State Superintendent Rolls Out New Statewide Tutoring Program

State Superintendent Ryan Walters announces a new tutoring program aimed at getting test scores up, especially in reading.

The new program includes pay incentives based on student results.

Walters says the goal is to use the school breaks coming up to help kids either learn to read or not fall behind on their reading by bringing in tutors.

The first two parts of the plan are open now- bringing in volunteers to help teach kids to read and providing 24/7 tutoring for kids online.

"What we are going to do is we're going to make sure we get our students caught back up,” said Walters. “We have been way behind other states in our reading, and it's time that every student be able to read on grade level."

The next part of the program involves paying tutors and teachers $50 per hour- with the opportunity to make more.

"We will pay tutors to go into the schools and work with students; we are targeting the schools that are in the bottom 5% of the state, so the schools that need the help the most,” said Walters.

Walters says OSDE will pay for the teachers and tutors- as well as taking in the applications and doing the trainings.

Tulsa Public Schools sent News On 6 the following statement:

“Tulsa Public Schools is engaging in productive, ongoing conversation with the state department of education. Conversation has included mention of potential incentives for tutors and teachers to support schools with opportunity for improvement. We welcome investment and collaboration in support of Tulsa Public Schools mission for our students to lead through literacy.”

Other districts, like Broken Arrow and Jenks, had not heard about this program.

BAPS says this in full:

“It’s hard to provide any insight on this announcement, because we’ve not been involved in the planning discussions, nor do we have details on how the program should be implemented. I think it’s safe to say that for now we have more questions than answers, but we’re curious to learn more.” 

Jenks Public Schools says this:

“Jenks Public Schools had no knowledge of this program other than what was shared by the media today. With any program being offered through a third-party vendor, teachers and administrators at Jenks Public Schools will take time to investigate the platform and learn more about it before making any decisions on whether to participate. JPS already informs students and families of tutoring opportunities and additional learning resources.”

Oklahoma City Public Schools says this:

“OKCPS has been contacted by OSDE about the opportunity to implement a new tutoring program for students during school breaks. Our instructional teams are currently working through logistics to see if this program is something that the district can implement in the coming weeks.”

Walters says he and his team are in the process of letting districts and teachers know how they can take part after OSDE talked to some of the state’s larger districts.

If you are interested in becoming a tutor, you can find more information here.