Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore: What we know, where we are, and how to move forward - March 2021
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore: What we know, where we are, and how to move forward March 2021
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the many organizations and individuals who generously
contributed to this report by participating in interviews, providing programmatic data, and
reviewing written drafts.
Matthew Barrow, Baltimore City Public Schools Nancy Madden, Tutoring with the
Office of Teaching and Learning Lightning Squad
Joshua Bailey, Baltimore City Public Schools Mary Obrecht, Brown Memorial Tutoring
Office of Teaching and Learning Natasha Ramberg, Experience Corps
Jarrod Bolte, Improving Education Martha Socolar, Brown Memorial Tutoring
Shamoyia Gardiner, Strong Schools Maryland Young Song, Johns Hopkins Tutorial Program
Buzzy Hettleman, Education Advocate Marc Stein, Baltimore Education
Laura Jones, Consultant, formerly with Research Consortium
Baltimore City Public Schools Office of Christine Sysantos, Tutoring with the
Teaching and Learning Lightning Squad
Andrew Karas, Springboard Collaborative Lindsay Sullivan, Amplify
Janise Lane, Baltimore City Public Schools Office Rudi Zellman, The Literacy Lab
of Teaching and Learning
Jeffrey Zwillenberg, Reading Partners
Barbara Laster, Towson University
Dr. Robert Slavin and his wife, Nancy Madden, are the leaders and co-founders of the Success for All
Foundation, and they developed the Tutoring with the Lightning Squad (TWLS) program based on their
research. Slavin did not participate in the research and writing of Part Two of this report, but Madden was
a key informant for the discussion of TWLS given her on-going role with the program. Slavin reviewed and
commented on the draft and helped craft the report’s recommendations.
The Abell Foundation has funded or is currently funding tutoring interventions profiled in this report including:
Reading Partners, Literacy Lab, Springboard Collaborative, and Tutoring with the Lightning Squad.
The Abell Foundation
Suite 2300
111 S. Calvert Street
Baltimore, MD 21202-6174
Cover photo: Shutterstock
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................2
PART ONE: Effective Tutoring Approaches
for Struggling Elementary School Readers ......................6
PART TWO: The Baltimore Landscape ........................... 14
PART THREE: Conclusions and Recommendations ........ 35
REFERENCES...................................................................39
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 20212
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore:
What we know, where we are, and how to move forward
by Stephanie Safran and Robert E. Slavin
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For students struggling in reading, academic What Is Tutoring? Tutoring is defined as
tutoring—either 1-to-1 or in small groups— 1-to-1 or small-group instruction that is
has been found to be the most effective intended to rapidly improve the learning of
intervention. This is especially critical struggling students. In elementary schools,
considering the negative impact that COVID-19 tutoring is used primarily in reading and is
school building closures have had on students, a proven intervention. Although it may also
compounding the number of students already be effective in secondary schools, there are
behind prior to the pandemic. currently no U.S. reading programs and only
two U.S. math programs with strong evidence
Part One of this report defines tutoring of effectiveness. The average proven tutoring
and summarizes the national research base program for elementary reading has an effect
on its effectiveness. Part Two describes size of +0.41, equivalent to an increase from
the current landscape of literacy tutoring the 50th to the 60th percentile, and to about
supports available to students in Baltimore five additional months of learning. These are
City, including an examination of the existing very large impacts.
evidence on models’ effectiveness, as well as
a discussion of opportunities and challenges The Need and the Opportunity: Creating a
inherent in scaling up existing programs. Marshall Plan for Tutoring in Baltimore City.
The report concludes with Part Three, The DIBELS literacy assessments administered
recommendations for next steps. at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school
year indicated that approximately 18,000 of
Part One: Effective Tutoring 25,000 kindergarten to fifth grade students
Approaches for Struggling in City Schools were reading below or far
Elementary School Readers below proficient. City Schools—with federal,
state, and local assistance—needs to invest in
The Baltimore City Public School System (City services for students that are powerful enough
Schools) faces a major challenge as it begins to move them forward as rapidly as possible.
to re-open its school buildings following the Proven tutoring is the best example of such
COVID-19 closures. Although City Schools services. Fortunately, City Schools has begun
invested in high-quality remote teaching and this investment and planning.
learning systems, many students have been
unable to take full advantage due to lack of Cost-Effectiveness. Recent research on
technology and challenging conditions within tutoring has established that cost-effective
their homes and communities. As a result, forms of tutoring can be impactful. Teaching
many students will be far behind grade-level assistants often obtain the same outcomes
expectations, in addition to the many students as certified teachers, and well-structured
who were already far behind before the programs in small groups can be nearly as
pandemic began. Swift action, therefore, effective as 1-to-1 tutoring.
is required.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Executive Summary3
The following are best practices gleaned from Part Two: The Baltimore Landscape
successful elementary literacy tutoring programs:
For this report, local literacy tutoring programs
1. Successful programs use a phonetic
for grades K-5 were identified that: (1) provide
approach that emphasizes phonemic
services during the school year; (2) serve
awareness, phonics, comprehension,
students 1-to-1 or in small groups; (3) provide
fluency, and vocabulary.
services during the school day, by someone
2. Successful tutoring programs almost explicitly dedicated to literacy tutoring; and
invariably use structured, sequenced (4) use a structured model, including targeted
approaches, with specific teacher’s tutor training and support to implement
manuals and materials. the model.
3. In successful programs, tutors almost Seven elementary literacy tutoring programs
always have some college education. were identified as providing services at scale in
Baltimore City.
