New Findings From Amplify Offer Important Considerations for Districts Looking to Invest in Tutoring Programs to Address Pandemic Learning Recovery

August 09, 2022 at 12:49 PM EDT

High-impact tutoring shows significant gains for children reading well-below benchmark when important criteria are met

Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, today released findings on the outcomes of high-impact tutoring (HIT) on foundational literacy from the 2021-2022 school year. Students in grades K-5 who scored well below benchmark at the beginning of year and received tutoring three times per week for 30 minutes per day were more likely to make outsized literacy gains and narrow their skills gap on a nationally normed reading assessment than their peers who did not attend tutoring or attended less frequently.

The data comes from more than 160,000 students in more than 150 districts or Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that Amplify supported over the last school year. The offerings include providing high-quality instructional materials, training, and ongoing coaching for tutors hired by districts – and in some cases hiring and managing the tutors – and were created in response to a call from districts across the country to address disrupted learning caused by the pandemic.

Both research and recent outcomes show that HIT programs must align to consistent criteria in order to be successful. Tutoring programs must be:

Frequent and consistent (for instance, 3+ times per week at 30+ minutes per session, ideally during the school day outside of core instruction)
Data driven and include high-quality instructional materials (HQIM); and
Built on consistent, positive tutor-student relationships.

“We aim to be very responsive to educators and students, who are at the center of everything we do,” said Alanna Phelan, vice president of tutoring at Amplify. “When several districts engaged us for support in launching high-impact tutoring programs, we thoughtfully designed offerings that are research-based, complement district capacity, accelerate student learning, and spur recovery in early literacy skills.”

Of the findings, tutoring attendance proved highly important; students in Amplify Tutoring outperformed similarly at-risk peers on a nationally normed reading assessment, and those who attended most consistently made the largest gains. Amplify regularly provides information about tutoring attendance and student achievement outcomes to schools and districts for educators as well as families and caregivers.

Many districts are seeking creative ways to launch high-impact tutoring at scale and ensure consistent attendance given the complex challenges of staffing shortages and the disruptions caused by new COVID variants. The data offers the field a proof point and prompts broader conversations around how to make tutoring attendance a priority while compassionately supporting families and educators still reeling from the last few years of disruptions.

"The tutors were well-trained and developed authentic relationships with our students, who not only made real literacy gains, but blossomed emotionally." said Kelsey Riley, curriculum coordinator and tutoring implementation lead at Pecos-Barstow Toyah ISD in Pecos, TX. "As districts allocate pandemic-era funding into programs such as HIT, considerations for implementation are vital and provide an important roadmap for district leaders.”

With Amplify Tutoring, students’ reading progress is analyzed using the nationally normed mCLASS reading assessment. Based in the Science of Reading, mCLASS was built on decades of research in curriculum-based measurement science, delivering a proven approach that screens for at-risk students and provides deep insight into individual students’ reading development. mCLASS is powered by DIBELS 8th Edition, a research-based assessment model created alongside experts at the University of Oregon’s Center on Teaching and Learning. mCLASS Intervention – designed based on the same research and with a promising ESSA rating – groups students based on skill level and provides 10-day, data-driven lesson sequences and embedded progress monitoring for tutors and students that focus on building early foundational literacy skills.

Trained tutors administered lessons virtually to students throughout the school day, outside core instructional time, and with an emphasis on creating a consistent, positive student-tutor relationship. Tutors and school/district leaders received ongoing training and consistent coaching from Amplify tutoring specialists, who provide office hours and professional development to support program quality and student success.

About Amplify

A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs and services provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 10 million students in all 50 states. For more information, visit amplify.com.