High-dosage tutoring proves to have long-term impact on student success

In 2020, when schools shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the repercussions were substantial and enduring. In Maryland schools, there was a significant decline in test scores, particularly in math.

During 2021, counties were allocated funds to implement high-dosage (intensive) tutoring programs for students to address the learning gaps resulting from school closures. This financial support ensured that students received targeted, additional instruction consistently, for two to three sessions per week lasting 30-45 minutes each.

In the autumn of 2021, the Reach Together Tutoring Program (RTTP), a collaboration between the George and Betsy Sherman Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the Baltimore City Public Schools, was introduced to deliver high-dosage tutoring that aimed to assist students in grasping and mastering challenging mathematical principles at their grade level.

The collaboration between UMBC and the city schools was not new. UMBC faculty and students had been working with educators for a long time, not only fostering professional development and community initiatives, but also training, cultivating, and placing UMBC graduates in teaching roles in Baltimore through the Sherman Scholars Program. Leveraging our deepening partnership with city schools, ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) funding, and access to college students, we expanded our previous initiatives.

The RTTP program targets students in second through eighth grades based on diagnostic assessment scores. These participants scored in the lowest quartile, signifying a lag of two or more grade levels. Tutoring sessions take place during the school day within the “personalized learning” block to minimize disruption to the core curriculum.

A distinguishing feature of RTTP is the recruitment of UMBC students as math coaches. These coaches engage with a small group of students two to three times weekly during the academic year for about 24 weeks. Following an acceleration model, coaches concentrate on essential foundational skills that align with grade-level content. They undergo comprehensive pre-service and continuous training emphasizing cultural sensitivity, mathematical perspectives, and student engagement.

Our objective is straightforward: “We will facilitate purposeful math experiences that enhance each student’s math identity and accelerate their learning trajectory.”

In 2021, we operated in four Baltimore City Schools, supporting 355 students with 85 UMBC math coaches. Fast forward to now, we completed our third year of programming in nine Baltimore City schools, serving 644 students.

Since 2021, UMBC math coaches have conducted 45,586 tutoring sessions. This spring, we collaborated with city schools to expand capacity and cater to more students through the MSDE Tutoring Corps Grant with a focus on grades six to eight. As we look ahead, we plan to extend our reach to 10 schools in the 2024-25 academic year.

Has the program been effective? Together with faculty from UMBC’s Public Policy and Education departments, we undertook a two-year program evaluation. Findings revealed that RTTP participants exhibited greater progress in terms of test score gains and percentile improvement from the beginning to the end of the academic year compared to non-participants. According to survey data, 85% of students reported feeling more confident in math after engaging in RTTP. An eighth-grade student from Cherry Hill expressed, “I could get help, and if I got it wrong, they didn’t put me down.”

Moreover, RTTP’s impact extended beyond supporting Baltimore City students, transforming the career paths of UMBC students. Math coaches come from diverse backgrounds—undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students representing various majors, races, genders, and ethnicities.

We have more than doubled the number of math coaches, increasing from 85 in the 2021-22 school year to over 165 in the 2023-24 academic year, with over 1,100 UMBC students applying to be math coaches. Students from the Sherman Scholars Program engage in RTTP as part of their academic journey, affording them a hands-on learning experience before commencing their teacher internship year.

Over the past three years, numerous math coaches have decided to pursue teaching careers. They have attained a master of arts in teaching and are now teaching at schools where they once tutored.

One exemplary scholar, Rehema Mwaisela, shared her transformation as a math coach at UMBC: “Before I was a math coach in Baltimore City, I thought I wanted to be a mathematician, or pursue math further in grad school, but now I realize my place in math is empowering Baltimore City scholars with mathematical knowledge.” She currently teaches at Westport Academy. RTTP has fostered a dynamic environment where community-based scholarship and partnerships merge, resulting in a profound and extensive impact.