Wakefield accepted into state tutoring partnership; Acceleration Academy reports strong summer turnout

Wakefield announced Aug. 26 that it was accepted into a state‑partnered tutoring opportunity with Ignite through DESE's Literacy Launch program, providing 66 live, one‑on‑one virtual tutoring licenses to target first graders who are well below benchmark and multilingual learners.

Central Office staff described the program as 15‑minute daily live tutoring sessions intended to supplement foundational reading instruction. "It's one‑on‑one. It's live virtual tutoring," the elementary humanities coordinator (name in transcript) said, noting the district will prioritize first grade and may extend licenses to students in grades K–3 if slots remain. The district said the tutoring licenses are provided under the DESE partnership for the year; staff noted ongoing cost would be significant if continued beyond grant or partnership funding.

Administrators also reported results from the district's Acceleration Academy, a five‑day summer program run the past five summers. Kara (last name not specified in transcript), who presented the Acceleration Academy update, said roughly 219 students attended this year out of about 250 registered. Early feedback from parents was positive; staff said students felt less nervous at the start of the school year and that teachers and mentors reported fewer transition issues.

District staff said the Acceleration Academy has been funded previously through a mix of grants and district partnerships; this year administrators worked with Wakefield Academy and central office staff to continue the program after a grant was reduced. The district plans to use fall benchmark data to identify students for tutoring and to begin the Ignite tutoring program in October.