4. “Paid volunteers” (i.e., AmeriCorps
members paid a living stipend for • Experience Corps: Places volunteers
working full-time) can work well as aged 50+ in schools to support
professional tutors. elementary literacy development
through tutoring in both small-group
5. Successful programs are provided
and 1-to-1 formats.
during the instructional day to increase
student participation. • Literacy Lab: One-to one tutoring
that utilizes a menu of 10 leveled
6. Successful programs provide at least 60
interventions that address development
sessions, generally around 30 minutes
of phonemic awareness and phonics
per session 3-5 times per week.
skills, as well as basic fluency skills.
7. Professional development provides
• Reading Partners: Mobilizes a large
in-service training that includes
volume of local volunteers who tutor
simulations with actual students or
1-to-1 in Baltimore City Schools, with
with peers, plus ongoing monitoring
a proprietary curriculum designed for
and coaching.
ease of use.
8. Effective tutors maintain close contact
• Springboard Collaborative: Offers
with classroom teachers, to discuss
a multifaceted model that aims to
progress of students, and also
increase teacher capacity and parental
collaborate closely with supervisors and
engagement while providing targeted
other tutors.
student literacy support.
9. It is best to implement proven
• Tutoring with the Lightning Squad:
tutoring programs across the board,
One-to-four tutoring in which pairs of
not for each tutor or school to make
similarly skilled students who take turns
up their own approaches based on
acting as “coach” while they read stories,
general principles.
complete activities, and practice skills.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 20214
• City Schools Tier II Fundations Cost and funding. The range for models
Interventionist Program (City providing services in small-group settings in
Schools Office of Teaching and Baltimore was $800-$1,200 per student, while
Learning): Places specially trained the range for programs serving students in a
paraprofessionals within 14 schools to 1-to-1 setting was $1,200-$2,000.
act as reading tutors in grades K-2.
City Schools currently leverages funding from
• Amplify mCLASS Tutoring Program a variety of sources to support literacy tutoring
(a City Schools vendor): Provides services, including federal and state grant
diagnostic assessment and data funds. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
analysis; recently implemented its new federal and state funding is expected to
mCLASS remote Tutoring program for infuse City Schools and provide opportunities
struggling readers as a result of to expand implementation.
the pandemic.
Part Three: Conclusions and
The first five programs listed above are run Recommendations
by non-profit entities; the remaining two
To tackle the unprecedented challenge
programs represent newer initiatives by City
to public education created by the global
Schools designed to increase access to tutoring
pandemic, widening an already yawning
supports and also to better integrate those
opportunity gap, we offer the following
supports with current classroom instruction.
seven recommendations:
The seven programs highlighted are operating
at significant scale, with each one serving 1. Make a concerted effort to provide
multiple schools and hundreds of students intensive tutoring services to the
each year. In total, approximately 4,600 nearly 18,000 kindergarten through
students across more than 60 schools have fifth grade students in Baltimore City
been provided tutoring services in 2019-2020 who, during and after the pandemic,
and 2020-2021. are reading below grade level. At
an estimated cost of $1,200-$1,500
Evidence and Outcomes. Most of the per student, this would amount to an
programs described in the landscape have annual investment between $16 million
been assessed by an independent evaluator to $20 million to provide tutoring
using rigorous methods. Although the impacts supports to the 13,400 students
are somewhat inconsistent across groups of currently not being served. This
students served, these studies tend to show amount could be sourced from a mix
positive impacts overall. The tutoring program of federal, state, local, business, and
providers all incorporate diagnosis and private support.
progress monitoring tools into their programs;
these data provide information to schools 2. Utilize an approach that matches
about student progress and to stakeholders each student according to their tier
about program outcomes. City Schools has within the RTI pyramid to the best-
recently asked some providers to work more suited tutoring intervention.
closely with them to align the programmatic If supports are implemented
data with DIBELS, the literacy assessment tool strategically and with fidelity, this
used K-5 in City Schools. This effort should systemwide approach could provide
result in the system being better positioned to students with learning growth gains
target supports and track student progress. of four to six months of reading
proficiency each year.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Executive Summary5
3. Continue working to ensure that 6. Expand national tutoring services.
the tutoring strategy is implemented The federal government should expand
in a data-driven way—equitably initiatives such as Americorps and
and with fidelity. City Schools, school create a new National Tutoring Corps
leaders, and individual school staff to help subsidize the cost to expand the
members must be responsible for tutoring workforce.
the coordination of tutoring
partnerships, the strategic allocation 7. Conduct additional research on the
of tutoring resources, expectations topic. Areas of interest include: effective
and standards for facilitation of these programs that provide the highest yield
programs at the school level, and data strategies for Baltimore; longitudinal
collection to monitor implementation effects of tutoring and how best to
and effectiveness. sustain gains made from initial tutoring
sessions; and the effectiveness of
4. Draw on leadership at multiple tutoring supports in both reading and
levels, including the mayor’s office, mathematics for upper elementary and
to ensure success of the strategic secondary school students.
expansion of academic tutoring
throughout Baltimore. This includes
both public support for tutoring and
acknowledgement of its impact, as well
as a commitment to fully fund the local
share delineated in Kirwan legislation.
5. Allocate a robust stream of federal,
state, and philanthropic funds to
ensure that every child reading
below grade level receives support.
This includes ensuring that the bulk of
funding received through the Learning
Recovery Act is deployed to support
structured, research-based tutoring
programs and appropriating additional
Kirwan funding.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 20216
PART ONE: Effective Tutoring Approaches for Struggling
Elementary School Readers
By Robert E. Slavin, Ph.D.
