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high-dosage-tutoring

Maximizing the Impact of High-Dosage Tutoring in Post-Pandemic Education

  • November 7, 2024
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most critical challenges school districts face has been addressing the learning loss and educational deficiencies that emerged since 2020. High-dosage tutoring has emerged as a potent tool in this battle, offering personalized, intensive support to students who need it most. It’s been broadly adopted by school

Educators, particularly in roles of leadership and curriculum development, can benefit from understanding not just the utility of high-dosage tutoring but also how to effectively implement and evaluate it.

  • Understanding High-Dosage Tutoring
So, what is high-dosage tutoring? It typically refers to frequent, intense tutoring sessions to improve academic outcomes and can be an effective strategy to mitigate learning disruptions. Research has demonstrated significant improvements in high school students’ performance through one-on-one tutoring, underscoring the potential of high-dosage tutoring in the aftermath of COVID.

“There’s a body of research that indicates that if you put students one-on-one with a tutor, or in a small group, and you provide a lot of tutoring throughout the year and over a long period of time, that you can have a really big impact on student learning,” says Craig Gehring, CEO and Founder of MasteryPrep, in a recent webinar. A lot of school districts, he says, have adopted the high-dosage tutoring model since the pandemic and can use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to do so in their quest to close learning gaps.

Let’s take a deep dive into what makes for a successful high-dosage tutoring program. We hope to empower you to evaluate and enhance your district’s tutoring programs, ensuring they align with best practices and deliver impactful outcomes for students.

"There's a body of research that indicates that if you put students one-on-one with a tutor, or in a small group, and you provide a lot of tutoring throughout the year and over a long period of time, that you can have a really big impact on student learning."

Craig Gehring, Founder and CEO of MasteryPrep
  • 10 Characteristics of High-Dosage Tutoring Programs
Not all high-dosage tutoring is equal. As a matter of fact, there are some common denominators of high-dosage tutoring that should be present for the program to even qualify as such. Here are 10 essential success characteristics, backed by recent research.

  1. Intensity and Frequency: High-dosage tutoring typically involves frequent sessions, often several times a week. This intensity is critical to its effectiveness. Why? Because it allows for consistent reinforcement of learning materials and concepts. A study by Nickow et al. (2020) examined various tutoring programs and found that frequent, intense tutoring sessions were effective in improving academic outcomes in math and reading.

  2. Personalized Attention to Students: This approach often occurs in small groups or in a one-on-one setting. The low student-to-tutor ratio ensures personalized attention and allows the tutor to tailor instruction to individual student needs. Two large-scale randomized controlled trials by Guryan et al. (2023) on the effects of small group tutoring in mathematics found significant improvements in the academic performance of high school students.

  3. Highly Trained Tutors: Tutors in high-dosage programs are often specially trained, sometimes with a focus on specific subject areas. This high level of expertise ensures tutors are equipped to address diverse learning challenges and provide effective instruction. An article by Kraft et al. (2018) discussed the importance of professional development for tutors and its correlation with successful tutoring outcomes in reading and mathematics.

  4. Data-Driven Instruction: High-dosage tutoring programs frequently leverage the power of data to inform instruction. Regular assessments and progress tracking are key components, allowing tutors to identify areas of need and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly. A 2010 study by Bianco highlighted the success of a school district’s data-driven instructional practices within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework.

  5. Curriculum Alignment: High-dosage tutoring is usually closely aligned with the school’s curriculum, ensuring that it supports and reinforces what students are learning in their regular classes. A research brief by Robinson et al. (2024) characterizes successful tutoring programs as incorporating high-quality materials aligned with the curriculum.

  6. Duration and Consistency: High-dosage tutoring programs are typically longer in duration compared to traditional tutoring. This long-term commitment allows for sustained learning and reinforces skills over time. A paper by Kraft and Falken (2021) reviews various high-dosage tutoring programs across public schools and emphasizes that tutoring programs providing at least three sessions per week, each lasting 30 to 60 minutes, are consistently more effective than less frequent programs.

  7. Emphasis on Skill Mastery: There is a strong focus on mastering skills, not just completing assignments. Tutors work to ensure that students fully understand concepts before moving on to new material. A review of mastery learning by Winget and Persky (2022) found that mastery learning approaches improved student achievement, final exam scores, and attitudes toward learning.

  8. Integration of Technology: Many high-dosage tutoring programs integrate technology to enhance learning. This might include educational software, online resources, and digital tools for tracking progress and facilitating instruction. A 2023 study by Henkel et al. found that use of an AI-powered conversational math tutor was correlated with higher math performance.

  9. Focus on Building Confidence and Motivation: Besides academic support, these programs often aim to build student confidence and motivation. This personalized attention helps students feel more capable and engaged in their learning. Research by Quirk et al. (2020) explored the role of tutoring in improving student motivation and confidence, showing a positive correlation with academic achievement.

  10. Adaptability: High-dosage tutoring is adaptable to different learning styles and needs. Tutors are often trained to modify their teaching methods to suit the individual learner, whether that involves more hands-on activities, visual aids, or interactive discussions. A systematic review of differentiated instruction by Asriadi et al. (2023) found that the practice improved instructional quality at all levels.

  • Video: What Are the Characteristics of Successful High-Dosage Tutoring Programs?
  • High-Dosage Tutoring: How MasteryPrep Can Help
One of the benefits of small-group, high-dosage tutoring is that the experience can be tailored to exactly what a specific student population needs, but only if the tutor has the data to inform their decisions. Your tutors need structure and direction if you want to develop a deep student mastery of skills and make up for learning loss.

MasteryPrep provides schools and tutors with the necessary curricular and instructional test-prep materials to help ensure their students score college-ready on CCMR and EOC assessments. Consider MasteryPrep’s end-to-end solutions and support your tutors with curriculum-aligned test preparation rooted in modern instructional best practices.

Download Our High-Dosage Tutoring Rubric

To assist in the practical application of these principles, we have developed a comprehensive rubric to help you evaluate and improve your high-dosage tutoring programs. The rubric is structured to provide clear, objective criteria for assessing each of the 10 features of high dosage tutoring. By using this rubric, you can identify strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring your tutoring programs are as effective as possible in helping students recover and excel post-pandemic.

We encourage you to download this free rubric as a guide in your efforts to enhance the educational outcomes for students in your district. The rubric is available for download here, and we hope it serves as a valuable resource.

Download Now

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ACT® is the registered trademark of ACT, Inc. Some items in MasteryPrep programs are the copyrighted content of ACT, Inc. and are reproduced with permission. SAT® is a trademark of the College Board. MasteryPrep LLC has no affiliation with College Board MasteryPrep SAT programs are not approved or endorsed by College Board. The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) is an ACCUPLACER® exam, which is a trademark of College Board. MasteryPrep has no affiliation with College Board or the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), and the TSIA2 Mastery program is not approved or endorsed by College Board or the TSI. WorkKeys® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. The WorkKeys programs are not approved or endorsed by ACT, Inc.

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