What is SES?
Tutorpedia is proud to be a state approved Supplemental Educational Service (SES) provider. Through SES, we can provide free educational services to students from low-income families and underperforming schools. There are many SES providers in the state of California; we are one of the only SES providers in the Bay Area that works one-on-one with students.
SES is funded by TItle I of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. NCLB requires schools that do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two straight years to contract outside tutoring services for their students. These services are free to students and their families, and they are paid for by Title I funds set aside for each school district.
What is Tutorpedia's SES program? Is it effective?
From 2007-2011, Tutorpedia provided over 5,500 hours of one-on-one tutoring to over 300 Bay Area students through SES. Similar to our private tutoring, we carefully match students with their own tutor who will stay with them for the entire school year, giving them academic guidance and personalized instruction. We have worked with the Alameda Unified, Berkeley Unified, Oakland Unified, Ravenswood City (East Palo Alto), San Francisco Unified, San Mateo Union, Berryessa Union, Livermore Joint Valley Unified, Mt. Diablo Unified, Redwood City, and South San Francisco Unified school districts.
Tutorpedia's work with SES-eligible students has been highly successful. 100% of our SES families would recommend Tutorpedia to others. Overall, approximately 95% of Tutorpedia's public school students improved their CST scores and academic grades in their classes during the time they were working with a Tutorpedia tutor. Moreover, increases in scores on the CST occurred at a significantly higher rate for Tutorpedia students than their economically disadvantaged peers at the same schools who did not receive SES tutoring from Tutorpedia. In addition to achievement measures on standardized assessments, 95% of our students improved in their rates of homework completion, attendance, motivation, general understanding of the material, and exhibited a greater capacity for working with and manipulating numbers in mathematics instruction and better use of the English language in reading and writing in language arts instruction.
How can Tutorpedia provide SES tutoring for my student(s)?
Families/Parents: We unfortunately are unable to provide SES tutoring without the permission of the school district. The first step is to determine if you qualify for SES. In order to qualify for SES, you need to meet two criteria:
- The student attends a public or charter Title I school that is in Program Improvement Year 2 or higher (the school will know if it is eligible)
- The student's family is low-income (a good indicator is if the student receives free or reduced lunch at school)
If you qualify, you need to complete an SES application form, specifying that you choose Tutorpedia to be your SES provider, and submit it to the school district. Your school administration can help you with this. We then will receive a list of students directly from the school district. If you are on the list, then we can begin tutoring right away!
Schools: We have several schoolwide SES programs in the Bay Area and are looking for more opportunities to integrate our one-on-one tutoring into schools. If you work at an SES-eligible school and are interested in implementing a comprehensive tutoring program for your students, contact David Taus, Director of Education, or your school principal to help you get started. We are available for a free consultation.
After-school programs/Nonprofits: We are able to work one-on-one with students within the context of your existing program! If you work with SES eligible students and are interested in bringing in some of our tutors to compliment your efforts, contact David Taus, Director of Education. We can work with you to plan and carry out a one-on-one tutoring program at no cost to you or your students!
What our SES families are saying:
"One on one tutoring has helped my son to stay focused and on task. He works better one on one."
"Tutoring has helped [my daughter] a lot. She is able to finish her work faster and understand."
"El mejor ejemplo es que mi hija tiene mas confianza en ella de que se puede hacer mejor estudiante, mas seguridad en si y puede dar mas para aprender." The best example is that my daughter has more confidence in herself and becoming a better student. She feels more sure of herself being able to try harder to learn.
"Ha sido importante en mejorar su lectura y su escritura como para matemáticas y a expresarse un poco más con los maestros sobre sus trabajos de la escuela." It has been important in improving his reading and writing, as well as math, and expressing himself a bit more to teachers about his school work.
"Antes de la tutoría, hasta el fin del programa noté mucha mejoría tanto en materias como en su relación con los demás." From before tutoring started until the end of the program, I noticed a lot of improvement, as much in schoolwork as in his relationships with others.
What some of our partner teachers are saying:
"She has put forth a great effort, and her math and reading skills have improved."
"M. has benefited from having such a caring tutor."
"F. has continued to work hard and with the help of his Title I teacher and his tutor is making process. He is approaching grade level in all subjects."
"G. started the year 3 years behind grade level. He was unable to count to 20 and didn't know his letter sounds. He has received a great deal of extra support including after school tutoring, 1-on-1 help from my intern and small group skills intervention. This additional help has made a big difference."
