Accelerating Learning Through Virtual Tutoring

The Opportunity

In Charleston County School District (CCSD)’s Kaleidoscope program, an afterschool program for elementary children in grades K-5, 55% of the learners were testing under the 50th percentile in iReady math and approximately 70% of the learners were testing under the 50th percentile in iReady reading. Research shows many risks for students who reach fourth grade without reading skills, and are more likely to drop out of high school and engage in risky behavior.

“How can we bridge the academic achievement gap for learners who experience racial and economic marginalization?”

The Solution

Fifty-nine learners ages 6-11 were offered a unique opportunity to join math and ELA-focused tutoring classes co-created by Outschool.org and CCSD. The class format was six small groups which met twice a week for 90 minutes of live instruction over an 11-week period from August 2022 to January 2023.

Outschool.org selected educators from a large online marketplace of teachers that matched the needs and demographics of the students in CCSD. Additionally, Outschool.org provided access to high-quality instructional materials, tools, and online platforms including Readworks, Commonlit, Newsela, and Freckle. 

To support the successful execution of the tutoring program and maintain transparency, the Outschool.org team held meetings with CCSD staff (instructional coaches, after-school program teachers, and principals) twice a month, to share best practices and troubleshoot issues.

The Results

  • By the end of the 11-week period, 100% of learners participating in the program demonstrated growth in their iReady math scores, with 79% increasing their scores by 10+ points.

  • For the ELA tutoring program, 76% of learners demonstrated growth in their iReady reading scores, with 58% increasing their scores by 10+ points.

  • >70% learners, on average, demonstrated six months of growth in the span of three months.

  • 72% of learners cited that their Outschool tutors cared about their culture (compared to 64% in pre-survey).

  • 75% of learners reported that their Outschool tutors took time to get to know them.

  • 88% of learners reported that their Outschool tutors challenged them and believed that they could do well in the class. 

  • 87% of learners were excited to go to their Outschool tutoring classes.

  • Outschool.org created connections between Outschool educators and CCSD teachers to build capacity and feedback loops.

  • CCSD has expanded their Outschool partnership to multiple schools and is providing a follow-up program to target this intervention to its cadre of Turnaround Schools.

READING

MATH

Community Reflections

“I love learning on Outschool, because it’s the best [option] when you need to learn something new. You’re always with a teacher that’s really nice to you. You learn more, you think more, and you can be anywhere.”

— CCSD Learner

The benefits of the Outschool program is the 1:1 time, more small-group instruction, and it gives everybody a chance to get what they need if they don’t get it from the school day.

With the Outschool.org grant, we’re able to provide opportunities with tutors to fill in the gaps for our scholars.”

— CCSD Staff

The Bottom Line

CCSD and Outschool.org’s partnership to bridge the education gap for CCSD students was a success. Through co-creating solutions from ideation through execution, CCSD was able to see improvements in over 70% of participating learners. Based on the success of this partnership, CCSD expanded its partnership with Outschool to include more schools, specifically Turnaround Schools.