achievement increased?
The Harvard center recruited a handful of school districts who wanted to try an outcomes-based contract. The researchers and districts shared ideas on how to set performance targets. How much should they expect student achievement to grow from a few months of tutoring? How much of the contract should be guaranteed to the vendor for delivering tutors, and how much should be contingent on student performance?
The first hurdle was whether tutoring companies would be willing to offer services without knowing exactly how much they would be paid. School districts sent out requests for proposals from online tutoring companies. Tutoring companies bid and the terms varied. One online tutoring company agreed that 40 percent of a $1.2 million contract with the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida, would be contingent upon student performance. Another online tutoring company signed a contract with Ector County schools in the Odessa, Texas, region that specified that the company had to accept a penalty if kids’ scores declined.
In the middle of the pilot, the outcomes-based contracting initiative moved from the Harvard center to the Southern Education Foundation, another nonprofit, and I recently learned how the first group of contracts panned out from Jasmine Walker, a senior manager there. Walker had a first-hand view because until the fall of 2023, she was the director of mathematics in Florida’s Duval County schools, where she oversaw the outcomes-based contract on tutoring.
Here are some lessons she learned:
Planning is time-consuming
Drawing up an outcomes-based contract requires analyzing years of historical testing data, and documenting how much achievement has typically grown for the students who need tutoring. Then, educators have to decide – based on the research evidence for tutoring – how much they could reasonably hope student achievement to grow after 12 weeks or more.
Incomplete data was a common problem
The first school district in the pilot group launched its outcome-based contract in the fall of 2021. In the middle of the pilot, school leadership changed, layoffs hit, and the leaders of the tutoring initiative left the district. With no one in the district’s central office left to track it, there was no data on whether tutoring helped the 1,000 students who received it. Half the students attended 70 percent of the tutoring sessions. Half didn’t. Test scores for almost two-thirds of the tutored students increased between the start and the end of the tutoring program. But these students also had regular math classes each day and they likely would have posted some achievement gains anyway.
Delays in settling contracts led to fewer tutored students
Walker said two school districts weren’t able to start tutoring children until January 2023, instead of the fall of 2022 as originally planned, because it took so long to iron out contract details and obtain approvals inside the districts. Many schools didn’t want to wait and launched other interventions to help needy students sooner. Understandably, schools didn’t want to yank these students away from those other interventions midyear.
That delay had big consequences in Duval County. Only 451 students received tutoring instead of a projected 1,200. Fewer students forced Walker to recalculate Duval’s outcomes-based contract. Instead of a $1.2 million contract with $480,000 of it contingent on student outcomes, she downsized it to $464,533 with $162,363 contingent. The tutored students hit 53 percent of the district’s growth and proficiency goals, leading to a total payout of $393,220 to the tutoring company – far less than the company had originally anticipated. But the average per-student payout of $872 was in line with the original terms of between $600 and $1,000 per student.
The bottom line is still uncertain
What we don’t know from any of these case studies is whether similar students who didn’t receive tutoring also made similar growth and proficiency gains. Maybe it’s all the other things that teachers were doing that made the difference. In Duval County, for example, proficiency rates in math rose from 28 percent of students to 46 percent of students. Walker believes that outcomes-based contracting for tutoring was “one lever” of many.
It’s unclear if outcomes-based contracting is a way for schools to save money. This kind of intensive tutoring – three times a week or more during the school day – is new and the school districts didn’t have previous pre-pandemic tutoring contracts for comparison. But generally, if all the student goals are met, companies stand to earn more in an outcomes-based contract than they would have otherwise, Walker said.
“It’s not really about saving money,” said Walker. “What we want is for students to achieve. I don’t care if I spent the whole contract amount if the students actually met the outcomes, because in the past, let’s face it, I was still paying and they were not achieving outcomes.”
The biggest change with outcomes-based contracting, Walker said, was the partnership with the provider. One contractor monitored student attendance during tutoring sessions, called her when attendance slipped and asked her to investigate. Students were given rewards for attending their tutoring sessions and the tutoring company even chipped in to pay for them. “Kids love Takis,” said Walker.
Advice for schools
Walker has two pieces of advice for schools considering outcomes-based contracts. One, she says, is to make the contingency amount at least 40 percent of the contract. Smaller incentives may not motivate the vendor. For her second outcomes-based contract in Duval County, Walker boosted the contingency amount to half the contract. To earn it, the tutoring company needs the students it is tutoring to hit growth and proficiency goals. That tutoring took place during the current 2023-24 school year. Based on mid-year results, students exceeded expectations, but full-year results are not yet in.
More importantly, Walker says the biggest lesson she learned was to include teachers, parents and students earlier in the contract negotiation process. She says “buy in” from teachers is critical because classroom teachers are actually making sure the tutoring happens. Otherwise, an outcomes-based contract can feel like yet “another thing” that the central office is adding to a teacher’s workload.
Walker also said she wished she had spent more time educating parents and students on the importance of attending school and their tutoring sessions. ”It’s important that everyone understands the mission,” said Walker.
Innovation can be rocky, especially at the beginning. Now the Southern Education Foundation is working to expand its outcomes-based contracting initiative nationwide. A second group of four school districts launched outcomes-based contracts for tutoring this 2023-24 school year. Walker says that the rate cards and recordkeeping are improving from the first pilot round, which took place during the stress and chaos of the pandemic.
The foundation is also seeking to expand the use of outcomes-based contracts beyond tutoring to education technology and software. Nine districts are slated to launch outcomes-based contracts for ed tech this fall. Her next dream is to design outcomes-based contracts around curriculum and teacher training. I’ll be watching.
The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.
Scholars is celebrating the Grand Opening of its second tutoring location in the Greater New Orleans area Thursday, March 28th. This Thursday’s event features NFL superstar Defensive End Cam Jordan of the New Orleans Saints. Cam, the Saints all-time sack leader and 8x pro-bowler, will be available to meet and inspire the students and families of the Mandeville community.
MANDEVILLE, La., March 26, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– This Thursday, March 28th, Scholars will celebrate the grand opening of its new location in Mandeville, Louisiana. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. and will take place at 1901 U.S. Hwy 190, STE 27, Mandeville, La.
Scholars is proud to be cutting the ribbon of its second location in New Orleans. This week’s event will also feature some NFL star power as Cam Jordan of the New Orleans Saints will be making an appearance. Renowned throughout the NFL for his ferocious and creative pass-rushing, Cam, the Saints all-time sack leader and 8x pro-bowler, is both a student of the game of football and a big believer in the importance of education off the field. Cam will meet and inspire the students and families of the community alongside Scholars CEO Matt Baxter and other special guests.
The event is free to attend and will feature giveaways, food from local vendors, face painting, pictures, games, and other surprises.
Scholars of Mandeville owner Ryan Fitzsimmons is excited to give back to his community and to provide students in the area with world-class tutoring. “I’m always willing and able to help kids,” Fitzsimmons said. “I’m a huge believer in Scholars because I’ve seen it work. It’s really amazing and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Scholars’ first Louisiana location was opened in 2021 by another NFL star, 5x Pro Bowl Offensive Tackle Terron Armstead. Scholars of New Orleans has brought the joy of success in school to hundreds of students over the past three years and provides the template which Ryan Fitzsimmons seeks to follow.
Scholars, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, has over 80 locations across North America. It uses its world-class curriculum and programming coupled with qualified, caring teachers to provide exceptional tutoring services for students of all ages. It has won the Canadian Franchise Association’s Franchisees’ Choice Award for nine consecutive years, while also boasting the Franchisee of the Year Award in 2023. The first location in the United States was opened in Brookhaven, Georgia, by Baltimore Ravens great Jamal Lewis, and the company also includes local New Orleans legend & former Saints superstar Mark Ingram.
