High-Dosage Tutoring: Proven Strategies For Success In Your School Or District
High-dosage tutoring is is one of the few evidence-based interventions to demonstrate significant positive effects on math achievement. Research has found high dosage tutoring can increase students’ learning by 3 to 15 months. This makes it an effective method for recovering the ongoing learning loss from COVID-19.
However, those students who need high dosage tutoring programs the most are least likely to have access to it outside of their educational setting. It falls to school and district leaders to ensure the students who need effective one-on-one tutoring the most have access to it.
In this article, we will cover everything school districts need to know about high-dosage tutoring including what high-dosage tutoring is, the research behind it, and how you can implement research-based high-dosage tutoring interventions in your school.
What is high-dosage tutoring?
High-dosage tutoring is a form of intensive tutoring where the student and tutor meet at least 3 times per week for 30-45 minutes per session over a sustained period. It is recommended that students receiving high dosage tutoring continue for at least one academic year to make significant academic gains.
Often, high-dosage tutoring is used to:
- Address learning loss
- Build confidence
- Get students to grade level and above before state tests
While high-dosage tutoring can be one-on-one, or in small groups, 1:1 tutoring remains the most effective tutoring method. It allows the intensive tutoring to be personalized to students learning gaps.
Group tutoring can still be effective in groups of up to around 3 students per tutor–any larger than this and the impact is reduced.
Typically an effective high-dosage tutoring program will run for a period of at least 12-15 weeks with a minimum dosage of 90 minutes per week.
High-dosage tutoring criteria
- One-on-one or small group instruction-maximum three students
- At least three 30-minute tutoring sessions per week
- High quality curriculum-aligned instructional materials
- Expertly trained tutors: students have the same tutor each session
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Download Free Now!How effective is high-dosage tutoring?
High-dosage tutoring is definitely effective. While tutoring works for all students, high-impact tutoring is particularly effective with students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Stanford University’s National Student Support Accelerator based in California states that “[f]or students from lower income families, tutoring is one of the most impactful educational approaches”.
“A 2017 meta-analysis study examined interventions that aimed to improve the educational achievement of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in elementary and middle school. Of all the interventions examined, tutoring was both the most common and the most effective.”
This evidence base is corroborated by many education researchers such as Matthew Kraft from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. He cited 4 major studies (Fryer – 2017, Dietrichson et al – 2017, Pelligrini et al – 2021, Inns et al – 2019) that all present various forms of one-on-one tutoring and high-dosage tutoring as the most effective intervention on standardized student achievement.
High-dosage tutoring is most effective when:
- District and school leaders use data to implement the high impact tutoring
- Tutors use ongoing assessment to personalize instruction
- Sessions take place during the school day to ensure students attend
- Instruction is one-on-one
“We felt that it being one-on-one would be really great. Although we already had small group tutoring, we know one-on-one instruction is the best.”
Liz Avery, Math Instructional Coach, Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts, New York
Ensuring high-dosage tutoring is a success
High-dosage tutoring is effective in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools – although the impact is generally larger at elementary and middle school grade levels.
Here are some evidence-based suggestions to ensure success in your context:
1. Opt for scheduled high-dosage tutoring programs
Scheduled high-dosage tutoring programs are much more effective than on-demand tutoring programs. Research suggests that on-demand programs are often poorly utilized and not evidence-based.
In the 2024 NAEP, both high- and low-achieving students in the Miami-Dade district made gains in 4th grade math. Results were generally higher than Florida’s state results.
But how?
Superintendent Jose Dotres attributes their 4th grade math success to the use of data-driven tutoring programs which prevented the achievement gap from widening. However, he stated it’s not just about implementing the program itself, it’s how well organized the programs are.
“It’s not only what you’re doing, it is how well-organized, orchestrated, and coherent it is, so that you create the positive impact on a student’s achievement. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Jose Dotres, Superintendent, Miami-Dade District₁
2. Schedule sessions during the school day
Whether schools are looking to address pandemic related learning gaps, or to increase the number of students working at grade level, tutoring is most effective when delivered during the school day. This doesn’t mean that after school tutoring can’t work, but you need to ensure students enroll and that attendance is high.