Educational research shows the most effective with college degrees but not teaching
solution for struggling readers is tutoring, certificates. Tutors may be employed by the
either 1-to-1 or in small groups (Neitzel, Lake, school system or an outside provider, or they
Pellegrini, & Slavin, 2021). The same is true may be unpaid volunteers or “paid volunteers,”
of mathematics (Pellegrini, Lake, Neitzel, & such as AmeriCorps members who receive
Slavin, 2021). In fact, no other interventions stipends or other benefits, but not a salary.
come close. Many teachers and educational If tutors work with small groups, these
policymakers know this, but they think groups are likely to be composed of two to six
tutoring is too expensive to be practical. Yet students, usually all at one instructional level.
developments in recent years have identified
very effective tutoring models that use The Need and the Opportunity:
teaching assistants as tutors and work in Creating a Marshall Plan for
small groups, rather than 1-to-1, making this Tutoring in Baltimore City
a more cost-effective approach—a significant
step forward considering the research around Like all school districts serving many
tutoring’s proven impact. disadvantaged students, the Baltimore City
Public School System (City Schools) faces a
This part of the report defines tutoring, major challenge as it begins to re-open its
charts the current need and opportunity, and school buildings, following the COVID-19
summarizes the research on effectiveness school closures. By the time schools fully
and best practices. The broad purpose is to open, most students will have been out of
provide background for Baltimore schools, their school buildings for an entire school
policymakers, and funders to expand the use year. Although City Schools invested the
of effective tutoring models. time of talented developers and teachers in
creating and implementing remote teaching
What is Tutoring? for students and distributed thousands of
computers to provide students with access,
Tutoring is defined as 1-to-1 or small group
many students still were unable to take full
instruction that is intended to rapidly
advantage of remote learning opportunities.
improve the learning of struggling students.
As a result, many elementary and secondary
In elementary schools, tutoring is used
students will be far behind grade-level
primarily in reading, and is less often used in
expectations. This is in addition to the many
mathematics. Tutoring may also be effective in
students who were already far behind, even
secondary schools (Baye et al., 2019; Ludwig
before the pandemic began.
et al., 2014), but there are no U.S. reading
programs and only two U.S. math programs An analysis of the most recent districtwide
with evidence of effectiveness that are ready to literacy assessment demonstrates the
go to scale in middle or high schools. opportunity for tutoring to meet a need in
Baltimore City. At the beginning of school
Tutors may be certified teachers, but for
year 2020-2021, City Schools administered the
reasons of cost, they are most often teaching
DIBELS reading diagnostic assessment to all
assistants (paraprofessionals), usually people
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part One7
Table 1 2020-2021 Baltimore City Elementary Schools’ DIBELS Assessment Results
Number of
Proficiency
Students
Well below proficient according to the DIBELS assessment 13,332
Below proficient according to the DIBELS assessment 4,628
Proficient according to the DIBELS assessment 6,942
Total K-5th Grade Students Tested in Beginning of Year 2020-2021 24,902
TIER III
Individualized intensive interventions
III
TIER II
Targeted small group interventions
II for at-risk students
TIER I
I Whole class research-based
core instruction
students in kindergarten through 5th grade year; of these, nearly 7,000 scored in the
attending traditional schools.1 The DIBELS is proficient range for their age/grade level, while
used to determine student proficiency with approximately 4,600 scored below proficient
several literacy sub-skills, and the proficiency and approximately 13,300 scored well below
ratings help identify students who are at risk proficient. According to the assessment data,
for not meeting end-of-year expectations there are nearly 18,000 students in Baltimore
in reading. City Schools administers it three City who would benefit from high quality
times per year (beginning of the year, middle literacy tutoring services, which would be
of the year, and end of the year) to monitor provided as a critical component of ongoing
student progress and measure growth. As the supports provided within the larger Response
table above shows, nearly 25,000 students to Intervention (RTI) framework.
were assessed at the start of the school
1 The assessment was administered to the kindergarten through fifth grade population within the first three weeks of the 2020-2021
school year. Administration rate for the assessment was 91%. Charter schools are not required to administer this assessment or to
report student scores to the district, therefore charter school students are not included in the data set. This data can be found in the
December 1, 2020 ELA and Math Strategy Update https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/bcpss/Board.nsf/files/BVJTYF799187/$file/ELA%20
and%20Math%20Strategy%20Update.pdf
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 20218
When students return to in-school instruction, as detailed in Part 2 of this report. The current
it will not be enough for many of them to just programs provide an excellent starting point
start where they left off. Instead, City Schools— for a major tutoring implementation, providing
with federal, state, and local assistance—needs a base of experience that most large urban
to invest in services for students that are districts cannot match.
powerful enough to move them forward as
rapidly as possible. Proven tutoring is the best The evidence presented in this report
example of such services. City Schools has documents the effectiveness of tutoring to
begun this investment and planning, and is a enhance reading and math achievement
leader in tutoring among U.S. urban districts. among struggling students. However, although
Additional federal and state funds are likely tutoring has been shown to be effective
to become available for tutoring in fall 2021. in both reading and mathematics, and in
Recent reviews of various research on other secondary as well as elementary schools, there
means of accelerating the reading and math are many more proven programs with far
achievement of students who are significantly greater capacity in elementary reading, while
below grade level—such as after-school, most tutoring programs for elementary and
summer school, extended day, and technology secondary math, and for secondary reading,
approaches—have found that none of these lack evidence of effectiveness and/or the ability
has approached the effectiveness of 1-to-1 or to go to scale. Therefore, although national
small-group tutoring (Kidron & Lindsay, 2014; development and evaluation of such programs
Neitzel et al., 2021; Pellegrini et al., 2021; Xie et may soon produce effective programs for
al., 2020). math and for secondary reading, for school
year 2021-2022, the emphasis should be on
Based on the evidence (reviewed later), ensuring that every elementary student who
City Schools should seek to find a means is struggling with reading receives targeted
of providing a tutoring “Marshall Plan” to tutoring support in reading. Further, based
assist struggling learners. Just as the U.S. on an extensive research base, and proven
invested heavily in helping to quickly rebuild providers, large-scale reading tutoring in
the economies of Western European nations elementary schools is ready for effective
destroyed in World War II, City Schools must implementation. As presented in this report,
find resources to rebuild the educational the average proven tutoring program for
futures of its students who have lost ground elementary reading has an effect size of +0.41,
due to COVID-19 school closures. equivalent to an increase from the 50th to the
60th percentile, and to about five additional
Tutoring ranges from about $700 per child per months of learning, beyond ordinary gains.