The benefits of high-dosage tutoring can’t be ignored. Research shows that tutoring is one of the most effective ways to increase academic achievement, including among students from lower socio-economic households–one of the groups disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
High-dosage tutoring is a crucial strategy for student advancement regardless of a student’s abilities or where they may struggle academically.
In fact, high-dosage tutoring is a main component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024, which focuses on accelerating academic performance for every child in school. The initiative will adopt three evidence-based strategies that improve student learning: increasing student attendance; providing high-dosage tutoring; and increasing summer learning and extended or after-school learning time.
Here are 5 things to know about high-dosage tutoring:
1. Since the pandemic, students have struggled markedly in math, particularly algebra. According to NAEP Mathematics Assessment data, eighth-graders’ algebra scores were eight points lower in 2022 than in 2019. According to the Nation’s Report Card, the average eighth-grade mathematics score was lower than all previous assessment years—going back to 2003. As a gateway content area, algebra prepares students to tackle advanced study in calculus, physics, and other subjects—yet it often is a sticking point for many middle and high school students. Without a solid understanding of algebra, many students find that they get stuck in their math studies. Here are 5 ways to help students struggling with algebra learning.
2. Policymakers must take action to support states and districts in implementing high-dosage tutoring to ensure opportunities for student success. The pandemic left students, on average, five months behind in math and four months behind in reading by the end of the 2021-22 school year, with even more significant losses for students in majority-Black or low-income schools. This gap shows an increased inequality in educational outcomes across racial and socioeconomic lines. Thankfully, extensive research points toward one incredibly effective option in recovering learning loss: high-dosage tutoring. Learn more about how to implement high-dosage tutoring programs in schools and districts.
3. To truly help students build deep understanding, intervention requires the right time, place, people, and curriculum. As educators continue to work to accelerate learning for students following the pandemic, many are turning to tutoring to provide support. Tutoring is one of the most effective math interventions available for students, but the quality of tutoring varies widely. Here are 6 key steps to ensure tutoring, including high-dosage tutoring, is as effective as possible for students.
4. When this North Dakota school district analyzed student achievement data from multiple measures and through the lens of student groups, district administrators saw an immediate need to provide additional reading intervention to help students recover from the effects of the pandemic. Yet, due to staffing shortages, leaders knew they could not provide the level of personalized support each student needed. Thanks to a data-driven approach to tutoring, the district has been able to help students increase their growth and confidence in reading. Here are five strategies the district implemented to create an effective high-impact tutoring program.
5. In a review of research on high-dosage tutoring as an intervention strategy, from K-12 assessment and research organization NWEA, authors looked at the evidence on high-dosage tutoring and highlighted the benefits of using this strategy, especially in supporting at-risk students. The report also noted several “non-negotiable” factors that lead to high-dosage tutoring being used effectively to accelerate academic growth. Key takeaways from the report include: At-risk students continue to need support, especially now as the share of at-risk students has increased post pandemic; high-dosage tutoring programs can produce large gains in reading and math test scores for at-risk students (if implemented appropriately); high-dosage tutoring is effective for building foundational skills in elementary grades, and can aid struggling middle and high school students; and as part of implementation planning, districts must address barriers that hinder student access to HDT by ensuring an equitable selection criteria and offering holistic supports for student learning. Read the full report here.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
BOSTON – The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has expanded its ALL in Tutoring reading initiative to include evidence-based resources from Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand. The resources are available for students in grades three through eight who are participating in the ALL In Tutoring Reading Initiative and who are not proficient on the Virginia Standards of Learning. Their participating schools can now access Lexia Core5 Reading (Core5) for grades 3-5 and Lexia PowerUp Literacy (PowerUp) for grades 6-8 as part of their school’s tutoring program in support of students with unfinished literacy learning because of pandemic learning loss.
Core5 and PowerUp are science of reading-based adaptive blended learning programs that provide students with personalized learning paths. “Many school divisions have been requesting additional literacy resources to help address the varied levels of literacy support their students need,” said Todd Reid, Assistant Superintendent. “Adding Lexia will help divisions meet the broad spectrum of student needs regarding the reading digital platform and literacy support.”
Both Core5 and PowerUp are built on 40 years of literacy expertise using a structured, explicit, and systematic approach. Virginia Standards of Learning are embedded in programs’ reporting, and instructors can easily identify Virginia SOL Primary Standards in the online libraries and offline materials.
Core5’s patented embedded Assessment Without Testing technology predicts students’ year-end performance and provides instructors with ongoing norm-referenced and actionable data for prioritizing and planning instruction with supporting offline instructional materials. PowerUp blends online student-driven instruction with offline teacher-delivered lessons and activities to simultaneously address gaps in fundamental literacy skills while building higher-order analytical skills.
PowerUp is also proven to be up to five times as effective as other middle school reading intervention and students can potentially achieve multiple years of growth in a single academic year. Additionally, Ignite Reading’s 1:1 foundational reading skills tutoring will continue to be available to Virginia students with significant decoding gaps, who require intensive Tier 3 support.
Lexia will help participating schools, divisions, and VDOE in effectively implementing Core5 Reading and PowerUp Literacy programs. “We will assist schools with planning, rostering, professional learning sessions, and ongoing support for division and school leaders, educators, tutors, and parents,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde.
Gaehde continued, “We already work with several school divisions within Virginia, and they will also be eligible for the additional success services – tutorials, resources, tools, and professional learning sessions – that we’ll provide as part of their ALL In Tutoring reading initiative plans. Our record of success spurred the VDOE to partner with us, and we are excited to make a difference for even more students in the state.”
About Lexia
Lexia®, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is a leader in science of reading-based solutions. For 40 years, the company has focused on pre-K-12 literacy and today provides solutions for students and educators. With a complete offering of professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment, Lexia helps more learners read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.
About Cambium Learning Group
Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now.
To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia®, Learning A-Z®, Voyager Sopris Learning®, ExploreLearning®, Time4Learning®, and Kurzweil Education®.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
Jagoda AI Tutor: Covering 30+ Subjects in 20+ Languages, Offers Quick Worksheet Processing to Enhance Learning. Launching February 1, 2024.
COLOGNE, Germany, January 25, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– romic.com, an innovator in artificial intelligence, proudly announces the launch of Jagoda, the personal AI tutor designed to make quality education support accessible to all students. Jagoda is a technological marvel, offering tailored homework assistance and enhancing students’ understanding of their studies.
Jurica Romic, CEO of romic.com, explains, “Our goal was to develop a personal tutor that’s more affordable than a monthly Netflix subscription, making it accessible to everyone. Many students can’t afford private tutoring, and Jagoda addresses this gap. Our mission is to provide students with an AI that supports them in explaining and solving homework tasks.”
Jagoda’s capabilities are unmatched, addressing over 30 academic subjects, with a particular strength in languages and mathematics. It’s a multilingual tutor, offering translation services in over 20 languages, and it promotes an engaging learning environment by encouraging students to probe further with questions.
Key Facts:
Jagoda processes and explains worksheets within two minutes.
The AI has been trained with unique datasets, ensuring superior performance.
It is equipped to understand both text and image inputs
“Education is evolving, and Jagoda is at the forefront of this transformation,” added Romic. “By personalizing the learning experience, we’re not just solving homework; we’re building confidence, enhancing knowledge, and preparing students for a brighter future.”
Jagoda will be accessible to students starting February 1, 2024, marking a new era in accessible, personalized education. For a closer look at what Jagoda can do, visit https://www.jagoda.ai.
About romic.com romic.com is at the forefront of AI tool development, with Jagoda.ai being its flagship product in the educational sector. The company specializes in creating AI solutions that are not only innovative but also practical, empowering users in various fields. romic.com’s dedication to improving educational outcomes has led to the assembly of an elite team committed to developing tools that adapt to and meet the needs of modern learners.
