What High-Dosage Tutoring RFPs are Really Asking For
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MetaMetrics Inc.
Post Category:
Lexile, Quantile
Post Tags:
Student Growth
Tutoring

What High-Dosage Tutoring RFPs are Really Asking For

By Renee Basick, Marketing on

Students work with a tutor in a small group.

A review of state and district tutoring requests show these eight themes are critical pieces to address in your proposals.  

You have the tutors, the tech and the strategy but you still need to respond to requests for proposals (RFPs) in order to land contracts to provide high impact tutoring services. We looked at the statements of work and project scopes of high-dosage tutoring RFPs from state departments of education and some of the largest school districts (e.g., L.A. Unified) to uncover the most universal requirements for successful responses. We’ve included example language from the RFPs and links for reference. Where possible, we’ve also included opportunities to leverage MetaMetrics’ frameworks and tools to enhance your products and increase your chance of winning these bids. Hint: Vertical growth scales (like the  Lexile Framework for Reading and the Quantile Framework for Mathematics) are a key piece in meeting a few interrelated requirements!   

1. Prove Efficacy

Must demonstrate that the tutoring program is effective in closing students’ learning gaps and increasing skills/knowledge.

…describe any program evaluations that demonstrate a positive impact on student achievement. Concrete, specific, and quantitative metrics are strongly preferred over qualitative descriptions.Ohio Department of Education REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) Accelerating Learning through High-Quality Tutoring Programs

Solution Spotlight
The Lexile Framework for Reading and the Quantile Framework for Mathematics provide a scientifically valid tool for measuring student growth. When you align your products to these frameworks, you enable tools that demonstrate the efficacy of your tutoring program.

2. Assess Learning Progress

Must measure student learning growth over time and provide reports to families and educators.

…must have the ability to assess student progress and provide written progress reports to parents/teachers and district leadership…LA Unified School District Request for Proposal No. 2000002320

Solution Spotlight
Whether you would like to conduct a study to link your current assessment to the Lexile scale, need an assessment and want to get started quickly with our Express Test, or would like to develop a custom assessment, we can help you measure student learning. The MetaMetrics Score Interpreter empowers tutoring companies to monitor growth and provide the ability to forecast how students will perform on state assessments. Learning data can be delivered to families and educators in reports with actionable information about how to support students.

3. Align to Academic Standards

Content must align to state standards and grade-level standards with a method to connect tutoring to the standards students are learning in the classroom.

High quality instructional material aligned to standards and core classwork…Provide standardized, high quality, tutoring-friendly, and TEKS-aligned curriculum with English and Spanish supports.Texas Education Agency (TEA) High Impact Tutoring RFP

Solution Spotlight
The MetaMetrics State Performance Standards Database, a component of the MetaMetrics Score Interpreter, aligns Lexile and Quantile measures to state performance standards so you can ensure your product predicts where students will likely fall in a state’s specific performance levels at the end of year. Additionally, our Quantile Sequencing Service aligns math content to the sequence of concepts and skills a student needs to learn, aligned to curriculum, so that students can be directed to the right lesson to fill any learning gaps.

4. Offer Flexible Delivery Options 

Flexible delivery to include both in-person and virtual options is critical. In-person sessions tend to be the primary mode with virtual sessions serving as back-up. Research shows in-person tutoring is more effective for most students but when qualified tutors are difficult to find, virtual tutoring is acceptable.

Roanoke County Public Schools is seeking proposals for virtual high dosage tutoring in English/language arts and mathematics. This system would supplement in-person tutors in schools that are having difficulty finding qualified tutors. Options for tutoring could be during the school day, after school, or at home in the evenings.Roanoke County Online/Virtual Solutions for High Dosage Tutoring RFP #2-23-038

5. Integrate Into the Academic Day

Tutoring takes place during normal school hours, typically as part of a regular schedule. Some RFPs ask if bonus tutoring time is available (camps, after hours, etc. but this is not core to the “high dosage tutoring concept”.)

HDT is treated like a class, happening during the normal school day, rather than after school.Alabama State Dept. of Education High-Dosage Tutoring Request for Information 2022

Embedded in the school day or immediately before or after, to maximize student access…Texas Education Agency (TEA) High Impact Tutoring RFP
WHAT HIGH-DOSAGE TUTORING IS: During the school day, Treated like a scheduled class, Sustained over the course of a school year…District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education High Dosage Tutoring Guide for Local Education Agencies
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6. Differentiate For All Students

High dosage tutoring is about helping all students improve, not just struggling students. For this to work, instruction needs to be tailored to the needs of each student.

Data-driven, utilizing aligned formative assessments, with tutors building sessions around student strengths and needs and adjusting approach based on data over time.Texas Education Agency (TEA) High Impact Tutoring RFP
It [high impact tutoring] should also be considered a universal strategy for all students rather than simply for struggling students.Alabama State Dept. of Education High-Dosage Tutoring Request for Information 2022
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Solution Spotlight
MetaMetrics Solutions for Tutoring include student measures and content measures so that you can match learners with “just right” instructional materials that are challenging, but not frustrating. This “goldilocks zone” of learning is scientifically proven to maximize learning potential for each individual student.

7. Increase Frequency and Stay Consistent

High-dosage tutoring requires multiple sessions per week with dedicated staff to maximize results and impact. Additionally, tutors should work with the same small group of students (e.g., 1-3 students) in order to build a rapport. Research shows efficacy drop off when ratio increases beyond 1:3 tutor to student ratio.

Tutoring is considered most impactful when delivered with three or more sessions per week with the same tutor throughout the school year to build consistency and relationships.Alabama State Dept. of Education High-Dosage Tutoring Request for Information 2022

8. Integrate With Technology

The tutoring platform should integrate with a learning management program that the district is using for visibility and tracking.

For any proposer of virtual tutoring sessions, vendor’s platform must be accessible through Single Sign On (SSO) and be able to be integrated into Schoology as the learning Management System (LMS).LA Unified School District Request for Proposal No. 2000002320

Solution Spotlight
MetaMetrics’ products easily integrate with diverse LMS platforms and include APIs that can be integrated into any product platform to ensure our tools work with your software for a seamless end-user experience.

Let’s collaborate! To learn more about how MetaMetrics’ Solutions for Tutoring can support your RFP responses, reach out to us. We can help you develop a custom solution that will differentiate your offerings and help ensure they are positively impacting student performance.