year to as much as $3,600 (mostly depending These are very large impacts.
on group sizes and use of teaching assistants
vs. teachers as tutors). Yet money to support
National Research Base on
tutoring may be coming—from both federal
and state sources. In fact, there are currently
Tutoring for Elementary
several proposals circulating within the Biden Struggling Readers
Administration to fund a National Tutoring Neitzel, A., et al. (2021) recently completed
Corps (e.g., Slavin, Madden, Neitzel, & Lake, a comprehensive review of research on all
2020), which would place as many as 100,000 types of programs evaluated for effects on
teaching assistant tutors in Title I elementary struggling readers in grades K-5. The review
and secondary schools by fall, 2021. Baltimore was limited to rigorous experiments that
City already has various organizations compared students or schools randomly
providing tutoring to its students right now,
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part One9
assigned to receive tutoring. In these studies, should implement—is +0.41. As noted earlier,
control groups received ordinary instruction this is equivalent to a gain of 16 percentage
and remedial services while the experimental points, or five months of learning. As a point of
groups were provided with high-dosage comparison from the same Neitzel et al. (2021)
tutoring services. Participants were provided review, the mean effect size for technology
with standardized, individually administered applications for struggling readers is +0.09
tests, given by independent testers. The results (one to two additional months of learning).
are summarized in Table 2.
Cost and Cost Effectiveness
As is clear from Table 2, tutoring is a very
effective intervention for struggling readers. In public schools, tutoring has been relatively
The mean effect size for all tutoring programs rare, usually limited to students who are
is +0.26, but the mean for proven programs— performing significantly below grade level,
the ones that City Schools or any district because of its cost. It is often used as part
Table 2 Effects of Tutoring on Achievement of Struggling Readers in Grades K-5
Additional
Number of Average Increase in
Types of Tutoring Months of
Studies Effect Size Percentile
Learning*
Proven Tutoring** 20 +0.41 5-6 16
All Tutoring 48 +0.26 3-4 10
1-to-1 25 +0.41 5-6 16
Teachers 14 +0.38 4-5 15
Teaching Assistants 4 +0.44 5-6 17
Paid Volunteers 3 +0.46 5-6 18
Unpaid Volunteers 4 +0.14 2-3 6
Small Group 23 +0.24 3-4 10
Teachers 19 +0.21 2-3 8
Teaching Assistants 4 +0.27 3-4 11
Adapted from Neitzel et al., 2021
*Months of learning is an approximate indicator.
**Programs that have been proven effective in rigorous studies
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202110
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
of response to intervention (RTI)2, intended members) serving as tutors can
to prevent students from needing special obtain the same outcomes as certified
education, or provided as a major component teacher-tutors, using structured
of special education services, especially for materials and methods.
students with learning disabilities.
• Although 1-to-1 tutoring is generally
From the 1980s, tutoring in reading was most effective in reading, well-
dominated by a program called Reading structured tutoring programs in groups
Recovery (Pinnell et al., 1994), which provided of two to six can be nearly as effective.
1-to-1 tutoring by specially trained certified
teachers to struggling first graders. Reading • Very effective tutoring programs
Recovery was very effective, but also very in reading have been documented
expensive, at a cost per student estimated at for grades K-5 in the U.S., and also
$5,400 in today’s dollars (Every Child a Chance to grades 6-8 in England (Baye et
Trust, 2009). al., 2019).
In more recent years, a great deal of research • There is little information on the
on tutoring has established that more cost- effects of tutoring on special education
effective forms of tutoring can be as effective placement rates, but it would seem
as Reading Recovery. In particular, evidence logical that tutoring would reduce
has established the following key findings the need for special education. A
for successful tutoring: (see Gersten et al., longitudinal study of Success for All in
2020; Neitzel et al, 2021; Nickow et al., 2020; Baltimore, which incorporates tutoring,
Pellegrini et al, 2021; Wanzek et al., 2016) found it cut student assignments
to special education in half over the
• Teaching assistants and “paid elementary years (Borman & Hewes,
volunteers” (e.g., AmeriCorps 2002; Cheung et al., 2021).
2 A newer term for RTI is MTSS, for Multi-Tier Systems of Support. The difference between RTI and MTSS is primarily that MTSS ap-
plies multi-tier strategies to outcomes other than academics (e.g., behavior and social-emotional learning), as well as academics, while
RTI just applies to academics. Because the focus of tutoring is academics, we use the term “RTI” in this report.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part One11
Tutoring as a Workforce Investment
At the federal level, a massive tutoring effort is valued as much for its impact on
unemployment and stimulating the economy in the current recession as it is for
solving the education crisis. A recent proposal around establishing a National
Tutoring Corps had an explicit focus on recruiting large numbers of people with
college degrees—but not necessarily teaching certificates—to work as tutors.
Experience tells us that in recessions, new entrants to the labor force suffer the
most. Recent college graduates are particularly likely to have difficulties finding
college-level jobs, and this may have negative effects on their employment prospects
for many years.
In some of the tutoring work occurring in Baltimore City, the Success
for All Foundation has found success recruiting recent college graduates. Some other
tutoring providers have done this as well.
