SES

SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATION SERVICES

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR : Dr. Vishna Herrity

Program Design

Supplemental Educational Services (SES) are academic tutoring services focused on English-language arts and mathematics and provided by organizations approved by the California State Board of Education. Tutoring takes place outside the regular school day, and is free to eligible families. The services are a component of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Public schools receiving Title I funds and designated as being in Year 2 or more of Program Improvement are required to offer SES tutoring opportunities. All students from low-income families who are achieving at the lowest level are provided the opportunity to receive SES tutoring services.

SES is mandated to be research-based, consistent with state-approved instructional materials adopted by local school districts, and assessed with instruments proven to be both valid and reliable. As an approved provider, the Gevirtz Research Center developed contracts with the Santa Barbara School Districts, Goleta Union School District, and Carpinteria Unified School District to provide tutoring to eligible students.

Objectives

SES tutoring is specifically designed to increase student academic achievement in English-language arts and mathematics to proficient and advanced levels in state content standards and assessments.

Program Description

Tutors were primarily UC Santa Barbara students, including students from the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. Some certificated teachers also served as tutors. Tutors were paid for their services and received fingerprint and T.B. clearances. Although all tutors had some degree of experience, specialized training was provided for them by the Gevirtz Research Center.

Students to be tutored were competitively recruited via on-site school fairs for parents. The SES tutoring provider, school staff and parent(s) collaborate to develop an individual student learning plan for each child that includes the following:

A statement of specific, measurable achievement goals for the student;
A statement of how and how often the student’s progress will be measured;
A timetable for improving and monitoring achievement and, in the case of a student with disabilities, is consistent with the student’s individualized educational program;
A description of how progress reports to parents and the school will be developed and scheduled to regularly report on the student’s academic progress.

The tutoring schedule was developed in response to the requests of local school principals and district administrators, and varied from two to twelve weeks of daily to weekly tutoring sessions. Sessions took place at the schools being served or at nearby community centers. Students were tutored in small groups of not more than 5 students per group, or individually if necessary. Instructional materials were aligned with state and district-approved curricula.

Progress reports were provided to schools and parents on a weekly to monthly basis, depending upon the wishes of each parent. Although instruction was in English, bilingual tutors provided Spanish language support and Spanish language parent progress reports as needed.

Research Findings

In 2007-2008, 108 students from Santa Barbara Junior High School, Carpinteria Middle School, and La Patera, Franklin, Harding and McKinley Elementary Schools received approximately 35 hours of tutoring each. Pre- and post-tests in math and/or English language skills revealed that 81% of students who maintained attendance through the post-test showed academic gains.