D.C.’s State Board of Education today will vote on proposed standards for a federally funded tutoring program that’s designed to make up for schools’ deficiencies in teaching students.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, students attending schools that have missed national benchmarks for academic performance two years in a row are entitled to free after-school lessons from private companies.

The tutoring providers tapped for the program in the District are not being adequately checked to gauge whether they are positively affecting students’ performance, officials have said. And only 10 percent of eligible students are taking advantage of these supplementary services, leaving millions of federal dollars unspent.

The provisions being considered are designed to address these issues and make it easier for the state superintendent’s office to fire failing tutoring companies.

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For example, companies would only be able to sign one-year contracts with the city. Assessors from the state superintendent’s office would determine whether students improved in reading and math comprehension and then renew the company’s contract only if progress was proved.   

“Effective services mean that providers show significant academic progress with at least 80 percent of students,” the policy states. “Academic progress will be determined based on a student learning gain of at least one proficiency level on a state-approved assessment.”

According to Shanika Hope of the state superintendent’s office monitoring until now has been “spotty at best,” with her office relying on the providers to indicate that they’re doing a good job. Last year, 37,000 students in the city’s public schools met the qualifications for free tutoring, but a mere 3,000 used the services, worth several thousand dollars per student.

Dismal participation has plagued school districts all over the country, yet D.C.’s numbers are particularly low, which prompted the call for action.

The policy calls for awareness events to draw parents’ attention to the supplementary services and boost participation. Once children are enrolled, parents will get monthly reports on student work in after-school tutoring.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com