The interest in this opportunity has far outstripped the number of positions, and
almost all applicants and hires have been local and reflect the racial makeup of
Baltimore City. A substantial tutoring effort could pave the way for a rapid tutor-
to-teacher certification program, so that the best tutors can become classroom
teachers, filling teaching positions with young, eager, local people who have already
proven their capability as tutors.
Discussions of cost-effectiveness are also by existing volunteer tutoring programs. For
directly related to decisions around how to the students who are farthest behind, paid,
prioritize programming when resources are well-trained, and well-supervised tutors
limited. As noted earlier, it is wise to start are essential.
with services for elementary students reading
significantly below their grade level. These Best Practices for Elementary
students are in greatest need, of course, and Tutoring for Reading
are at the greatest risk for placement in special
education or retention. But also, research While there is a great deal of research on
generally finds that the lowest achievers gain various tutoring approaches, there is little
the most from tutoring (Neitzel et al., in press). research making head-to-head comparisons of
Many students performing close to grade level one or another form of tutoring. However, there
may also benefit from tutoring; however, the are lessons to be gleaned from the practices of
needs of many of these students may be met more and less successful programs.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202112
The following are best practices in elementary 100. This should depend on the needs
tutoring for reading: and progress of the students. Tutors
1. Successful tutoring programs almost and teachers need to balance providing
invariably use a phonetic approach large amounts of tutoring to a small
in the primary grades. More broadly, number of students against the need
their curricular approaches follow the to provide sufficient tutoring to large
recommendations of the National numbers of students.
Reading Panel (2000), which emphasizes 6. Professional development (PD) for
phonemic awareness, phonics, tutors usually provides in-service
comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. training, including simulations with
2. Successful tutoring programs actual students or with peers. PD can
almost invariably use structured, be in person or online. Follow-up to
sequenced approaches, with specific observe tutoring sessions and provide
teacher’s manuals and materials. feedback to tutors is very important.
Effective tutoring models may include This can be done in person or online.
technology, but the teaching is primarily 7. Almost all successful tutoring programs
driven by the tutor, not the technology have been provided during the
(see Neitzel et al., 2021). instruction day, not after school or in
3. Teaching assistants used as tutors in summer school (Nickow et al., 2020).
successful programs almost always The exceptions are two programs
have college degrees. The exceptions that provided intensive tutoring to
are a few cases in which college K-1 students in the summer (Xie et al.,
students served as tutors. 2020). In general, students tutored
during school time may miss time in any
4. With a few exceptions, unpaid subject except reading or math.
volunteers have not performed very
well as tutors, but “paid volunteers” 8. Effective tutors generally maintain
(i.e., AmeriCorps members or paid close contact with students’ classroom
employees of local businesses whose teachers, to discuss students’ progress
time is donated) can work, as well as in tutoring, learn about each student’s
teachers or teaching assistants (Neitzel progress in reading class, exchange
et al., 2021). The problem with unpaid concerns and celebrate progress.
tutors is that they often do not attend 9. Relationships between tutors and
regularly and may resign midyear students are very important. Effective
because they find a paying job (see, for tutors try to get to know students well
example, Jacob et al., 2015). and to learn what motivates and excites
5. Tutoring sessions are generally 30-40 them. Most students in tutoring have
minutes every day, although there had a history of failure, so tutors have
have been successful programs that a need and an opportunity to positively
tutor students two to four days a week. impact students’ self-esteem and spark
The total number of tutoring sessions a passion for reading.
varies widely, from 30 to more than
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part One13
10. Students may run into problems that or other problems that must be
tutors cannot easily solve. Effective adequately addressed before initiating
tutors generally ask for help with such tutoring. Reading tutoring seems to
difficulties from classroom teachers, work best in grades K-3, but has also
tutor supervisors, and other tutors. been proven effective in grades 4-5.
11. On average, 1-to-1 tutoring has the
largest impact, but some small-group Conclusion
methods are very effective in reading
(Neitzel et al., 2021). In math, small- Students need many different kinds of
group methods are as effective as supports. A strong relationship with a
1-to-1 (Pellegrini et al., 2021). Although caring adult can provide mentorship and
small groups may be best to reach the encouragement, and help a young person
largest number of students, there may develop curiosity, connection, and self-
sometimes be a rationale for 1-to-1 for confidence. But to help elementary students
students with severe problems, who develop explicit and systematic skills in literacy,
might otherwise be assigned to special it is best, the evidence suggests, to implement
education, or for students already in proven tutoring programs across the board,
special education. rather than allowing each tutor or school
to make up their own approaches based on
12. In general, students who are the lowest general principles of curriculum and pedagogy.
achievers in reading should receive Most tutoring failures are associated with a
priority for tutoring. Research finds lack of specificity about materials, tutoring
that such students gain the most from methods, and professional development,
tutoring (Neitzel et al., 2021; Gersten or are associated with tutors who are not
et al., 2020). However, there may be adequately trained and compensated for their
students with very poor attendance skilled work.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202114
PART TWO: The Baltimore Landscape
By Stephanie Safran
Reading is an essential skill for academic and content. These fundamental problems
success and active citizenship. In recognition of access to education during the pandemic
of this, the Baltimore City Public School System that have stymied schools nationwide are
(City Schools) has prioritized efforts to ensure exacerbated in Baltimore City, where a
optimal literacy development for each of its persistent lack of sufficient resources has
students. However, systemic underfunding of hindered access to online instruction and even
the system and its communities strains these impeded it entirely for some families.
efforts: of the nearly 25,000 students in grades
K-5 whose reading skills were assessed in fall Understanding the local tutoring landscape
2020, only about 7,000 were reading on grade is key to envisaging how we can hasten the
level. The remainde—nearly 18,000 students— learning recovery of Baltimore City’s students.
were determined to be reading “below” or “well This section aims to describe the current
below” grade level, as measured by DIBELS, the landscape of literacy tutoring supports
tool used by City Schools to assess and monitor available to students in Baltimore City,
elementary students’ mastery of core literacy including key program features, programmatic
skills. While high-quality classroom instruction approaches, staffing structures, and which
is the ideal approach to meeting students’ schools and students are served. We then
literacy needs, it is considerably challenging discuss relative strengths and weaknesses of
to achieve, especially in school systems with these models, including an examination of the
large numbers of students who are not yet existing evidence on their effectiveness. Next,
performing on grade level. we consider the opportunities and challenges
inherent in scaling up the existing programs.