To learn more or to schedule an interview, please contact the PR Department at pr@jagoda.ai.
Research points to intensive daily tutoring as one of the most effective ways to help academically struggling children catch up. There have been a hundred randomized control trials, but one of the most cited is of a tutoring program in Chicago high schools, where ninth and 10th graders learned an extra year or two of math from a daily dose of tutoring. That’s the kind of result that could offset pandemic learning losses, which have remained devastating and stubborn nearly four years after Covid first erupted, and it’s why the Biden Administration has recommended that schools use their $190 billion in federal recovery funds on tutoring.
This tutoring evidence, however, was generated before the pandemic, and I was curious about what post-pandemic research says about how tutoring is going now that almost 40 percent of U.S. public schools say they’re offering high-dosage tutoring and more than one out of 10 students (11 percent) are receiving it this 2023-24 school year. Here are four lessons.
Why timing matters
Scheduling tutoring time during normal school hours and finding classroom space to conduct it are huge challenges for school leaders. The schedule is already packed with other classes and there aren’t enough empty classrooms. The easiest option is to tack tutoring on to the end of the school day as an after-school program.
New Mexico did just that and offered high school students free 45-minute online video sessions three times a week in the evenings and weekends. The tutors were from Saga Education, the same tutoring organization that had produced spectacular results in Chicago. Only about 500 students signed up out of more than 34,000 who were eligible, according to a June 2023 report from MDRC, an outside research organization. Researchers concluded that after-school tutoring wasn’t a “viable solution for making a sizable and lasting impact.” The state has since switched to scheduling tutoring during the school day.
Attendance is spotty too. Many after-school tutoring programs around the country report that even students who sign up don’t attend regularly.
A hiring dilemma
The job of tutor is now the fastest-growing position in the K–12 sector, but 40 percent of schools say they’re struggling to hire tutors. That’s not surprising in a red-hot job market, where many companies say it’s tough to find employees.
Researchers at MDRC in a December 2023 report wrote about different hiring strategies that schools around the country are using. I was flabbergasted to read that New Mexico was paying online tutors $50 an hour to tutor from their homes. Hourly rates of $20 to $30 are fairly common in my reporting. But at least the state was able to offer tutoring to students in remote, rural areas where it would otherwise be impossible to find qualified tutors.
Tutoring companies are a booming business. Schools are using them because they take away the burden of hiring, training and supervising tutors. However, Fulton County, Georgia, which includes Atlanta, found that a tutoring company’s curriculum might have nothing to do with what children are learning in their classrooms and that there’s too little communication between tutors and classroom teachers. Tutors were quitting at high rates and replaced with new ones; students weren’t able to form long-term relationships with their tutors, which researchers say is critical to the success of tutoring.
When Fulton County schools hired tutors directly, they were more integrated into the school community. However, schools considered them to be “paraprofessionals” and felt there were more urgent duties than tutoring that they needed to do, from substitute teaching and covering lunch duty to assisting teachers.
Chicago took the burden off schools and hired the tutors from the central office. But schools preferred tutors who were from the neighborhood because they could potentially become future teachers. The MDRC report described a sort of catch-22. Schools don’t have the capacity to hire and train tutors, but the tutors that are sent to them from outside vendors or a central office aren’t ideal either.
Oakland, Calif., experienced many of the obstacles that schools are facing when trying to deliver tutoring at a large scale to thousands of students. The district attempted to give kindergarten through second grade students a half hour of reading tutoring a day. As described by a December 2023 case study of tutoring by researchers at the Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), Oakland struggled with hiring, scheduling and real estate. It hired an outside tutoring organization to help, but it too had trouble recruiting tutors, who complained of low pay. Finding space was difficult. Some tutors had to work in the hallways with children.
The good news is that students who worked with trained tutors made the same gains in reading as those who were given extra reading help by teachers. But the reading gains for students were inconsistent. Some students progressed less in reading than students typically do in a year without tutoring. Others gained almost an additional year’s worth of reading instruction – 88 percent more.
The effectiveness of video tutoring
Bringing armies of tutors into school buildings is a logistical and security nightmare. Online tutoring solves that problem. Many vendors have been trying to mimic the model of successful high dosage tutoring by scheduling video conferencing sessions many times a week with the same well-trained tutor, who is using a good curriculum with step-by-step methods. But it remains a question whether students are as motivated to work as hard with video tutoring as they are in person. Everyone knows that 30 hours of Zoom instruction during school closures was a disaster. It’s unclear whether small, regular doses of video tutoring can be effective.
In 2020 and 2021, there were two studies of online video tutoring. A randomized control trial in Italy produced good results, especially when the students received tutoring four times a week. The tutoring was less than half as potent when the sessions fell to twice a week, according to a paper published in September 2023. Another study in Chicago found zero results from video tutoring. But the tutors were unpaid volunteers and many students missed out on sessions. Both tutors and tutees often failed to show up.
The first randomized controlled trial of a virtual tutoring program for reading was conducted during the 2022-23 school year at a large charter school network in Texas. Kindergarten, first and second graders received 20 minutes of video tutoring four times a week, from September through May, with an early reading tutoring organization called OnYourMark. Despite the logistical challenges of setting up little children on computers with headphones, the tutored children ended the year with higher DIBELS scores, a measure of reading proficiency for young children, than students who didn’t receive the tutoring. One-to-one video tutoring sometimes produced double the reading gains as video tutoring in pairs, demonstrating a difference between online and in-person tutoring, where larger groups of two and three students can be very effective too. That study was published in October 2023.
Video tutoring hasn’t always been a success. A tutoring program by Intervene K-12, a tutoring company, received high marks from reviewers at Johns Hopkins University, but outside evaluators didn’t find benefits when it was tested on students in Texas. In an unpublished study, the National Student Support Accelerator, a Stanford University organization that is promoting and studying tutoring, found no difference in year-end state test scores between students who received the tutoring and those who received other small group support. Study results can depend greatly on whether the comparison control group is getting nothing or another extra-help alternative.
Matthew Kraft, a Brown University economist who studies tutoring, says there hasn’t been an ideal study that pits online video tutoring directly against in-person tutoring to measure the difference between the two. Existing studies, he said, show some “encouraging signs.”
The most important thing for researchers to sort out is how many students a tutor can work with online at once. It’s unclear if groups of three or four, which can be effective in person, are as effective online. “The comments we’re getting from tutors are that it’s significantly different to tutor three students online than it is to tutor three students in person,” Kraft said.
In my observations of video tutoring, I have seen several students in groups of three angle their computers away from their faces. I’ve watched tutors call students’ names over and over again, trying to get their attention. To me, students appear far more focused and energetic in one-to-one video tutoring.
How humans and machines could take turns
A major downside to every kind of tutoring, both in-person and online, is its cost. The tutoring that worked so well in Chicago can run $4,000 per student. It’s expensive because students are getting over a hundred hours of tutoring and schools need to pay the tutors’ hourly wages. Several researchers are studying how to lower the costs of tutoring by combining human tutoring with online practice work.
In one pre-pandemic study that was described in a March 2023 research brief by the University of Chicago’s Education Lab, students worked in groups of four with an in-person tutor. The tutors worked closely with two students at a time while the other two students worked on practice problems independently on ALEKS, a widely used computerized tutoring system developed by academic researchers and owned by McGraw-Hill. Each day the students switched: the ALEKS kids worked with the tutor and the tutored kids turned to ALEKS. The tutor sat with all four students together, monitoring the ALEKS kids to make sure they were doing their math on the computer.
