The clock?s ticking to pass the state tests, so students, meet your private tutors. The nearly 6,000 Baltimore City public school students who are at risk of not graduating because of their failure to pass the High School Assessments will soon have tutors from private companies to help them prepare.
The school system is doling out money to the poorest schools so they can hire outside companies that will offer tutoring, group sessions and other interventions to students who have failed at least one High School Assessment, under a plan unveiled Tuesday.
The $6.3 million program, which includes after-school and Saturday classes, test preparation materials and teacher training, will begin next month and target 39 schools in an effort to groom the classes of 2009 and 2010, the first groups of students required to pass the exams in algebra, government, English and biology to graduate from high school.
So far, Baltimore students have failed the tests 8,666 times, some multiple times each, according to test data.
“The numbers are a little high, but I think with the correct support, we will have more students passing the tests,” said Roger Shaw, the new executive director of secondary schools.
The system selected schools that had more than 40 percent of students receiving free or reduced meals.
Each school will develop a 15-month action plan on how to improve students? performance and will decide individually how to spend the funding.
In addition to hiring state-approved private instructors who can offer computer-based and in-home tutoring, the schools also can use peer tutors and college students.
Allowing schools to tailor their own plans falls in line with city schools chief Andres Alonso?s promise to give principals greater autonomy with increased accountability.