Educators and policymakers across the city, Finally, we look at the current funding
state, and nation acknowledge that such situation, and consider how resources dollars
gaps in student achievement are widening are allocated to support elementary literacy
as a result of the pandemic. For example, tutoring in Baltimore.
child development experts agree that virtual
instruction may not be suitable for our Tutoring Supports Currently
youngest learners, English language learners, Available in Baltimore City
students with diagnosed disabilities, or those
with less severe but still relevant challenges This section delineates the type of tutoring
like information processing or memory issues. considered for this report, introduces the
These children are often the same children for tutoring organizations and programs with the
whom receiving high-quality literacy instruction most significant presence in Baltimore City,
and support is essential, and yet many are and delves into the key characteristics of these
not receiving this additional support due to programs.
the current challenges of remote instruction/
school. Virtual instruction also makes it hard The Baltimore City Public School System takes a
for teachers to get to know students and strategic approach to developing literacy skills
build authentic relationships and classroom in its elementary school-aged population using
communities—key features of culturally a Response to Intervention Model (RTI) that
relevant pedagogy that may motivate students aims to assure a comprehensive continuum
to work hard at mastering challenging skills of evidence-based, systemic practices to
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part Two15
support a rapid response to students’ needs. • Tutoring services are provided during
Structurally, it provides a framework for the school year.
providing high-quality instruction for all
students, identifying students who need • Tutors meet with students 1-to-1 or in a
supplemental or more intensive supports, and small group.
providing the appropriate supports for those
• Services are provided after school or
who need it. Typically, an RTI model entails
during the school day. If during the
three tiers:
school day, they are not provided by
a regular classroom teacher, special
• Tier I: Core services that provide educator, or reading specialist. Rather,
differentiated and explicit instruction they are provided by an employee or
for all students within the classroom volunteer explicitly dedicated to
to support mastery of grade-level skills literacy tutoring.
and content;
• The tutoring program uses a structured
• Tier II: Targeted services that model – meaning a well-developed
provide evidence-based intervention curriculum and materials designed
for students who are not meeting to provide instruction and practice
established academic goals, often in for students to develop specific
small-group settings; and literacy skills in key literacy domains
• Tier III: Intensive services that provide – and provides tutors with training,
individualized support systems for monitoring, and coaching to implement
students who are struggling the most to the model as designed.
make academic gains.
For this report, we focused solely on tutoring
In most cases, tutoring is considered a Tier services for City Schools students in grades
II academic support, but may also be a K-5. Some of the nonprofit organizations
Tier III support at higher intensity. Quality included in this report are also serving pre-K
RTI systems entail regular screening and students, supported in large part by a state
progress monitoring to assign students grant specifically geared toward early learners.
to instructional tiers as needed, and to Because the national research base does
determine if the targeted interventions are not address the efficacy of tutoring services
having their intended effect. In reading, for for pre-K students, those services are not
example, City Schools uses DIBELS 8 as a accounted for here.
districtwide screening and monitoring tool,
assessing a student’s phonics skills in grades Who is providing literacy tutoring
K-5 at the beginning, middle, and end of each services in Baltimore City?
year. Ideally, student performance on this
Traditionally, elementary literacy tutoring
assessment would factor heavily in decisions
services in Baltimore City have been provided
about which students receive support, what
by a variety of organizations external to
kind, and for how long.
the school district, including community
For the purposes of this report, we identified and university partners and nonprofit
literacy tutoring programs providing services organizations. Some of these organizations
that fell within the following parameters: have served City Schools students for decades,
while others are newer to the scene.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202116
For many years, in accordance with the school- replicable model and sufficient program
based decision-making model implemented evidence were included in this analysis.
by former superintendent Andres Alonso, the
district deferred decisions about the design, N O N P R O FIT TU TO R IN G
selection, and implementation of intervention O R GAN IZ ATIO N S
programs to principals. During that time,
Each of the district’s approved partner
the district’s role was primarily to review and
tutoring organizations has a well-developed
approve these external partners.
program model based on some or all of
In recent years, and in accordance with its own the five components of reading codified
Blueprint for Success, City Schools has made by the National Reading Panel: phonemic
significant strides toward a more strategic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and
approach to measuring and meeting student comprehension. While the specifics of their
needs. Because there was no centralized program models and delivery mechanisms
database for storing and analyzing information differ, these organizations share similar
about students receiving Tier II services, visions and a steadfast dedication to City
the district has spent the past few years Schools students. The nonprofit organizations
constructing complex maps that account for providing services in Baltimore City are:
student achievement and resource allocation
toward academic interventions at every school, • Experience Corps
with an eye toward equity. Experience Corps, sponsored by the
Association for the AARP Foundation,
For example, the district has spent several places volunteers aged 50+ in schools
years investing in the expertise and capacity of to support elementary literacy
a cadre of highly trained reading coaches who development through tutoring in both
work with reading teachers in select schools small-group and 1-to-1 formats, with
to improve the efficacy and responsiveness of schools determining the ratio. In these
Tier I and Tier II services. tutoring services, volunteers focus on
fluency development, using leveled
Recognizing the need for more broadly
texts from the Reading A to Z program
implemented and well-structured Tier II
in a structured session.
