6.2 Selecting Students

All students can benefit from relationship-based, individualized instruction, but typically due to resource constraints, student participation in the program must be more targeted. High-impact tutoring can be a powerful solution for students in Tier II or Tier III instruction, and even to meet legal requirements for some students. Take sufficient time and care to prioritize the student population that will receive high-impact tutoring services. Section 6.2 guides difficult decisions regarding student population prioritization and student selection criteria to determine students who will benefit most from high-impact tutoring.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

To help select students for your program, ensure you have completed the following tasks:

STUDENT POPULATION PRIORITIZATION
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Determine whether the program will support students based on needs, curriculum alignment, or universal inclusion.

Reading: Student Population Prioritization Decision-Making Matrix

Reading: page 6, Design Principles for Accelerating Learning with High-Impact Tutoring 

STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources

Focus Area

  • Select students with the highest needs in the chosen grade levels and content areas, for whom tutoring will have the greatest impact.

Reflection Guide: Selecting Students

Template: Letter Inviting Parent Participation in the Design of the Tutoring Program 

Student Academic Performance

  • Identify students with opportunities for grade improvement, test score growth, and skill development using pre-assessments and academic data.
  • Consider absenteeism patterns and consult with teachers for additional recommendations, prioritizing students without access to similar support programs.

Special Populations

  • Ensure the program supports special populations (e.g., ELLs, Special Education) while maintaining compliance with other mandated supports.

Logistics

  • Cross-reference students' schedules with available tutoring sessions and address barriers like technology or language proficiency to ensure full participation.

Provider Fit

  • Match tutoring providers with schools and students based on their program model and capacity, regularly refining selection criteria based on student progress and feedback.
PLANNING FOR LONG TERM
  • Develop automated data systems to identify eligible students based on defined metrics.
  • Discuss students selected for high-impact tutoring with counselors and teachers at regular intervals to adapt students eligible for services.
Tutoring Quality Standards and Self-Assessment Indicators
Take the free, 15-minute, and research-based Local Education Agency (LEA) Self-Assessment. This subsection addresses these tutoring quality standards and Self-Assessment indicators.
Instruction
Student Grouping		Students are strategically grouped by skill level or language need to allow the tutor to deliver relevant instruction to the full group.
3a.1 | Student groupings based on student needs, tutor skill sets, and program goals
Learning Integration
Student Enrollment and Retention		The program has a defined approach to enroll and retain students; particular attention is paid to reducing barriers to participation.
4f.1 | A clearly defined approach for enrolling students into the program. (This approach will differ depending on whether or not participation is required for all students in the school/district, required for a subset of students in the school/district, or if participation is optional for all students or a subset of students in the school/district or if enrollment is open to any student irrespective of the school/district they attend.)