Purpose: By addressing critical components such as tutor selection, collaboration methods, session frequency, and group size, districts can create a tailored program that maximizes impact and supports student success. Tutoring organizations can design effective, community-aligned programs by making key decisions that reflect each community’s unique priorities and context.
| 1. How are you targeting your tutoring, and what is your articulation for why tutoring is needed? |
- Needs-Driven: Specific students falling behind academically.
- Curriculum-Driven: Specific critical moments in the curriculum that are make-or-break for academic success
- Universal: All students can benefit from services
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- Universal tutoring typically requires structural support to ensure accessibility for all students.
| - Decisions about the program’s target audience will ultimately impact the number of students who receive tutoring and the resources required to implement the model effectively.
- If the target is universal, the setting will typically need to be in school.
- If the program is not universal, benchmark data should be combined with other measures to identify eligible students.
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| 2. Which content areas will your tutoring program address? |
- Literacy
- Math
- Literacy AND Math
- Other: __________
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- The most significant learning gains in tutoring interventions are observed in literacy and math.
- If the content area is more advanced, tutor selection and training should ensure content knowledge adequacy.
| - Most tutoring interventions focus on literacy and math, though voluntary programs may include other subjects.
- Subject area impacts curriculum and materials, requiring alignment with research-backed practices.
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| 3. Which grade levels will your tutoring program serve? |
- Grades 1 and below
- Grades 2-5 (Elementary)
- Grades 6-12 (Secondary)
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- Early intervention (Grades 1 and below) has the potential for the highest impact on long-term academic outcomes.
- Older students may require subject-specific support rather than general tutoring.
| - Programs must align grade-level selection with appropriate instructional materials and tutoring strategies.
- Older students may require tutors with more substantial content expertise.
- Younger students benefit from shorter but more frequent sessions (e.g., 20 minutes, 5 times a week).
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| 4. Where and when will your tutoring sessions happen? |
- In school, during the regular school day
- In a school building, before/after the school day
- Outside of school, after school, or on weekends (not recommended)
- Outside of school, during summer break
- Other: __________
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- In-school programs have a more significant impact due to higher participation and curriculum integration.
- Out-of-school tutoring requires additional efforts to maintain student engagement and consistency.
| - In-school tutoring allows for higher dosage and consistency.
- Older students may struggle with attendance in out-of-school settings due to other commitments.
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| 5. Who will your tutors be? |
- Teachers
- Paraprofessionals
- Committed volunteers
- Individual hires or contractors
- College students
- Students’ families
- Peers and near-peers
- Other: __________
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- The various tutor types listed above can be effective with the proper training and coaching.
- Programs must balance tutor cost, availability, and effectiveness.
- Intensive training and coaching improve effectiveness, particularly for non-teacher tutors.
| - Tutor type influences dosage, ratio, recruitment, training and support needs, and program costs.
- Teachers: Most effective but costly.
- Paraprofessionals: Effective with adequate training.
- Volunteers/College Students: Positive but smaller effect sizes.
- Families: Effective when provided with structured training.
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| 6. How will students and tutors collaborate? |
- In-person
- Online/virtually
- Blended
- Other: __________
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- In-person sessions foster stronger student-tutor relationships, though virtual options can provide flexibility.
| - Blended tutoring can reduce costs while maintaining effectiveness.
- The delivery mode influences the pool of available tutors.
- Virtual and blended models require proactive alignment with the curriculum.
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| 7. How often will tutoring sessions happen? |
- Three times per week
- Four times per week
- Five times per week
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- Schedule at least three 30–60 minute weekly sessions to maximize impact. Younger students may benefit from shorter but more frequent sessions (i.e., 20 minutes, five times a week)
- Avoid short or sporadic sessions, which show limited benefits.
| - Virtual/blended models can supplement face-to-face instruction to maintain dosage.
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| 8. How many students will each tutor work with at a time? |
- One student per tutor
- Two to three students per tutor (consider the tutor type when making this decision)
- Other: __________
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| Research Insights | Considerations |
- One-on-one tutoring yields the highest impact
- Limit group sizes to three students or fewer to maintain effectiveness.
| - Inexperienced tutors may need additional support when working with groups larger than one student.
- Student grouping should be intentional, leveraging progress data.
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