elementary literacy supports, two years ago
the school district leveraged funding created • Literacy Lab
through the “Bridge to Kirwan” legislation to Literacy Lab is a national replication
create an in-house tutoring program. This partner of the Minnesota Reading
program, described in more detail below, was Corps model (now called Reading &
specifically designed to align with existing Math, Inc). The model has a menu of
curriculum and to build internal capacity. 10 leveled interventions that address
development of phonemic awareness
What exists now is a rich landscape of
and phonics skills, as well as basic
organizations that provide literacy tutoring
fluency skills such as word construction
to elementary school students in Baltimore
and reading connected text. Literacy
City. These include five different nonprofit
Lab tutors are school-based, and use
organizations, as well as a variety of small
assessment data to identify target
community- and university-based tutoring
students, provide daily intervention,
programs. Although there are numerous
and monitor progress toward growth in
smaller community-based and university-
specific skills.
based tutoring programs across the city,
only those programs with a clearly defined,
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part Two17
Community- and University-Based
Tutoring Organizations
There are a variety of small community-based programs comprising a rich network
of tutoring services that individual schools or families may seek out for their
students. Both Morgan State University and Loyola University have offered literacy
support or tutoring support in various forms to their neighborhood schools over
the years, while Johns Hopkins University has consistently operated a twice-weekly
after-school tutoring program on its campus for over 50 years. The intensity of the
focus on literacy varies in these programs, but they all have in common the aim of
providing students with academic support from a caring adult, who in many cases
becomes a trusted mentor and friend.
One local program worth highlighting is the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program,
which partners intensively with four Baltimore City public schools to provide
individualized support to struggling readers. Brown Memorial’s tutoring program
has been a stalwart in the Bolton Hill community for more than 50 years.
Individualization is a hallmark of the program; each student’s reading skills are
comprehensively assessed, and then the student is matched with a 1-to-1 volunteer
tutor for the school year. Tutors follow instructional plans developed specifically for
their student, with input from tutoring program staff. Brown Memorial’s volunteer
tutors are all trained in the Orton-Gillingham method, which was developed for
children with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. The Brown Memorial program
incorporates a variety of activities to engage and motivate students, including
mindfulness activities, themed explorations, and periodic book giveaways.
Brown Memorial has long-standing partnerships with Eutaw-Marshburn
Elementary, Dorothy I. Height Elementary, Mount Royal Elementary/Middle,
and Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School. Currently, the program serves
approximately 90 students each year. The staff and board are continually seeking
to improve their program and have recently enlisted researchers from University of
Maryland to design an evaluation. Although space limitations preclude expansion,
program leaders have begun developing relationships with other congregations
in the city to support a replication of their model and to create a network of
congregation-based tutoring programs.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202118
• Reading Partners students (typically two to three pairs) is
A well-established national supported by a paid tutor who assesses
organization, Reading Partners provides and monitors their progress.
tutoring services in 12 cities. Reading
Partners mobilizes a large volume of
local volunteers who tutor in Baltimore
C ITY SC HO O L S O FFIC E O F TE AC H I N G
AN D L E AR N IN G
City schools and has a proprietary
curriculum designed for ease of use
• City Schools Tier II Fundations
by its part-time, volunteer tutors.
Interventionist Program
Each lesson within the curriculum’s
This district program places specially
five levels includes a tutor read-aloud,
trained paraprofessionals within 14
introduction or review of a targeted
schools to act as reading tutors in
skill, and a comprehension-focused
grades K-2. The paraprofessional tutors
student read-aloud.
provide direct skill-based instruction to
• Springboard Collaborative small groups of students within their
Springboard Collaborative is a relative classrooms using Fundations materials
newcomer to Baltimore City, offering a from Wilson Reading. Services are
multifaceted model it calls FELA (Family- provided to the students for 30 minutes
Educator Learning Accelerator), which each day, five days per week.
aims to increase teacher capacity and
parental engagement while providing
A C ITY SC HO O L S V E N D O R
targeted student literacy support.
Springboard Collaborative offers both
• Amplify mCLASS Tutoring Program
a five-week summer program and a
In summer 2020, the district took the
10-week after-school program, which
nontraditional approach of contracting
is the program component included
with a corporate vendor to provide
in this report. Springboard’s program
literacy tutoring support to an
combines Raz-kids (an online guided
additional 25 schools. This decision was
reading program) with targeted skill
prompted by the unprecedented crisis
instruction by the teacher/tutor, as well
of the global pandemic, and the urgent
as discrete practice activities for kids to
need to provide more individualized
do at home.
instruction to students in the early
• Tutoring with the Lightning stages of literacy development.
