Out of all the students in the sessions, everyone increased their scores

Not enough time or resources to fill the gaps

Before our testing season last year, our data wasn’t where we wanted it to be. We still had lots of gaps in student understanding and not enough time or resources to fill them all.

We wanted to try Third Space Learning as a way to give extra one-on-one instruction. Although we already had small group time, one-on-one is best. Now, we have 24 tutors working one-on-one with students at once. We would never have the amount of resources to be able to do that in-house.

Ten students on the cusp of proficiency

Last year, we focused on fourth grade as this is where we were seeing the biggest gaps. We looked at our assessment data and selected 10 students that were on the cusp of proficiency – they were almost there, they just needed a little extra boost.

We saw a big impact. We decided to continue because it provides our students with one-on-one instruction in targeted areas that they need – based on our data. It’s not just ‘tutoring in fourth grade math’ – it’s specific concepts, standards and skills. It can be targeted to exactly what they need, which is what makes it so successful.

This year we’ve put 12 fourth graders and 12 fifth graders onto the program. Only one of the current fifth graders also had sessions last year; all the other students no longer need the support.

They just sit down, log in and get to work

Students arrive in the morning and they each get their own table with their headsets laid out, they just sit down, log in and get to work. It’s really been pretty seamless! It’s one time that I can monitor everyone instead of trying to find time in my schedule or multiple people to help me monitor.

Teachers and students are both really on board with it. The fifth graders feel responsible that this is their time to come and attend their session, and the fourth graders are really excited about it.

Everyone increased their scores

The students are doing a really good job of explaining their thinking to their tutors. They are understanding the concepts and they are able to articulate that in their own words. There’s a mix of pictorial and abstract representations in the lessons; it’s a good balance between the two, especially for the students who need a bit more support.

It also gives students a lot of independent practice time to build that stamina so they’re prepared for the lengthy state tests. We continued with Third Space Learning because of the impact it has on our students.