The math gains nearly matched what the researchers had found in a prior study of human tutoring alone, where tutors worked with only two students at a time and required twice as many tutors. The cost was $2,000 per student, much less than the usual $3,000-$4,000 per student price tag of the human tutoring program.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have been testing the same model with online video tutoring, instead of in-person, and said they are seeing “encouraging initial indications.” Currently, the research team is studying how many students one tutor can handle at a time, from four to as many as eight students, alternating between humans and ed tech, in order to find out if the sessions are still effective.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University conducted a similar study of swapping between human tutoring and practicing math on computers. Instead of ALEKS, this pilot study used Mathia, another computerized tutoring system developed by academic researchers and owned by Carnegie Learning. This was not a randomized control trial, but it did take place during the pandemic in 2020-21. Middle school students doubled the amount of math they learned compared to similar students who didn’t receive the tutoring, according to Ken Koedinger, a Carnegie Mellon professor who was part of the research team.
“AI tutors work when students use them,” said Koedinger. “But if students aren’t using them, they obviously don’t work.” The human tutors are better at motivating the students to keep practicing, he said. The computer system gives each student personalized practice work, targeted to their needs, instant feedback and hints.
Technology can also guide the tutors. With one early reading program, called Chapter One, in-person tutors work with young elementary school children in the classroom. Chapter One’s website keeps track of every child’s progress. The tutor’s screen indicates which student to work with next and what skills that student needs to work on. It also suggests phonics lessons and activities that the tutor can use during the session. A two-year randomized control trial, published in December 2023, found that the tutored children – many of whom received short five-minute bursts of tutoring at a time – outperformed children who didn’t receive the tutoring.
The next frontier in tutoring, of course, is generative AI, such as Chat GPT. Researchers are studying how students learn directly from Khan Academy’s Khanmigo, which gives step-by-step, personalized guidance, like a tutor, on how to solve problems. Other researchers are using this technology to help coach human tutors so that they can better respond to students’ misunderstandings and confusion. I’ll be looking out for these studies and will share the results with you.
This story about video tutoringwas written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.
Related articles
The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.
Canadian-Bermudan research partnership to boost academic performance of Bermuda’s students.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, October 20, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– Scholars Education, a leading Canadian supplemental-education provider, in conjunction with Peak Potential Bermuda, a Bermudan registered charity, has partnered with the Department of Education of Bermuda to boost the academic performance of public-school students in the British Overseas Territory. This is another example of Education growing as an export sector of the Canadian economy and the positive international reputation of Canada’s Education Sector.
The partnership facilitates collaborative research between Scholars Education, Peak Potential Bermuda, and the Bermuda Public School System (BPSS), to serve their educational missions. The program will provide valuable data and a template to be followed in other British Overseas Territories facing education-delivery challenges similar to Bermuda. Based upon internal data collected over the last 25 years by Scholars’ PhD advisory board, Scholars Education has measured its proprietary tutoring programs to increase student achievement by over 1 Grade-Level, on average, after 40 1-hour sessions. This partnership will provide 3rd-party evaluation of these results.
Dr. Llewellyn Simmons, the Bermuda Ministry of Education’s Director of Academics, said he was excited about the possibilities the partnership presents. On behalf of the Commissioner of Education and the Department of Education, Dr. Simmons said: “Together we will support Bermuda’s students in achieving their goals.”
“The BPSS is dedicated to providing engaging STEM learning experiences, and Peak Potential Bermuda’s ‘Lego STEM’ and ‘Youth Accelerator’ programmes perfectly complement our programmes.”
Peak Potential Bermuda is a charity committed to helping children develop essential skills. Doyle Cyril Butterfield, the CEO of both the charity and Scholars of Bermuda, said: “Through our evidence-based programme, developed in collaboration with Scholars Education, we equip students with fundamental skills, boost their confidence, and enhance their academic performance.”
Matt Baxter, CEO of Scholars, said; “Scholars is proud to officially partner with Bermuda’s Department of Education. Mr. Butterfield’s implementation of Scholars’ programming has improved the academic lives of hundreds of Bermudan students. We are looking forward to helping many more with this initiative.”
Marking the launch of the partnership, Peak Potential and Scholars Education host the Scholars and Friends Golf Tournament Saturday, October 21 at Belmont Hills Golf Club. Funds raised provide children in need with bursaries for academic skill-building programmes.
Lisa and Steve Mancuso, two of Scholars Education’s top franchise partners globally, will visit Bermuda to participate in the tournament and present prizes.
Scholars, founded in 1999, has 77 locations across North America. Its world-class curriculum and programming, coupled with qualified, caring teachers, provides exceptional tutoring services for students of all ages. It has won the Canadian Franchise Association’s Franchisees’ Choice Award for eight consecutive years.
Programs for Foundational Reading, Algebra Readiness, and Middle & High School Course Support address critical academic transition points
BLOOMINGTON, Minn., April 12, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– Edmentum has recently partnered with Littera Education to provide educators and students with new high-impact summer tutoring programs for Foundational Reading (K-3), Algebra Readiness (grades 8-9), and Middle and High School Course Support (grades 6-12). In each program, students will experience the individualized care and attention of a Littera virtual tutor while completing lessons from a variety of Edmentum solutions, including Apex Courses,Tutorials, Courseware and Exact Path.
High-impact tutoring, which is one-on-one or in a small group, relationship-based, data-informed, and aligned to classroom instruction, has been shown to have a positive effect on learning outcomes.
“Many students need a deeper level of support to help get them back to grade level, particularly coming out of the pandemic,” said Jamie Candee, President & CEO of Edmentum. “High-impact tutoring helps students in a highly individualized and targeted manner, particularly in the way we’ve developed these summer programs with Littera.”
These new programs simplify summer support for school districts by providing turnkey options for one-on-one and small group tutoring at school or home, scheduled any time of day. In each session, tutors progress through lessons aligned to student needs as determined by diagnostic assessments or district data. The lesson content that tutors use with students comes from Edmentum’s suite of proven, research-backed learning products. Third-party tier II ESSA evidence confirms that students who use Exact Path, for example, improve assessment scores and demonstrate positive, statistically significant growth. Additionally, a tier II ESSA study showed students who completed Apex Courses performed as well as or better than students participating in traditional classroom instruction on MAP Growth tests.
Students will experience a high-quality audio/video experience with a consistent tutor so they build trust and rapport. This relationship is critical to ensure success, especially at these key academic transition points that predict college and career readiness.
“Combining high-quality content with the support of a caring tutor is a powerful combination for students,” said Justin Serrano, CEO of Littera.
Rebecca Montgomery, assistant superintendent at Freehold Township School District in New Jersey, partnered with Littera to provide Exact Path virtual tutoring to 200 students last summer, with great success. “Our Littera summer program was meaningful and successful. We received positive feedback from parents and saw improvements in students,” said Montgomery.
About Edmentum
Edmentum is the leading provider of K-12 digital curriculum, assessments, and services to more than 43,000 schools, 400,000 educators, and 6 million students in all 50 states and more than 100 countries worldwide. Building on a 60-year history of impact, Edmentum creates innovative, proven learning technology, partnering with educators to ignite student potential. www.edmentum.com.
About Littera
We believe every child deserves the care and attention of a great tutor. Littera Education customizes high-impact tutoring for K-12 districts by supporting any student, subject, schedule or staffing model. With our virtual tutors, curriculum integrations, and Tutoring Management System, schools can provide individualized support to every student. www.litteraeducation.com.
While there’s a lot of studying you can do on your own, I think there’s tremendous value in finding a native speaker to do a language exchange with.
But what do you do when you’ve found someone? You might wonder, “What do we talk about first?” or “How should I manage my language exchange sessions?” Frankly, it can be a bit intimidating to meet with a language partner for the first time.
Luckily, I’m here to help!
In this article, I thought I’d round up all my best ideas, tips, and some useful Japanese phrases for facilitating a successful language exchange. Over years of doing language exchanges with Japanese speakers, learning from professional teachers, and taking small group classes, I’ve compiled some great resources to aid and inspire you to start your own language exchange or make more out of one you’ve already started.
