What kind of student can use extra literacy help

2. What kind of student can use extra literacy help • The scope of the problem: • NAEP* found that 37 percent of fourth graders are not able to meet basic reading levels • 20 percent of students have a learning disability • Of these children, the majority (80-90 percent) have reading disabilities • In Virginia, 15 to 16 percent of kindergarteners start school without rudimentary literacy foundations Evidence That Tutoring Worksfrom theU.S. Department of Education * National Assessment of Educational Progress

3. Is tutoring the same as homework help • Many parents do hire tutors to help their students with homework • But tutoring can encompass larger areas of academic assistance • Literacy tutoring often focuses on students' remedial needs — areas in which the student could use extra help • In these situations, the tutor finds where the child is functioning comfortably, and builds from there • Given the limited time a tutor has with a student (often two or three sessions a week), the focus for a child who's struggling with reading needs to be on remediation, rather than homework help

4. How tutoring models differ • Format • One-on-one • Small-group • Larger student to tutor ratio • Curriculum • "Out of a box," pre-established plans • Most basal reading companies have such plans • These plans often consist of re-teaching material that students didn't get the first time around • Personnel • Experts such as reading specialists or highly trained teachers deliver individualized tutoring to struggling readers • Volunteers or paraprofessionals (usually closely trained and supervised in an ongoing way) tutor students Find out What Reading Research Says About Volunteer Tutoring

5. Tutoring program locations • Both in and out-of-school • During school hours, after school, and before school • On-site at school building, in other kinds of buildings, in homes For information about the different kinds of tutors and tutoring programs, see From Poor to Soar: Finding the Help Your Child Needs

6. Tutoring program costs • Cost is a consideration (and limitation) for both parents and schools choosing a tutoring program • One-on-one tutoring is often expensive, but it can certainly be a good investment in a child's future • Cost can be mitigated by smart use of resources • For example, have reading specialists or other experts • Train the tutors • Plan the program • Supervise tutors' work • This will save money over having experts work one-on-one with individual students

7. How parents can find out about local tutoring options • There are a lot of choices, it can be overwhelming • Start by talking to the classroom teacher • Look for a program that can help with the child's specific difficulty, Kingsbury for example • Consult the school principal, he or she can help navigate the field • For example, the principal will know if the school participates in a program that provides up to $2,000 worth of free tutoring if parents qualify for a reduced lunch Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents

8. Tutoring and children’s attitudes • Literacy setbacks can affect a child’s emotional wellbeing • Children are smart, and they quickly sense when they are being successful in school • If school becomes a place of anxiety and fear, then that's going to affect • Their self-esteem • Their desire to go to school • Their desire to participate, raise their hand • Reading success has strong effect on emotional development and wellbeing — everybody wants to be successful • Tutoring can help address both literacy and emotional skills by: • Using games or things that a child is interested in to help them see that they can be successful • Starting where a child is successful, and build on those successes

9. How teachers know which kids should get tutoring • Assessment • Determine what progress children make in response to instruction • Is instruction tailored to the child's specific level and comprehensive (meeting the entire array of literacy needs) • If so, and the child is still not making adequate progress, then the teacher should make arrangements to have additional instruction • In a small group, or • One-on-one tutoring

10. Is elementary school too young Absolutely not, because: • The "achievement gap" is best addressed early • This gap — well-documented by researchers — is a disparity between the performance of groups of students, particularly between students of different socio-economic status • Too often when a child from a low-income home comes to school as a kindergartener, they might be a few months behind their peers • Children must learn the mechanics of reading early • Educators often say: from kindergarten through third grade, you learn to read; but from fourth grade on, you read to learn • Learning to read gives children the capability that they need to be successful

11. Parents, teachers, and tutors working together • It's a critical dynamic • Generally, the initial request for tutoring comes from the parent • Myth: parents shouldn't tell teacher that child is receiving tutoring • Fact: most teachers can usually tell, and that's a good thing • Tutoring is much more effective if everyone is working on the same goal at the same time • Communication is essential to create this dynamic • Parents, the tutor, and the teacher should talk on a regular basis and reaffirm that everyone is on the same page

12. Questions parents should ask Start with the basics, because not all tutoring sessions are created equal • What are the qualifications of the people who are doing the tutoring? • Are they certified teachers? • What is the class size? • Is it one-on-one? • Is it small group? • Is it a larger group session? • Is there a curriculum that they follow? • As a parent, how often am I going to get progress reports? • How will I know how my child is doing? • Just how much tutoring is my child going to get? • One hour a week? • More than that? • How many weeks?

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