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Fit Learning

High-Impact Tutoring Characteristics

Fit Learning has earned the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) Tutoring Program Design Badge. This program has shared documented evidence that their program design fulfills the research-backed core characteristics of high-impact tutoring.

Please see Tutoring Program Design Badge  for more details about how a program earns the Badge and the Tutoring Quality Standards for more information on all high-impact tutoring characteristics.

Organization and Contact

Organization Type
For Profit
Headquarter Location (City, State)
Reno, NV
Contact Name
Nicholas M Berens
Contact Email
drnick@fitlearners.com

Program Overview

Mission

Fit Learning's mission is to transform the learning abilities of all children who walk through our doors such that they achieve greatness in their communities and beyond.

Program Description

Since 1998, Fit Learning has been researching and developing a unique system of instruction based on a combination of behavior and neuroscience. Direct service providers are called learning coaches who complete intensive training and reach rigorous performance standards to become certified in the model. Students are first assessed using a combination of Fit Learning's skill-based assessment and conventional norm-referenced assessments. Data from the assessment guides the programming for each learner. Once a student's program is developed, they typically receive three to five 1-hour sessions per week with a learning coach (1:1). 

During a session, learners engage in practice designed to develop fluency with isolated skills and critical concepts related to those skills. Weekly progress monitoring is implemented for each learner to ensure functional grade-level gains are being achieved. Data for everything a learner does in session are collected and charted by his/her/their learning coach. These data are reviewed daily by the learner's Case Manager and weekly by the learner's Case Advisor. During these reviews, CMs and CAs use the charted data to enhance learning through the implementation of systematic interventions. Every 40 hours, a learner is reassessed. Data from the reassessment are used to communicate growth to parents, make recommendations for the continuation or discontinuation of sessions, and evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of the model across all learners.

Fit Learning has developed and tested isolated programming lines for reading (letter naming to grade level passage reading), Math (number sense to Algebra 1), thinking/problem solving/reading comprehension, and school readiness (Pre-K, K, and 1st grade). Generally, we serve Pre-K-12th grade students. About 40% of all learners who have received services from Fit Learning have been diagnosed with a learning disability. On average, parents can expect their child to improve 35 percentile points in the targeted domain in the first 40 hours of instruction. Results for on-line sessions are identical to in-person sessions.

Type of service
Tutoring Program
Academic Intervention
Other type of service
  • lil Fits (school readiness for Pre-K-1st grade)
  • Fit Reading
  • Fit Math
  • Fit Logic
  • Fit Spelling
  • Fit Writing
Year Program Launched
1998
States of Operation
Arkansas,
California,
Colorado,
Florida,
Hawaii,
Illinois,
Kansas,
Maryland,
Missouri,
Nevada,
New York,
Ohio,
Oregon,
Texas,
Utah,
Virginia,
Washington,
Washington DC,
Virtual
Operation Locations
CA: San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Oakland, Inland Empire, Orange County
/ CO: Denver
/ FL: Orlando
/ HI: Maui
/ IL: Chicago
/ KS: Kansas City
/ MO: St. Louis
/ NV: Reno
/ TX: Austin

Students and Offerings

Number of Students Served in the Most Recent School Year
250-499
Grade Levels
Pre-Kindergarten,
Kindergarten,
1st Grade,
2nd Grade,
3rd Grade,
4th Grade,
5th Grade,
6th Grade,
7th Grade,
8th Grade,
9th Grade,
10th Grade,
11th Grade,
12th Grade
Subject Offered
Early Literacy,
Math,
Reading
Other subjects
Language based comprehension skills, writing, handwriting, and academic/school readiness.
Languages of Instruction
English

Delivery Model and Staffing

Delivery Mode
Blended (for the same student, in-person and virtual sessions),
In-Person,
Virtual with a human tutor (e.g. Zoom)
Setting
During School,
Immediately before/after school
Tutor-Student Ratio
1:1
Number of Weeks Per Program
20 weeks
Number of Sessions Per Week
Two days per week, Three days per week, Four days per week, and Five days per week
Number of Minutes Per Session
60 minutes
Type of Tutor
All direct service providers—regardless of degree, credential, or experience—must complete the Learning Coach certification. Certified Fit Learning Coaches receive rigorous, comprehensive training.
Other tutor type
Subjective criteria: engage children of all ages and abilities in a positive, fun manner/ Objective: implement the Fit Learning Method with high fidelity (correct instructional behaviors/min) and sustain high student engagement (time in timings)
Race/Ethnicity breakdown of tutors
American Indian or Alaska Native 2%, Asian 10%, Black or African American 10%, Hispanic or Latino 10%, and White 68%.
Does your program engage with parents?
Yes
Family Engagement Description

A student's family is a critical component to a learner's success. Once enrolled, Fit Learning engages with a family frequently. Engagement may include session reports, school consultation, and emotional well-being check-ins (when necessary). Furthermore, students are assessed at 40, 90, and 140 hours. At these benchmark assessment periods, families meet with their child's team to review growth, make informed decisions about the necessity of future services, and have a free-form discussion to ensure that goals are in alignment. Parents are allowed to watch sessions if their presence does not negatively impact the learning environment. Families with students receiving services online are provided with full session videos upon request.

Customer and Cost

Customer Type
District, Parent, School, and Student.
Average cost for typical tutoring cycle
$2,400-$2999

Research Evidence

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) study conducted?
No
Quasi-experimental (QED) study conducted?
No