And, even if you’re looking into hiring a tutor instead of starting a language exchange, keep reading. Most of the information from this article will be useful for tutoring sessions as well. Although tutoring or lessons may not be exactly a language exchange, there are a lot of similarities so you can still put these tips to use.
Prerequisites: In this article, I’ll be sharing some useful Japanese phrases for language exchange sessions, but they’re written in Japanese, assuming you already know hiragana and katakana. If you need to brush up, have a look at our Ultimate Hiragana Guide and Ultimate Katakana Guide. Or, if you haven’t studied hiragana and katakana, now might be a good opportunity to get them down before you start a language exchange!
What Is a Language Exchange?
A language exchange involves two speakers of different languages working together to improve.
A language exchange can refer to several scenarios. Typically, a language exchange is a mutual learning environment in which two speakers of different languages work together to teach and help the other person improve their second-language skills. Usually, both speakers will be experts in their first language (meaning, native speakers or those with native-level proficiency from having lived or grown up in an immersive environment) and looking to improve in their target language in which the other is the expert.
In this article, I’ll be specifically talking about learning Japanese through interacting with a Japanese language partner, while helping them to improve their English (or whatever language you’re fluent in) in return.
Mostly, I’ll be talking about doing synchronous language exchange, either through live online communication or in-person, but I think much of this would also apply to asynchronous language exchanges, like text-based messaging in different time zones.
Why Should I Do a Language Exchange?
There’s a lot you can only get from native speakers.
With that out of the way, why would you want to do a language exchange in the first place? Well, in my opinion, it’s among the best ways to both make progress and truly put your skills to the test. I think it’s incredible the amount of studying students are able to do totally on their own. By reading textbooks, listening to podcasts, immersing in native material, and much more, you can reach a high level of Japanese proficiency all on your own. That said, there’s a lot you can only get from native speakers. From learning the nuance or usage of specific words and answering questions, to detailed grammar explanations or guided practice, being able to learn from a native speaker has in my experience opened a lot of doors.
Additionally, there’s a lot of value in putting your practical Japanese to use. Especially on your own, it can be easy to get caught in a loop of only inputting — for example, just reading books and watching dramas, etc. — and never working on output. There have been a lot of times I thought I understood a grammar point or a word’s usage, only to realize I didn’t quite understand it as well as I thought I did, by making a mistake in either writing or speaking. And I might not have realized my mistake at all without the support of native speakers who let me know.
There’s a lot of value in putting your practical Japanese to use.
Finally, I think it’s super beneficial to try explaining things to others as a means of solidifying your own knowledge. You might be surprised to hear that I think explaining English grammar and vocabulary to my Japanese friends has made my Japanese stronger. This technique can help you break down and think about language in a way you might take for granted as a native speaker, which in turn helps you analyze your Japanese as well.
If you’re lucky enough to find a good, mutual language exchange partner, make sure you’re doing your part, too! Not only is it good etiquette, but it might also do more for you than you’d expect.
Where Can I Find a Language Exchange Partner?
I would suggest trying both language exchanges and formal lessons.
Now that you know why you might want to seek out a language exchange, where can you actually find one? First, you need to think about what sort of language exchange you want. I think both proper language exchanges and formal lessons (i.e. tutoring) have their merits, and if you’re able, I would suggest trying both.
For doing a true language exchange, I’d first look at some of the apps available, or if you prefer something in-person, see if there are any meetup groups nearby. If your city has a Japanese culture center or consulate, they might be a good place to check, otherwise, consider your local university or even the library. If these aren’t an option for you, don’t worry; there are a ton of apps for this exact purpose!
Since I wrote about this previously in my HelloTalk review and guide to finding a Japanese tutor articles, I’ll keep this section brief. If you’re looking for a teacher or tutor, I’d recommend iTalki, Verbling, Wasabi, or JapaTalk. Of course, there are many more websites and services besides these, but I think these should be enough to get you started.
So, why might you choose one over the other?
Language exchange apps tend to be free, though you tend to get what you pay for.
Cost is one important consideration. Language exchange apps tend to be free in my experience, though you tend to get what you “pay” for. It can be difficult to meet someone whose personality is a good fit for you, who’s also good at answering your questions or correcting your mistakes, and of course, it’s expected you’ll do the same for them.
Working with a teacher or tutor in any setting is just another form of practice with a native speaker. Teachers can be quite expensive, though cheaper options exist, and trial lessons can help you make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. And you can probably go into a lesson with a bit more confidence that the teacher will be good at explaining things, and without the expectation that you’ll have to teach as well. Bear in mind that teachers often have their own teaching style, class format (be it freeform conversation practice, or something more structured), and even materials, which can mean more time spent learning and less time trying to figure out what to work on.
Luckily, it’s not an either/or situation. Making friends through a language exchange is both great practice and motivation to keep studying, and a teacher can’t be beat for staying consistent, filling in blind spots, and getting the most detailed explanations and help.
Before You Get Started…
Here are a few things to consider before you get started with a language exchange to make sure it’s the best it can be.
For one, think deeply about your goals.
As I mentioned in my article on finding a tutor, you have to decide if you want something more formal like actual lessons or something more casual like a friend to chat with. What would your goal be for a session? Are you looking for some structure to keep you consistent? Do you want listening practice? Are you just trying to make some cross-cultural friends? All are fine aims for getting started, but depending on your ultimate goal, the sort of exchange you’re looking for could change over time.
Next, consider your level.
If you’re just starting out, it might be difficult to do a casual language exchange with a native speaker; perhaps working with a teacher would be more fruitful, or you’d be better suited to doing some self-study, first.
Think deeply about your goals and consider your level.
There are a number of other considerations to keep in mind for lessons, too. As I mentioned before, many teachers can help you decide what sort of class format and practice suits you, and it’s well worth talking to them beforehand to find a method that fits your needs best. Do you want to follow a textbook, or something a bit more free-form? Will you plan conversation topics or themes in advance? Do you want them to assign homework and formally grade you, or simply correct your mistakes? It’s best to think about these sorts of things beforehand, but you can always try something out and make adjustments as you go along, just be sure to lay a good foundation first.
Scheduling
Next, I find it helps to think about scheduling. I find it’s best to keep consistent with a time that works regularly, but if your schedules don’t allow, try and set up your next meeting time at the end of each session. That way, you don’t suddenly get off track when you forget to schedule one.
I find it’s best to keep consistent with a time that works regularly.
There are also a lot of great tools online that can make this easier. For example, I keep all my appointments in Google Calendar. Additionally, you can try using apps like Calendly, Doodle, or WhenAvailable to find times that work for both of you. This is especially helpful when trying to schedule a meeting with someone in a different time zone.
I think having some idea of a routine also helps even for the most casual exchanges. For example, I usually chat with a Japanese friend of mine on Saturday nights. Since both of our schedules change around we can’t always meet up, so we just let each other know if we’ll be free or not each week.
Preferences For Corrections and Feedback
The next point to consider is corrections. Of course, as a language learner, you’re going to be making a lot of mistakes. This is okay, and in fact, great! Making mistakes, seeing what’s incorrect, and adjusting in the future is one of the best ways to make progress in a language and one of the best things a native speaker can help you with. Even so, it’s important to consider the sort of feedback you’d like from your language exchange partner, and how they should give it.
Making mistakes, seeing what’s incorrect, and adjusting in the future is one of the best ways to make progress.
For example, would you like them to correct every mistake or only the big ones?
Personally, I always want to know if I’ve made an error so I can correct it, but I totally get people who’d prefer to focus on just using Japanese and having fun. You can get even more specific and say that you’d like your pitch accent or pronunciation errors to be pointed out too! It all depends on what you want to get out of the language exchange sessions.
