To counter the pandemic’s effect on learning, organizations such as the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University and FutureEd are advocating for effective, evidence-based interventions. Among the measures they have called for are setting rigorous standards for high-impact tutoring programs. To help school and district administrators better understand these standards, FEV Tutor has published “A Buyer’s Guide for High-Impact Tutoring—A Proven Approach to Accelerate Student Learning.”  

“FutureEd and Johns Hopkins’ center were part of a coalition that called for practices that would get students back to grade-level work as quickly as possible,” said Ryan Patenaude, Sr. Vice President and Co-Founder of FEV Tutor. “Tutoring programs that are research- and evidence-based and target students most impacted by the pandemic were part of the efforts they recommended.”  

FEV Tutor’s new guide provides a detailed definition of high-impact tutoring and discusses the research that proves the practice’s efficacy for all grade levels. In addition to sharing the characteristics that research has found in successful high-impact tutoring programs, the guide lists red flags that indicate that a tutoring program does not qualify as high impact. It also provides readers with a checklist that they can use to evaluate tutoring programs.  

In addition, “A Buyer’s Guide for High-Impact Tutoring” shares examples of effective tutoring program implementations. It references the approaches of the Texas Education Agency and the state of Colorado as models for implementation. The guide also includes a short case study that describes how FEV Tutor helped Baltimore City Public Schools improve students’ academic performance in the 2018-19 school year. Additionally, it recounts how FEV Tutor helped drive participation in at-home tutoring when the schools shifted to remote learning due to COVID-19.  

Readers will find advice on using federal funds to purchase high-impact tutoring programs. The guide names resources such as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the CARES Act, the CRSSA, and more.  

“Since March 2020, many learners have fallen below grade level, even after heroic efforts by educators to continue teaching remotely, in-person, or a hybrid learning model,” said Patenaude. “Choosing a tutoring program that has proven effective, is based on rigorous research, aligns with the curriculum, and incorporates best practices for effective 1:1 tutoring is of greater importance now than it ever has been.”  

FEV Tutor is certified by the global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization Digital Promise. The program won the EdTech Digest’sCool Tool 2021 Award for Best Tutoring Solution and is the 2021 Tech Edvocate Award winner for Best Tutoring/Test Prep App or Tool.  

To find out more about acquiring a high-quality, high-impact tutoring program, interested parties can download “A Buyer’s Guide for High-Impact Tutoring” at https://www.fevtutor.com/resources/buyers-guide/. The guide will also explain how FEV Tutor measures up against the criteria, including unbiased third-party reviews.