SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — Students in the West Ada School District now have access to free online tutoring 24/7. Varsity Tutors offers chat-based tutoring, essay editing, academic and career counseling, and remedial classes at no cost to students and the district.
(Below is the transcript of the broadcast report.)
“Students involved in the learning process will have questions about learning,” says Marcus Myers, chief academic officer at West Ada Schools.
He tells me that students often need extra help outside of school hours while they learn new things, so the district is expanding access to free online tutoring.
“It’s important that we continue to provide those supports and resources outside of our classrooms and outside of our school day to ensure that all students are successful, regardless of whether they have the opportunity to do tutoring at home at their family’s expense. We will be able to provide that for them,” Myers says.
Varsity Tutors, the new free tutoring resource, offers 24/7 online chat-based tutoring in English or Spanish, essay submission review where students receive feedback on how to improve within 48 hours, remedial tutoring, and academic and career advice.
“All students at West Ada have access to this resource. We are rolling out training and understanding of how to use the tool in a targeted manner, starting with middle and high school students and then moving on to our third and fifth grade elementary students,” Myers says.
“Intensive tutoring has been proven to be the best way to achieve learning gains and have a lasting impact on test scores,” says Anthony Salcito, Chief Institutional Officer of Varsity Tutors.
He tells me that their direct approach helps students retain information and improve their skills in areas such as writing.
“We’ve made these offerings free for multiple school years so districts can plan accordingly. Parents can get a feel for the platform so they know what resources are available, and then hopefully over time students will become comfortable using these tools,” Salcito says.
District leaders told me that West Ada will save $1.4 million over the next two years by switching to the new service.
“Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to receive support outside of the classroom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help them achieve their goals,” Myers added.
