Program Overview

The mission of the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium is to provide a foundation for future learning success by helping ensure that first and second graders in the Alexandria City Public Schools can read at or above grade level by the end of second grade.

Tutors' work with students will be guided by an approach that will engage the children in reading, discussion, and basic writing activities.

• Congregation or organization based coordinator will promote the program in your community.
  
• Each school's volunteer coordinator will match tutors/partners with a child's schedule.
  
• School administrators, classroom teachers, and school reading specialists will work with the school volunteer coordinators to identify students for tutoring.
  
• A pre-assessment instrument will be used to aid in the selection of students to be tutored and as a pre-test/post-test measure of reading progress.
  
• Tutoring materials will be selected by Alexandria City Public Schools and, if necessary, purchased using ATC and/or ACPS funds.
  
• Training for beginning and returning tutors will be provided by ACPS staff.
  

How Tutoring Works

ATC tutors work one-on-one with ACPS first and second graders. Each student is tutored two 30 minute sessions a week.

Volunteers may tutor once or twice a week. Once-a-week volunteers may find their own partner or ask to be paired with another tutor to ensure the weekly commitment to each child is met Tutors may also sign up for two consecutive time slots and work with more than one student.

All volunteers receive training from ACPS and have access to books and materials provided by the school. Tutors who work in schools with the Book Buddies program are provided with lesson plans and materials customized to each child’s specific needs.

Tutoring takes place at the school mostly during school hours. Tutoring begins in September or October and follows the school calendar until Memorial Day.

Tutors will be provided with an orientation to the school.

Qualifications

• Love of reading, love of children, dependability

Facts

• There are many first- and second-grade children in the Alexandria City Public Schools who are "at-risk" of not being able to read at grade level by third grade.
• Research shows that if students do not "learn to read" by the end of third grade they will have difficulty "reading to learn" in fourth grade and beyond.
• First-graders who receive intensive, targeted intervention, even those who have the most difficulty reading, can reach grade-level reading by the end of second grade. With early intervention, more than 90% of children can read at grade level, or better!
  

Results

Please see the latest edition of the Annual Report


For more information

Please see sections About ATC and FAQ's Still have questions?

Please e-mail Gwen Mullen at atc@opmh.org . If you'd like to sign up to tutor in 2010-2011, please click here.