All
tutors in this Project work in the back of the classroom,
with one or two children at a time, and always under the direct
supervision of classroom teachers. At the end of each semester,
the classroom teachers evaluate the effectiveness of the tutors,
by completing the Classroom Teacher's One-Page, End-of-Semester
Evaluation Form.
These
evaluation forms are collected at the end of each semester
by the professor who manages the course. The professor then
sends a copy of each evaluation to the National Education
Project as part of the professor's Final Report for the semester.
Here,
with minor edits for brevity and clarity, are several evaluations
of the effectiveness of the tutors, written by classroom teachers
who supervised the undergraduates in Chicago, Boston, and
New York City:
Chicago,
Illinois:
The
following evaluations were written by a 2nd Grade teacher
in a public elementary school that drew its children from
the Cabrini-Green Public Housing Project. At the time these
evaluations were written, the Cabrini-Green Public Housing
Project had one of the highest concentrations of poverty in
Chicago.
It
should be said that the undergraduates produced these results
in just one semester of tutoring.
"Bill
[the undergraduate] was a very positive force in both Gregory's
and Bernard's school year. He motivated the boys with stories,
guided activities, and games. The boys felt very special
because they had Bill as their tutor.
"Gregory
gained 1 Year and 8 Months in Reading. Bernard gained 1
Year and 1 Month in Math."
"Connie
[the undergraduate] worked diligently with Orlando and Shadeed.
Each boy is a very unique student by all standards, but Connie
was always there to motivate and interest the boys in different
areas.
"Orlando
gained 1 Year and 5 Months in Math, and Shadeed gained 6
Months in Math."
"Tammie
[the undergraduate] was very positive for the children. ...
She reinforced class activities when needed. Her students
were always begging to be tutored first, because each section
was meaningful.
"Latoya
gained 9 Months in Math. Akil gained 1 Year and 3 Months
in Math."
"Nicole
[the undergraduate] was very warm and caring for Michael,
Stanley and Artrice. She motivated them in all subject areas
when possible by reading stories, guiding activities, and
with games.
"Stanley
gained 1 Year and 6 Months in Math, and Artrice gained 9
Months in Math. No data was available for Michael.
Nicole was a very good tutor for the students."
"Kristen
[the undergraduate] worked very closely with her students.
One of her students transferred and she had to start with
a new tutee. She motivated him the same way she motivated
the other students. She was very positive and it showed
on the students' faces each time after the sections.
"Lawrence
gained 7 Months in Reading, and Terrance gained self-confidence. No [test] data was available for Terrance, but the self-confidence
was even more valued."
Boston,
Massachusetts:
The following evaluations were written by classroom teachers
in Boston who received tutors from this Project:
"I
do believe that Mary (the undergraduate) has been a significant
advantage to my classroom. At least two of the students
she emphasized instruction with are very needy in both emotional
and motivational areas. Her quite, caring instruction motivated
them to really participate and concentrate. I
feel the ½ year gains these students did make would
not have been accomplished in larger groups.
"Also, 3 other students increased
from 1 year to 2 years on their vocabulary and comprehension
scores, returning them to grade level achievement in reading.
These students have made such large and confident gains
that I feel they may return to the regular classes."
"Two
of my spelling students went from having 20's and 30's
on tests to 80's and 90's. Their language
skills also improved greatly. [The undergraduate] did a
fine job."
"The
tutor worked with two students on basic number facts and
language skills. I found that the extra help made
a significant difference in the students' ability in Math."
"I
found [the undergraduate] very professional. She was very
punctual and cooperative. My student
was definitely helped by her extra attention. She
helped him with his sight vocabulary and oral reading. Consequently,
his phrasing and fluency showed an improvement. I would
appreciate another tutor in my room."
"[The
undergraduate] was very effective tutoring my student. The
child receiving the help has great difficulty spelling correctly. [The undergraduate] helped the child
to score higher marks on the weekly tests."
"[The
undergraduate was] very helpful. Students
who would have fallen behind due to behavior, absence, etc.
were able to maintain the pace of the group."
"[The
undergraduate] was very reliable and cheerful. I had her
working with a child who was just moved to my class from
the bottom group. The added attention
made him advance to one of the better students in my class."
"[The
undergraduate] helped both students she worked with. The
students completed very little work before her help.
When they worked with [the undergraduate], their
work was done and this has carried over to other work.
Their attitude towards school also improved. [The undergraduate]
did an excellent job."
"[The
undergraduate] was an excellent tutor. She helped my 3 students
greatly with their writing skills. The
students writing grades have gone up a whole grade.
I hope to have a tutor in the fall.
"[The
undergraduate] helped her students achieve 1 grade higher
for the term. Good motivation for the students."
"Both
children [the undergraduate] tutored did 1 grade higher
work last semester. She worked quietly and efficiently
with each student. She was a big help."
"[The
undergraduate] gave her students praise as she helped them
with division. Having her work with them individually helped
them to stay on task. Her help allowed
the students to achieve one grade higher this term."
New
York, New York:
The
following evaluation was written by a public elementary school
classroom teacher in New York City who received a tutor from
this Project:
"[The
undergraduate] was very effective in helping my two non-English
speaking students learn English. The Russian speaking
child could only say hello when she came in October. She
now is taking the weekly spelling tests and doing very well.
"The
Arabic child was difficult to tutor because he was not eager
to try or learn. [The undergraduate] drew him out and he
is now at least trying.
"Both
students were brought to grade level in Math through her
help. The students and I will miss her." (Emphasis
supplied.)
<
< Back to Results of the Tutoring
|