And if you want corrections, should they let you know right away, or wait?
I don’t mind if someone interrupts me to correct my particle usage, for example, but maybe you’d prefer your partner simply make notes and give them to you after you finish speaking, or at the end of the session.
You need to find an approach that makes the most sense for you as a language learner.
Of course, improving your practical language skills is ultimately the point of doing a language exchange, but you need to find an approach that makes the most sense for you as a language learner. I think it’s best to establish this right away, so it’s not awkward to ask them to make a change later on.
You should also remember to take the time to thank your partner for listening carefully to you and offering feedback. It’s only natural that people find it hard to correct someone they’re just getting to know, so be appreciative and extra open to feedback, and make sure your partner feels comfortable pointing out your errors. If you’re in a true language exchange setting, you also want to make sure to return the favor — of course, taking their preferences into account as well.
Logistic Considerations
One last thing before you get started; think about some of the practical considerations. For example, what platform will you use? If you’re meeting with someone in real life at a coffee shop, this doesn’t matter much, but with online language exchanges, this is one thing you’ll want to decide first. Will you chat online via an app like Zoom, Skype, or LINE? Or will you use a language exchange platform, like HelloTalk or iTalki’s online classroom? Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and limitations on what you can do.
For example, if you’re using Skype or Zoom, it’s easy to share your screen so you can both look at the same article or dialogue. Or maybe you’re on a call on LINE, but will also use a Google Doc to share corrections and notes in real-time.
In general, I find taking notes to be super useful, and I always at least have a pen and paper nearby. That way, if my partner says a word or phrase I’m not familiar with, I can note it down to look up or study later. You can also take notes in case your conversation goes on a tangent, or jot down tips and corrections for your partner that you can send them afterward.
Finally, if you’re doing virtual language exchange, be sure to use headphones or earbuds, and find a quiet place. Of course, speaking is as important as listening here, so you also want to make sure you’ve got a good microphone and stable internet connection to avoid interruptions. You don’t want to derail your language exchange before it even gets started because your partner can’t hear you, or you can’t hear them. Make sure you set yourself up for success!
Topic and Format Ideas for Your Language Exchange Sessions
So, now that you’ve found a language exchange partner, what’s next? Especially when you’re just getting started, it can be a challenge to come up with topics for discussion or figure out what it is you want or need to work on together. Having gone through this process a number of times though, I have a few ideas for how to both break the ice and build a strong rapport regardless of who your language exchange partner may be.
Self-Introduction
The first step in any Japanese language exchange will likely be the same: 自己紹介, or a self-introduction. For Japanese language learners, being able to give a self-introduction is a pretty important and common practice, so you might as well think about it now. In every class or lesson I’ve ever taken the teacher has asked for a formal self-introduction. If you’re just chatting with friends I don’t think you’ll need to be too rigid, but it would be good to talk a bit about your interests and aims, and ask the other person about theirs!
So what should go into a self-introduction? Luckily, they almost always tend to follow a template.
Here’s a list of phrases that I usually go with when introducing myself. You can replace words marked like this with info relevant to you and use these phrases for your own self-intro.
Japanese
English
はじめまして。
Nice to meet you.
イアン です。 イアン と申します。(More formal)
I’m Ian.
シカゴ に住んでいます。
I live in Chicago.
４年くらい日本語を勉強しています。
I’ve been studying Japanese for about four years.
野球を見ることと本を読むことが好きです。 趣味は野球を見ることと本を読むことです。
I like watching baseball and reading books. My hobbies are watching baseball and reading books.
よろしくお願いします。
I look forward to working together. / I’m looking forward to getting to know you.
First, start strong: はじめまして, meaning “Nice to meet you.” Can’t go wrong with that, right? Next, I always give my name. In my case, I usually just say イアンです, or “I’m Ian,” though in more formal situations, イアンと申します (“My name is Ian [using humble language]”) might be more appropriate. I usually say where I live, シカゴに住んでいます which means “I live in Chicago,” and how long I’ve been studying Japanese: ４年くらい日本語を勉強しています which means “I’ve been studying Japanese for about 4 years.” Finally, I like to close with a few of my interests 野球を見ることと本を読むことが好きです which means, “I like watching baseball and reading books,” and end with a good old-fashioned よろしくお願いします, which in this case might mean something like, “I look forward to working together.”
Finding Common Ground and Breaking The Ice
I’d definitely start these sorts of exchanges by trying to find some shared ground.
In general, language exchanges that take place on HelloTalk or a similar app are probably going to be a lot more casual and less structured than a lesson with a teacher, or even just an online tutoring session. However, I would definitely start these sorts of exchanges in the same way you might when meeting anyone for the first time: trying to find some shared ground. For example, are you both big fans of music? Do you like the same or different genres? Maybe you don’t really share any hobbies, but you can ask them about their hobbies, and explain a bit about yours. Like any conversation, it should be a give and take: both balancing out how much you’re speaking, in which language you’re communicating, and for what amount of time.
While hobbies are a great lead-in, don’t feel limited to just that! I love asking Japanese people about how their name is written if it uses kanji, their goals and aims for studying English, as well as about Japanese culture, like their favorite foods or seasonal events. Really, getting to know your language exchange partner is no different from meeting anyone new, except you already have a common interest — studying a language. If you find someone you click with, the conversation will come naturally like with any friend; albeit peppered with little questions about language.
What Should We Practice?
Hopefully, this gives you a good idea of how to hit the ground running with a new language exchange partner, but what exactly should you practice together, and how?
If you want a little more structure, you can also try and decide on a topic together beforehand.
Probably the most common and popular form of language exchange is conversation practice. You meet up with your partner and talk about life, or whatever topic pops up organically. If you want a little more structure to save you from any awkward silences or wasted time, you can also try and decide on a topic together beforehand, which will allow you to look up any grammar or vocab you think you’ll need in advance. However, having to come up with a topic each time can be somewhat time-consuming in the long term. To remedy this, you can search for ice breaker topics online to help you explore a wide range of topics you might otherwise not bring up on your own and wouldn’t get a chance to practice talking about.
If you’re working through a textbook, that’s a great jumping-off point.
While conversation practice is great (especially since you can’t practice it alone!), the options are wide. If you’re working through a textbook, that’s a great jumping-off point. Maybe you have a question about some of the grammar or vocab, or you want to read through the dialogue or text together. You can also pick up a textbook or workbook specializing in a specific area you want to focus on improving, such as pronunciation or business expressions to work on with your partner.
I’ve given mini-presentations on various topics and read through something in Japanese.
I’ve given mini-presentations on a variety of different topics before, which helped me learn a lot of new words and put my grammar to use while also practicing speaking smoothly. In other sessions, I’ve read through something in Japanese like a web article or a part of a story. While reading alone is great practice, I like both the challenge of reading aloud and testing my knowledge of kanji readings without looking anything up. Additionally, this not only gives you a topic to discuss, but can give you and your partner a better idea of your reading comprehension level and help you understand anything that goes over your head.
One final practice activity I’ve enjoyed is watching a video together. From clips of Japanese TV shows to street interviews, this can be a great test of your listening comprehension. Despite my best intentions, it can be easy to tell myself I understood something I listened to or read, but on closer inspection, I might’ve only gotten the gist rather than the full nuance. Testing yourself in this way helps drastically improve those skills.
Talk to your language partner and discuss what would work best for the two of you. Of course, a language exchange partner, unlike a teacher you’ve hired, may be less proactive in suggesting activities (unless they’re super passionate about teaching). In that sense, it’s your job to decide what you want to do in your sessions and proactively communicate that to your partner.
