Spotlight: Ohio

Ohio will offer reading tutoring to students in grades K-3, reinforcing the state’s commitment to early reading. The tutoring program will prioritize districts that are identified as having low on-track reading scores for early learners and Reading Achievement Plans. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) will support participating districts in selecting and contracting with a tutoring provider, based on the state’s approved vendor list.

Ohio’s tutoring efforts build on the state’s longstanding commitment to improving early literacy. In 2012, Ohio adopted its Third Grade Reading Guarantee which is designed to identify students who are behind in reading and support students to ensure they are on track for reading success by the end of third grade. ODE provides policy guidance, instructional tools, and resources to support the initiative.

Prior to receiving the States Leading Recovery (SLR) grant, ODE has launched several tutoring initiatives in the last year and is leveraging partnerships with Ohio’s colleges and universities, educational service centers, and other community partners to lead this important work. This year, Ohio’s tutoring efforts got a major boost in the state budget, with an additional $26 million allocated to support high-impact tutoring efforts.

Over the course of the next year, through both the SLR grant and the state appropriation, ODE will analyze findings from its existing programs and, in partnership with the education community, develop recommendations for a long-term, statewide plan for tutoring in Ohio. Additional information is provided below regarding Ohio’s tutoring initiatives.

Background

High-Quality Tutoring Programs Approved Vendor Directory

Ohio law directed ODE to establish a list of high-quality tutoring programs, known as the High-Quality Tutoring Programs Approved Vendor Directory. During the summer of 2022, ODE sought applications from tutoring providers that aligned with six key components of high-quality tutoring. The High-Quality Tutoring Programs Approved Vendor Directory is intended to be a helpful resource to districts and schools, however, Ohio law stipulates that districts and schools are not required to use tutoring providers on the list. Funding was not designated for this program, and policymakers intended for districts to utilize allowable federal, state, and local funding sources to implement tutoring programs on the list.

In October 2022, ODE released the first approved directory. At the time the directory was released, many districts and schools had identified and started implementing priorities and programming to utilize the designated ESSER-ARP funds.

Given this initial work, ODE has established a strong foundation and is well positioned to secure contracts with the selected vendors and implement tutoring in eligible districts and schools in fall 2023. Accelerate’s funding will enable ODE to support additional districts in implementing tutoring programs and in continuing to grow its vetted list of providers. As of July 2023, ODE was reviewing additional applications from prospective providers.

Statewide Tutoring Programs

ODE also has provided grant funding to support two statewide tutoring programs. The Statewide Mathematics and Literacy Tutoring program designated over $15 million in funding to Ohio’s colleges and universities to provide tutoring in math and English language arts to K-12 students. ODE offers professional learning to all grant partners through the University of Cincinnati and the University of Texas-Austin. Through the implementation phase, higher education partners have hired and trained more than 1,000 tutors and provided high-dosage tutoring to more than 4,100 students. ODE is working closely with Ohio’s college and university partners to inform future guidance and supports related to establishing tutoring programs, including progress monitoring scheduling and professional learning.

In addition to the partnership with Ohio’s colleges and universities, ODE is partnering with educational service centers in Ohio to launch Tutor Ohio Kids, a regional program that hires, trains, and deploys tutors to partnering districts and schools. Tutor Ohio Kids is in the early stages of launch and actively recruiting district and school partners as well as tutors to staff the program.