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Forest Grove board approves HeyTutor pilot and SIA grant; board flags measurement and accountability concerns
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Summary
The board approved a high-dosage literacy tutoring pilot with HeyTutor ($185,825 for the half-allocation this year) and accepted the Student Investment Account grant agreement, while members pressed for clear measurement and raised concerns about SB 141 implications for performance targets.
Forest Grove, Ore. — The Forest Grove School District board on Dec. 9 approved contracting HeyTutor to provide a high-dosage literacy tutoring pilot and accepted a Student Investment Account (SIA) grant agreement that includes growth targets co-created with the Oregon Department of Education.
Assistant Superintendent Martrell Volley told the board the district is eligible for supplemental ODE early-literacy grant funds intended to support intensified tutoring for pre-K through grade 5. The board approved an expenditure of up to $185,825 (described in the meeting as approximately half of the district's allocation) to contract HeyTutor to deliver services during the 2025–26 school year, with the pilot intended to run roughly Feb. 1 through May and use pre/post assessments to measure gains.
The district will target second- and third-grade students at Joseph Gale and Ferndale elementary schools for the literacy pilot and will contract additional HeyTutor services for seventh- and eighth-grade math using Title IV funds; the board separately approved the Title IV math tutoring contract.
Board members asked how the district will measure success, who will be targeted, and whether the provider has a track record in other districts. Administration said HeyTutor was selected from three ODE-approved providers for alignment to the district's curricula and that the vendor will hire and train its own staff and coordinate with principals and teachers. The tutoring in this pilot is delivered in English only, as presented.
Administration also presented the SIA grant agreement, noting it carries performance targets and that Senate Bill 141 (the Education Accountability Act) may change the rules and metrics the Department of Education will use. The district noted the SIA grant’s targets are the ones agreed to before SB 141's rules are finalized and that future grant updates could reflect new statewide implementation rules. Board members expressed concern about how immigration‑related disruptions could affect assessment-based metrics and about the implications of multi-year monitoring if growth targets aren't met.
The board approved both the HeyTutor expenditures and the SIA grant agreement and asked administration to return with evaluation results and periodic updates on pilot implementation and SIA performance metrics.
