Cost Effective In School Tutoring Conservatory Lab Charter School Brighton, MA

Started in 2002, Conservatory Lab Charter Conservatory Lab (2009-2010) School provides a music intensive education to Principal Diana Lam students in grades K to 575% of whom qualify School Schedule 8:00 AM 5:30 PM for free and reduced lunch. The schools unique Grades Served PK 5 curriculum focuses on five processes intrinsic in Number of Students 153 all learning: music-listening, questioning, creating, Performance 2010 MCAS Results performing and reflecting. These approaches are applied across all subjects. At Conservatory Lab, each student learns an instrumentmost popularly the violinand receives one-on-one and small group instruction each day. The focus on music, however, has not hindered the schools academic performance. In 2010, 56% and of all students scored proficient or above Massachusetts standardized test, the MCAS, in English Language Arts; 42% scored proficient or above in math. Currently, approximately 600 students are on the schools waiting list. Students at Conservatory Lab attend school from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 150 minutes longer than surrounding public schools. Students participate in core academics from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. From 2:30 to 5:30, musical enrichment and one-on-one tutoring are provided. During this time, students may receive individual musical lessons, group instrumental practice, performance preparation and/or one-onone tutoring for targeted academic support, depending on individual needs. Over 40 students receive one on one tutoring, four days each week.

Individual Tutoring
The schools Tutoring Coordinator recruits, Sample Tutoring Schedule trains and monitors tutors, many of whom 2:30-3:00 Tutor Preparation come from neighboring colleges. The majority 3:00-4:00 Session 1: Phonics- 1st grade student of the schools 20 tutors are connected through 4:00-5:00 Session 2: Topic sentence- 3rd grade their schools work study program and provide 5:00-5:30 Debrief and prep supports Monday through Thursday. School administrators credit the success of the tutoring program to the consistency of tutors being on site four days each week. Every tutor supports the learning of one upper elementary and one lower elementary student for one hour each, preparing class materials for 30 minutes beforehand and debriefing for 30 minutes after the sessions. During the session, tutors focus on particular skills with which students struggle, identified through their performance on interim assessments. Student tutoring assignments are rotated as new assessment data is released. The Tutoring Coordinator communicates students needs to tutors, and assumes much of the responsibility in interacting with tutors to ensure their work connects to the instruction students receive from classroom teachers. Through work-study, Conservatory Lab pays $6 per hour for each tutor, with a total cost of approximately $18,000 each year.

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