Implementing high impact tutoring sessions during the school day increases equity in education. Ensuring sessions take place during school time means those students who might not have the resources at home can access technology and the internet needed for tutoring programs.
3. Invest in tutor training and development
Research shows that trained tutors are essential to delivering high impact tutoring. This matters more than whether a tutor is a classroom teacher, paraprofessional, or college student. They can all be great tutors – but they need continuous tutor training and mentoring!
4. Standards-aligned instruction and resources
Align high-dosage tutoring with classroom teaching. If you are outsourcing your tutoring, make sure the company covers your state standards. Additionally, the tutors need to have a thorough understanding of the state standards.
Any reputable tutoring program will provide schools with post-session reports so school leaders and class teachers can see where students are progressing and where they still have learning gaps.
How much does high-dosage tutoring cost?
While there is generally universal agreement that high-dosage tutoring works, it’s traditionally considered expensive to organize and run.
The average cost of one-on-one tutoring is $60 per hour, which means that a 12-week program with 3 sessions per week would cost $2,160 per student. That’s not including any recruitment or training costs for tutors.
However, this is a common math intervention myth. High-dosage tutoring doesn’t need to be this expensive. Here at Third Space Learning, we have spent 10+ years working out how we can drive down the cost of high-dosage tutoring to enable more students to experience the benefits of one-on-one tutoring.
A comparable Third Space Learning math tutoring program would cost just $828 per student. Unlike the quote above, this includes:
It’s advisable to school districts to do their research when choosing a tutoring provider. Check they can provide quality instruction at scale at an affordable price.
Funding high-dose tutoring programs
There are many school funding options available for schools. If general allocation funds aren’t available, then many school districts use Title I funding to fund tutoring programs. Additionally, Title III funding can support tutoring in core subjects such as Math and Reading for English Language Learners, and Title IV can fund tutoring services.
Some districts, such as Guilford County, have been more creative with their approach to funding to maintain their tutoring efforts and support the learners who need it most.
“The county-wide district of 336,000 students has established a partnership with a local university to help sustain tutoring efforts, as well as applied for grants and redirected funds to other interventions that add to students’ learning time.”
Whitney Oakely, Superintendant, Guildford County, North Carolina₁
READ MORE: When do ESSER funds expire?
Which students benefit most from high-dosage tutoring?
While all students can benefit from high-dosage tutoring, high-dosage tutoring is particularly effective when tutoring underprivileged students to address equity in education. These learners have often experienced the greatest learning loss from the pandemic and while not exclusively, they should generally be our focus area for support.
Additionally, look for students who are struggling with classroom instruction, suffering from math anxiety or working behind grade level. A high-quality tutoring program may enable them to quickly progress, and build their confidence to engage in the classroom.
Intensive tutoring program key takeaways
High-dosage tutoring, which involves at least three 30-45 minute sessions per week over a sustained period, significantly accelerates student achievement by 3-15 months of learning gains.
Research shows it’s particularly effective for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with one-on-one tutoring being the most impactful method.
Key findings:
- High impact tutoring is particularly effective for addressing learning loss and building confidence in underprivileged students and those working below grade level.
- High-dosage tutoring is most effective when delivered one-on-one or in small groups of up to three students, with sessions scheduled during the school day to ensure consistent attendance and accessibility.
- These intensive interventions require a minimum of 90 minutes per week over 12-15 weeks, with recommendations for continuation throughout an academic year for maximum impact.
- Tutor training and development is crucial to success.
- Schools can use various funding sources to implement high-dosage tutoring programs.
References
Dietrichson et al. (2017) – Academic Interventions for Elementary and Middle School Students With Low Socioeconomic Status
Pelligrini et al. (2021) – Effective Programs in Elementary Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis
Inns et al. (2019) – A Synthesis of Quantitative Research on Reading Programs for Secondary Students
Ibid
EducationWeek, Bright Spots on NAEP ₁
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