Tips and Best Practices to Get the Most Out of Your Language Exchange
Now you’ve hopefully found a partner, and maybe even have some things to work on together. But how should you go about a language exchange? I’ve got a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years to hopefully make this both as smooth and as beneficial a practice as possible.
Be Polite!
First of all: be polite! While this might seem like a no-brainer, I specifically mean to start out with using formal Japanese (です and ます), regardless of whether you’re working with a teacher or a more casual study partner. While most people will probably forgive you for mistakes here and there, it’s important to remember Japanese is a lot more deliberate about the distance between people than English. Making a friend through a language exchange partner can be a great way to practice casual Japanese, but even here, I’d recommend starting formal and easing into casual as you get to know them better.
So how do you know when it’s a good time to switch to casual Japanese in less-formal situations? There are a couple of rules of thumb here.
For one, consider the relationship. For example, is there an age difference? It can be a lot easier to start speaking casual Japanese with someone younger than you. Also think about how long you’ve known this person. Some native speakers might feel uncomfortable jumping into casual language before you’ve gotten to know each other a bit better.
Native speakers are usually very forgiving of mistakes, so long as you’re trying your best.
Second, pay close attention to the sort of language they use. If they’re already using casual Japanese and there isn’t an obvious social distance between you (as in, are you roughly the same age?), it might be a sign to move in that direction.
Finally, feel free to just ask. In my experience, native speakers have been very understanding and forgiving of mistakes or misunderstandings, so long as you’re trying your best. Don’t feel afraid to make a mistake. Just ask if it’s okay to practice more casual Japanese together.
Key Phrases and Expressions
Next, here are a bunch of useful Japanese phrases I’ve collected over the years to keep in mind.
Phrases for Asking Questions
Especially when you’re first starting out with a language exchange you may be feeling a bit self-conscious. While that’s understandable, it’s in your best interest to ask for help when you need it. Tell yourself there’s no shame in asking questions. In fact, settings like language exchanges or lessons are probably the safest place to make mistakes and ask questions on the planet.
Even communicating that you didn’t understand something gives your language partner a better idea of your current abilities and makes it easier for them to help you — even better if you can ask your questions and understand the explanations in Japanese. This means knowing how to ask questions in Japanese comes in handy. Here’s a list of useful phrases related to asking questions.
Japanese
English
すみません。
Excuse me.
質問があります。
I have a question.
質問してもいいですか？ 質問していい？(Very casual)
Is it okay if I ask a question?
〜って、なんですか？
What is …?
〜は、日本語で何と言いますか？
What is … called in Japanese?
分かりました。
I understand it now.
なるほど。
I see.
そうですか。
I see.
すみません、よくわかりませんでした。
Sorry, I didn’t really get it.
もう一度お願いします。
Could you please repeat that?
Perhaps the most important is the humble すみません. Of course, the meaning of this phrase can be wide-ranging, from “excuse me” to politely get attention (like if you wanted to ask a question, for example), or “I’m sorry” to apologize if you made a mistake. Next, if you do have a question, you could say something like すみません、質問があります (Excuse me, I have a question) or 質問してもいいですか？ (Is it okay if I ask a question?) I would say the latter is a bit more casual despite still being formal Japanese, and would be good to use with new language exchange partners. (Maybe later on you could ask 質問していい？ if the situation calls for more casual language).
If they use a word you don’t know, you could ask about it by using 〜って、なんですか？After an explanation, you might want to let them know you understood, using わかりました (I understand it now), なるほど (“I see,” which is better for longer or more detailed explanations), or even just そうですか (“Got it,” when said with falling intonation). Or maybe you didn’t understand, so you could say すみません、よくわかりませんでした (I’m sorry, I didn’t really get it). If you want to ask them to repeat themselves, you can say もう一度お願いします (One more time, please).
Expressions to Help You Get Your Point Across
Additionally, there are a lot of useful phrases if you can’t quite remember something. Rather than constantly looking up words, trying to explain what you mean with words you already know would be much better practice. Here are some expressions that I find convenient in a situation like this.
Japanese
English
〜みたいな
like …
〜に似てる
similar to …
ほぼ〜
almost …
感じ
feeling
〜の逆 〜の反対
opposite to …
〜じゃなくて
not …
For example, ～みたい (like …) might be my most used word, alongside ほぼ (almost) or …に似てる (similar to …). Along those same lines, I often use 感じ or “feeling,” as in the phrase, …みたいな感じですか？ (Is it like … (feeling)?)” to ask if my explanation or the impression I had was correct. 逆 (opposite) or 〜の反対 (…’s opposite) can be super helpful if you can only recall the antonym of a word. Finally, I tend to use ～じゃなくて (“It’s not …”) while trailing off, especially if I’m unsure about a word’s usage or the correct reading in context.
Phrases for Wrapping Up Your Session
Lessons tend to have a designated end time, but what do you say when you want to conclude a call? Here are some phrases to wrap up your session politely and respectfully.
Japanese
English
そろそろ失礼します。
I have to leave shortly.
そろそろ行かなきゃ。(Very casual)
I gotta go soon.
もう終わりの時間ですね。
It’s time to finish the session, isn’t it?
ありがとうございました。
Thank you very much.
それじゃあ、また。
See you, then.
またね。(Very casual)
See you next time.
With a language partner, if you need to leave, I would say そろそろ失礼します (I have to excuse myself shortly) or そろそろ行かなきゃ (I gotta go soon) depending on your relationship with them.
You can also say もう終わりの時間ですね (it’s time to finish the session, isn’t it?) to gently remind your partner that it’s almost time to go. Make sure you thank them with an ありがとうございました (thank you very much) before you go, and say goodbye with それじゃあ、また (“see you, then”) or if you’re good friends, またね (see you next time).
Final Thoughts
Working and communicating with a native speaker can be one of the most rewarding and most daunting parts of learning a language. But like all aspects of language learning, it becomes easier the more you do it. So push your comfort zone a little bit, and go share cultures! Hopefully, some of these tips will make your language exchange as painless as possible, and help you unlock a whole new world of communication possibilities.
Powerful new tutoring training program delivers educator training to sustain long term student success
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 29, 2021 (Newswire.com)
– A new collaboration between Lesley University and The Ohio State University has resulted in the launch of the Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model, an evidence-based intervention that provides teacher training for implementation of intensive instruction to students who are performing significantly below grade level in reading and writing.
The Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model is designed to help students in grades K-2 make accelerated and sustained literacy progress. It includes University trainers, based jointly at Lesley University and The Ohio State University, and tutors who are based at the school or district level.
Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model is featured on the ProvenTutoring.org website, a coalition of organizations founded by Robert Slavin and Nancy Madden of Johns Hopkins University that features highly effective tutoring programs to support students across the U.S. In addition, the model is backed by rigorous independent research, including What Works Clearinghouse™ who found positive effects for beginning readers in Fountas & Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention system.
“Leveled Literacy Intervention is effective, engaging and efficient. Children’s results have been remarkable,” said Gay Su Pinnell, Professor Emerita in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. “Thousands of children have made tremendous gains because of their opportunity for this powerful early intervention. Now, with the Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model, we are able to create equitable literacy opportunities for all students with a coherent systematic implementation of an intensive intervention.”
The Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model is specifically designed to lift the literacy achievement of students and turn struggling readers into successful readers with engaging leveled books and fast-paced, systematically designed lessons.
“Student success cannot be left to chance. Schools must rely on proven resources, proven instruction and proven tutoring models to assure equitable student outcomes for every child,” said Irene Fountas, Director for the Center for Reading Recovery & Literacy Collaborative at Lesley University. “Leveled Literacy Intervention National Tutoring Scale-up Model is not only an investment in student success, but it is a long-term investment in teacher expertise that will power your scale up for many years to come.”
For more information about training tutors by Lesley University and The Ohio State University, please join us for a complimentary webinar, July 22nd from 3:30-4:30pm EST, to learn more about how your school/district can benefit from this exciting program. To register, visit https://bit.ly/lliscaleup.
