Assessing the LSF Tutoring Program

Our students painting with Vanessa Sierra
 at Orientation on 8/25/2012!

The Latino Student Fund's Tutoring Program provides free support and academic assistance to Washington metropolitan area Latino students to ensure their academic success.  This program is open to Hispanic students in grades PreK-12, from both public and private schools. We offer breakfast and individualized tutoring to support students in a variety of academic subjects.  The tutoring sessions are held at the National Cathedral School on Saturdays during the school year from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Click here to see the program in action!
The Latino Student Fund's Tutoring Program officially began on Saturday, September 8, 2012. We would like to take a moment to share some of the new aspects of the 2012/2013 program, and some insights and questions that have arisen thus far.

What’s working: 
Student assessments provide a benchmark for tutors 
For some time now, students in 1^st through 12^th grade must take two “rounds” of computerized assessment exams in math and reading, one at the beginning of the year to measure their initial level, and one near the end of the year to measure their progress. We use Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Reading and Math Assesments, a Rennaissance Learning product; you can learn more by clicking here.  The STAR Diagnostic Reports provide important information about the students’ performance in math and reading. For example, the Grade Equivalent (GE) score shows us their functional grade level based on their results, and the national Percentile Rank (PR) compares the student's score to a national sample. The reports also predict what the students already know, what they should be working on, and offer tangible objectives for each subject.  

A new policy that we enacted this year is not matching students with tutors until they have taken their first round of mandatory computerized assessment tests.  This increases program accountability, because we ensure without exception that all students are tested (i.e. are following program procedures). This policy also improves the overall quality of the tutoring sessions; the aforementioned data allows our tutors to be more effective and intentional. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Emely's tutor Carla approached us asking for 6^th grade workbooks as opposed to the 5^th grade ones she received on the first day.  Conversely, some students  unfortunately perform well below their actual grade level, especially in reading.  Without their test results, tutors might plan lessons that exceed their current capabilities, which would be confounding and demoralizing for both student and tutor alike. 

Weekly Lesson Plans

To continue building on student progress each week, we have also started collecting weekly lesson plans. We have wanted to do this for a while, and are pleased with the results. We believe that the lesson plans have helped structure the tutoring sessions. The tutors, by default, must be more cognizant of their students’ strengths and weaknesses, and consciously tailor the sessions to meet their needs. We have already seen the positive results of both policies, which seem to supplement one another. Now, all “categories” of students will get the most out of their sessions.

What’s not working so well:
Not enough time, not enough tutors!

We were pleased that the majority of the 130 students registered were able to complete their assessment exams during orientation, which made things a lot easier! However, we have found that one of our greatest difficulties so far has been coordinating times for the students to come in and take the assessment exams.  Unfortunately, most of the parents work during the week, and we have a 9 to 5 office schedule. We have had to turn away several familiar faces because they have not been able to make it in for testing. We care about all of our students and their families and it hurts us think that we are in a sense “denying” them of academic support and upsetting their parents, but we also need to follow procedures. A major question we have been grappling with is: how can we best serve the most people and ensure client satisfaction without compromising our standards or making “special exceptions?”

All things considered, our biggest issue this year has been a lack of Permanent Tutors.  The consequences of this were all too clear on the first day of Tutoring, or “Tutor-Student Match-Up Day” on Saturday, September 8^th. While we developed an improved system to optimize the complex match-up process, we found that the morning was still a bit chaotic, because we simply ran out of tutors! It was hard to look the students and their families in the face and tell them that they do not yet have a tutor, while some of their peers had already been matched. It has also been difficult “waitlisting” other families who really need these services.  The hallmark of the LSF Tutoring Program is individualized tutoring. We have found that the one-on-one relationship throughout the school year (and oftentimes, many school years) yields the best results. Therefore, our goal is for each one of our students to have a consistent, Permanent Tutor, and we just do not have those resources right now, although we have been recruiting heavily! We are so grateful for all of our tutors, who come in by their own volition, giving up their Saturday mornings to improve the lives of children in need.  We just need more!  Two major questions we hope to answer are: what is the best way to recruit more tutors, and how can we motivate them to volunteer consistently despite their hectic schedules? 

If you or anyone you know is interested in tutoring with the Latino Student Fund, please click here to register, and click here to access the 2012/2013 Tutoring Program Calendar. Have any thoughts? Just comment below, we would love to hear your input! 

Until next time!