New tutoring program addresses pandemic learning loss for Maryland students
MARYLAND – “This provides a moment to innovate, to try, and to give our students the attention that they need in ways we might not have considered before the pandemic,” Dayhoff said.
The answer is coming in the form of a $10 million state investment, creating the Maryland Tutoring Corps Program. “We need to drive home the importance of math proficiency and serving our children to help them get back on track,” MSDE’s Assistant State Superintendent of Financial Planning, Operations, & Strategy Justin Dayhoff said.
Dayhoff says the program targets undeserved middle school student’s grades 6th-8thn who aren’t proficient in math that experienced learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Targeting that grade span should allow us to do so in a laser-like way, rooted in what we know to be effective practice,” Dayhoff said.
Grants would be awarded to local school districts in collaboration with local colleges and universities. “We recognize that those components of the program are essential. We need the schools, and we also need a mechanism to help train and ensure the quality of the tutors themselves,” Dayhoff said.
MSDE says what makes this initiative unique is that tutoring would be a part of a student’s school day and wouldn’t require teachers to step away from their daily lesson plans. “It could be retired and rehired teachers who have left but are coming back, paraprofessionals who are being trained and provided a second opportunity that’s not a part of their regular workday. This is dedicated structural tutoring and intervention,” Dayhoff said.
MSDE tells 47AB tutors apart of the program would be in paid positions, starting anywhere from $20-$22 an hour. There’s also a funding match component to the program which would be required for school districts who participate.
MSDE says this move could allow them to serve more than 60,000 students statewide and recruit more than 800 tutors.
The application process is open now through August 15. For more information or to apply click here