NEWTON, Mass., June 7, 2021 (Newswire.com)
– Summit Educational Group is pleased to announce a new suite of advanced math and writing courses designed to elevate students’ understanding of concepts and strengthen their skill set and confidence level. The customized courses, 1-1 Peak Academic Math and 1-1 Peak Academic Writing, will be taught online or in-person by highly qualified tutors who are experts in their field. The courses serve to extend the company’s tutoring expertise into essential programs for core academic subjects.
The courses, designed for students who are looking to accelerate their learning in math and writing, will provide each student with a way to stand out academically, as well as foster an in-depth understanding of topics that cut across the span of their scholastic and professional careers. The 1-1 Peak Academic courses will also help bolster each student’s skill set after a challenging year in education due to the pandemic.
With Summit’s established expertise in 1-1, individualized test prep and academic tutoring, the Peak 1-1 programs are a natural next step for the company.
The new courses will result not only in an increased understanding of topics but also in the development of an instinct for problem-solving and the writing process. “As a result of Summit’s 1-1 Peak Academic Courses, our students will learn how to meet tasks with more confidence and less frustration, conquering the fear and stress that often accompanies even starting math problems or writing assignments,” said Summit Founder and CEO, Charlie O’Hearn.
“Each student possesses specific goals, a unique learning style, a distinct personality, and personal strengths and areas for improvement,” O’Hearn said. “Only through one-on-one tutoring can a student’s needs be fully assessed and a customized plan be created.”
Peak Math Courses
Summit offers six different math courses: Grade 4 Math, Grade 5 Math, Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry. The goal of these courses is to bring the student immersive, engaging content that will help ensure success now and in future math classes. The skills and strengths developed in these courses will lead to eager engagement with math, and the development of transferrable skills such as perseverance, confidence, and creative problem solving.
Peak Analytical Writing Course
Our Peak Analytical Writing course focuses on teaching students to master analytical writing, the most important, and most frequent type of writing that students encounter in high school and college. In this engaging program, students will learn to structure their essays, deepen their analysis, develop their arguments, and create quality supportive examples that showcase their true writing skills. This level of skills development will help students prepare for honors, advanced placement (AP), and other higher-level English classes as well as other subjects requiring strong written communication.
To learn more about Summit Educational Group’s 1-1 Peak Academic Courses, visit:
For over 30 years, Summit has helped students realize their potential through customized, 1-1 test prep and academic tutoring programs. Our commitment is to each student’s academic success on their terms, a commitment to find the right tutor, to customize the optimal program, to create a test plan that works for each student, and to help students realize their score and academic potential.
61R Chapel St, Newton, MA 02458
237 Elm St, New Canaan, CT 06840
611 West Hartsdale Ave, Suite 201, White Plains, NY 10607
SHORT HILLS, N.J., August 29, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– LearningRx (www.LearningRx.com), the world’s largest personal brain training company, is celebrating the success of Sam, who saw significant changes in grades, academic enjoyment and confidence after completing a LearningRx program.
Sam came to LearningRx at age 12 because he was struggling in school and unable to complete his homework. Although he tried tutoring, his parents realized that it wasn’t a problem that could be fixed by re-teaching the same information.
After completing his LearningRx personal brain training program, Sam achieved drastic improvements—and the changes have made him a successful student.
“I felt like my homework was easier to do, and I could understand it better,” says Sam. “My grades started to go up, and I started to do better in almost all my classes.”
His mother says his confidence went way up, and the changes happened quickly after he started LearningRx.
Sam says his memory and attention are so much better. He adds that he’d recommend LearningRx to his friends because they’d enjoy the brain games, and it can really help them with their academics.
“It was entertaining, but it also helped me with learning,” says Sam, referring to his experience with LearningRx. “I think it was a lot of fun!”
LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training organization in the world. With more than 70 centers in the U.S. and 48 international locations, LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-site programs partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task—a key advantage over online-only brain exercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed research papers and journals. To learn more about LearningRx research results, programs, and their 9.6 out of 10 client referral rating visit http://www.learningrx.com/.
HUDSON, Wis., August 22, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– LearningRx (www.LearningRx.com), the world’s largest personal brain training company, is celebrating the success of Gavin, who saw significant changes in academics, reading and confidence after enrolling in a LearningRx personal brain training program.
“[I struggled with] reading, writing and spelling,” says Gavin. “Even reading signs on trips or directions on my favorite game, Minecraft, was hard.”
“We actually checked out a lot of different places,” says Gavin’s mom. “We homeschooled … but our kids still had some struggles. All the other places were just about drilling information into you. I needed them to learn more than just what they needed to know for that second. I liked that LearningRx works with your brain and how it functions.”
Once he started LearningRx personal brain training, Gavin saw significant changes.
“I can now read things on my own,” says Gavin. “It definitely did affect my life a lot. It definitely made my life a lot better. Now I can get stuff done better, faster and more visually.”
“I want to keep on learning,” says Gavin. “LearningRx is different than home, but it feels like home [here] because the people made it very fun. I felt like I was with a family member and having a lot of fun.”
LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training organization in the world. With more than 70 centers in the U.S. and 48 international locations, LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-site programs partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task—a key advantage over online-only brain exercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed research papers and journals. To learn more about LearningRx research results, programs, and their 9.6 out of 10 client referral rating visit http://www.learningrx.com/.
Boy goes from struggling with reading and homework to enjoying reading and breezing through homework
OWATONNA, Minn., June 21, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– LearningRx (www.LearningRx.com), the world’s largest personal brain training company, is celebrating the success of Adam, who saw significant changes with his homework struggles and reading after completing a LearningRx program.
Adam came to LearningRx Owataonna in Minnesota when his parents noticed that he didn’t enjoy reading and homework resulted in tears for both him and his parents.
After completing his LearningRx personal brain training program, Adam achieved drastic improvements. Now he enjoys reading and homework is a breeze.
“LearningRx isn’t a homework helper, it’s a homework buster,” says Adam’s dad. “The staff here was engaging and helpful and always had Adam’s best interests in mind. LearningRx really gives you the tools you need to be successful.”
LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training organization in the world. With 80 Centers in the U.S., and locations in 39 countries around the globe, LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-site programs partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task — a key advantage over online-only brain exercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed research papers and journals. To learn more about LearningRx research results, programs, and their 9.6 out of 10 client satisfaction rating visit http://www.learningrx.com.
SHORT HILLS, N.J., June 11, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– LearningRx (www.LearningRx.com), the world’s largest personal brain training company, is celebrating the success of Sam, who saw significant changes in grades, academic enjoyment and confidence after completing a LearningRx program.
Sam came to LearningRx at age 12 because he was struggling in school and unable to complete his homework. Although he tried tutoring, his parents realized that it wasn’t a problem that could be fixed by re-teaching the same information.
After completing his LearningRx personal brain training program, Sam achieved drastic improvements—and the changes have made him a successful student.
“I felt like my homework was easier to do and I could understand it better,” says Sam. “My grades started to go up and I started to do better in almost all my classes.”
His mother says his confidence went way up and the changes happened quickly after he started LearningRx.
Sam says his memory and attention are so much better. He adds that he’d recommend LearningRx to his friends because they’d enjoy the brain games and it can really help them with their academics.
“It was entertaining, but it also helped me with learning,” says Sam, referring to his experience with LearningRx. “I think it was a lot of fun!”
LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training organization in the world. With 80 Centers in the U.S., and locations in 45 countries around the globe, LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-site programs partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task—a key advantage over online-only brain exercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed research papers and journals. To learn more about LearningRx research results, programs, and their 9.6 out of 10 client referral rating visit http://www.learningrx.com.
