(The Center Square) – The Arizona Department of Education’s tutoring program will continue through the end of this school year.
“Studies show tutoring to be the best method for academic growth. A year ago, I announced that we would repurpose about $40 million in COVID relief funds that had been allocated by the previous administration, and were not being used for academic purposes, to create the Achievement Tutoring Program,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said in a statement.
The program started last fall and stemmed from COVID-19 funds, but the department said that the program will now only come from private sources due to federal regulations, as it’s currently offered in both public and private formats. However, the program is free for all of Arizona’s public and charter school students if they are “below proficient” in writing, math or reading, according to the department’s website.
“The results have been excellent as students who get this tutoring have shown significant academic growth. Because we have received an extension that allows remaining funds to continue to be used, this program will continue through at least the end of the current school year,” Horne added.
In total, the department said the program has helped over 30,000 students, including 22% of whom it says had significant (half a year) of academic advancement “in six weeks.” The tutoring sessions are an hour long each for “up to four days a week” and are tailored to state standards in order to bolster academic performance.
The program is separate from the tutoring service already available through D and F ranked schools, and lasts for six weeks per session. Many of the tutors are already teachers or substitute teachers that “qualify” to teach in a typical school setting.
The department currently lists over 20 private tutoring service partners.
