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District 59 reports early uptake for Varsity Tutors pilot; staff plan more measurement and summer expansion
Summary
District 59 completed a first-year pilot of Varsity Tutors with 155 students and 2,453 tutoring sessions; staff reported implementation lessons and said the program will expand into summer school while developing metrics to measure impact on student outcomes.
District 59 staff reported on a first-year pilot of Varsity Tutors on Tuesday, saying 155 students participated in one-on-one or small-group high‑dosage tutoring between mid‑September and May and that the vendor delivered 2,453 tutoring sessions during the year.
School officials said the district started deliberately small to test logistics and tutor quality; staff listed successes (ease of use once students were logged in, scalable scheduling across the district) and early challenges (initial communication, a few tutor attendance or quality issues). The district added Varsity Tutors to its summer-school supports and plans to expand access for junior‑high seminar periods next year.
District staff described how students qualify for the high‑dosage tutoring: schools prioritize learners in roughly the 25th–40th percentile for targeted support, with referral initiated by teachers, principals or parents and a grade‑level team setting the skills and standards to be addressed. Families may request support outside that range, but staff said building teams must approve the match and learning goals.
Staff said they are working with the district’s MTSS team to develop additional measures of success beyond counts of students served. Board members and staff discussed possible outcome measures (I‑Ready growth, teacher/parent surveys) and the district said it can analyze participating students’ district assessment growth if the board directs further evaluation. The vendor provided attendance and usage reports to buildings; staff said they will strengthen internal guidance and designate building points of contact to manage logistics.
No formal board action was required. District staff said Varsity Tutors will be available in summer school, pilot seminars at junior highs next year and that communications and family outreach materials will be expanded in the fall.