Squad (TWLS) The vendor, Amplify, which has for
Tutoring with the Lightning Squad, several years provided diagnostic
developed by the Success for All assessment and data analysis to the
Foundation, is a 1-to-4 computer- district, recently began implementing
assisted tutoring program. Pairs of its mCLASS Tutoring program for
students with similar skill profiles take struggling readers. The tutoring
turns acting as “coach” to one another program is being delivered remotely
while they read stories, complete by a cadre of newly hired and trained
activities, and practice skills. The tutors, many of whom are current
computer-based program serves both college students. The program features
to engage the students with visual embedded assessment and progress
and auditory content as well as to monitoring so that students’ progress is
track their responses. A small group of tracked continuously.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part Two19
Although all of the programs described in And Springboard Collaborative’s model is
this landscape address key components of built on culturally relevant family engagement
literacy development as articulated by the principles; operating from the premise that
National Reading Panel, none was designed adults at home are equal partners supporting,
with Baltimore City’s population in mind. That monitoring, and celebrating students’ reading
means none was developed using the well- growth, it offers materials and techniques
established educational theory of culturally accessible to many types of families. But these
responsive pedagogy, which emphasizes “using examples represent a fertile opportunity for
the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, more cultural responsiveness in the local
frames of reference, and performance styles tutoring landscape.
of ethnically diverse students to make learning
encounters more relevant to and effective All of the existing programs are operating
for them.” (Gay, 2010) Culturally relevant at significant scale, with each one serving
pedagogy is more than a theory, however, and multiple schools and hundreds of students
there are numerous studies that demonstrate every year. In school year 2019-2020, over
the effectiveness of these approaches. 4,500 students in grades K-5 were slated to
(Aaronson & Laughter 2016) Therefore, an participate in small-group or 1-to-1 tutoring
ideal tutoring program would address the with these programs. Most programs paused
specific needs of Baltimore’s low-income and or ceased operations when school buildings
marginalized student groups by building on closed in March 2020, and it took several
their historical and cultural heritage and lived months to build new infrastructure and train
experience. Directors of the local tutoring tutors to provide services virtually. Among the
programs expressed some awareness of these external providers, most have relaunched and
issues, and a few articulated specific action have been providing services virtually during
steps to ameliorate cultural incongruence in the 2020-2021 school year, but at a reduced
their models. For example, Reading Partners capacity due to the logistical constraints. With
has convened a working group to develop the addition of Amplify’s mCLASS Tutoring
and curate more culturally responsive reading program, however, the district has been able
passages, using names that are more reflective to maintain the number of elementary literacy
of Baltimore students’ backgrounds. tutoring slots available systemwide.
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 202120
Table 3 Schools and Students Served by Program in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021
2019-20 (1) 2020-21 (2)
Column 1
Schools Students Schools Students
Amplify mCLASS N/A N/A 25 2,300
City Schools Tier II Fundations
14 650 14 875
Interventionist Program
Experience Corps 27 650 11 425
Literacy Lab 17 675 14 225
Reading Partners 16 650 16 375
Springboard Collaborative 22 1,500 TBD TBD
Tutoring with the Lightning Squad 8 500 16 500
Total (3) 62 4,625 69 4,600
(1) The number of schools and number of students served presented here represent the number that were engaged and
slated to be served by each tutoring organization in 2019-20 before school buildings were closed in March 2020. The actual
numbers served vary based on the degree to which program operations were paused, ceased, or reconfigured.
(2) The number of schools and number of students served presented here represent the number that were actively
engaged and slated to be served through virtual tutoring services during fall 2020; the actual number served may be
higher, as some organizations were still working to increase capacity through spring 2021.
(3) The total number of schools served is not a sum of the number of schools served by each tutoring provider because
many schools were served by more than one provider.
What are the key features of local One standard feature of most of the tutoring
literacy tutoring programs? programs described in this report is that
children are pulled out of the classroom
Although each of the programs examined during the school day. This approach is
for this analysis addresses essential skills in often utilized because it allows for 1-to-1
early literacy development, they differ in key support in a dedicated space that affords
aspects of program management and delivery. flexible pacing and privacy. On the other
For example, some local programs focus their hand, pullout support removes students from
resources on students in grades K-3, while the classroom community, which can affect
others will include older struggling readers, students negatively both academically and
who sometimes have larger or more persistent socially. Determining how to schedule tutoring
gaps in their literacy skills. There is also services, and, in particular, what lessons or
variation in the session structure, the amount activities students will miss so that they are
of tutoring provided, and the qualifications of not further marginalized, presents an
the tutors. ongoing challenge.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore Part Two21
As one City Schools leader explained, “We TU TO R IN G SE SSIO N STR U C TU R E
had a very, very intense philosophical debate AN D D O SAGE
about how to schedule literacy tutoring
As shown in the table below, the frequency and
support. I appreciate the depth of the team’s
dosage of tutoring services varies by program
consideration to make sure a child doesn’t,
model. Students may be tutored as frequently
for example, miss art every day, because for
as every day or as infrequently as twice per
some children, that is their driving force at
week. Tutoring services are also provided for
school. So where we were able to land was that
varying durations ranging from 20 minutes to
we could stagger the kids’ schedules so that
an hour. Some programs, generally those with
they’re not missing the same thing every day.”
less-frequent dosage, assume that students
In response to this concern, another approach
will remain in the program for a predetermined
that some schools have begun implementing is
amount of time or an entire school year.
building in designated periods of intervention/
However, in other models with more intensive
acceleration to the school day schedule. In
services, tutors frequently assess and closely
this way, all students have the opportunity
monitor student progress, with the explicit aim
to receive differentiated instruction without
of having students reach articulated skill goals
missing any instruction in other content areas.
and/or achieve grade-level reading proficiency
in less than one year (sometimes in as little as
four to six months).
Table 4 Program Dosage and Duration
# Sessions Time per
Column 1 Program Duration
per Week Session
Amplify mCLASS 3 30 minutes Varies based on student need
City Schools
Tier II Fundations 5 30 minutes Varies based on student need
Interventionist Program
Experience Corps 2 30 minutes 32 sessions
Literacy Lab 5 20 minutes Varies based on student need
Reading Partners 2 45 minutes 30-40 sessions
60-90
Springboard Collaborative 2-3 10 weeks
minutes
Tutoring with the
5 30 minutes Varies based on student need
Lightning Squad
Abell Foundation www.abell.org @abellfoundation P: 410-547-1300 March 2021You can also read
