Establishes a pilot program to provide grants to local education providers to implement high-impact tutoring programs prioritizing low-income or underserved students to address student learning loss or unfinished learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2625
SPONSOR: Cunningham TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a pilot
program to provide high impact tutoring
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish a grant program for high impact tutoring.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the education law to establish a pilot program to
provide high impact tutoring:Subsection 1 defines terms.
Subsection 2 describes the pilot program: grants will be provided to
local education providers. to implement high impact tutoring programs
prioritizing low-income or underserved students to address student
learning loss or unfinished learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandem-
ic.
Subsection 3 describes the application process and demonstration of
need.
Subsection 4 states that DOE will determine the amount and duration of
grants and determine how to serve as many students as possible most
effectively.
Subsection 5 states allowable uses for grant funds and how high impact
tutoring. programs may operate. Subsection 6 describes reporting
requirements for grants.
Section 2 provides for an immediate effective date.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
JUSTIFICATION:
As reported in the New York Times on October 6, 2022, recent standard-
ized testing of 9-year-olds across the country showed that math scores
had dropped seven points since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and reading
scores five points. This drop is equivalent to the academic progress
made in the prior two decades. It is clear that pandemic-related learn-
ing loss is an urgent problem. One tool proven to be very effective in
rectifying this is high impact tutoring. This type of tutoring is
offered in schools, in small groups of students.
Evidence has demonstrated that high impact tutoring results in higher
graduation rates and less absenteeism. It has also been shown to close
gaps in learning. As such, this legislation will establish a pilot grant
program to incentivize high impact tutoring in New York State schools.
These programs can be expensive because they require many tutors and
coordination with schools for in-person learning. Establishing a grant
program for high impact tutoring is an important step towards reversing
the learning losses of the pandemic.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A7788/S8327 - Referred to Education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2625
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM, ALVAREZ, GIBBS, ZACCARO -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a pilot
program to provide high impact tutoring
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3641-c
2 to read as follows:
3 § 3641-c. High impact tutoring grant program. 1. For the purposes of
4 this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
5 (a) "local education provider" or "local education provider group"
6 means:
7 (i) a public school or a group of public schools operated by a school
8 district; or
9 (ii) a charter school or a group of charter schools established pursu-
10 ant to article fifty-six of this chapter; and
11 (b) "high impact tutoring pilot program" means a grant program estab-
12 lished and administered by the department pursuant to this section.
13 2. The department shall establish and administer a high impact tutor-
14 ing pilot program to provide grants to local education providers to
15 implement high impact tutoring programs prioritizing low-income or
16 underserved students to address student learning loss or unfinished
17 learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
18 3. (a) A local education provider shall submit an application for a
19 grant to the department in a form determined by the department. A local
20 education provider or group of local education providers may apply
21 jointly for such grant. The local education provider shall demonstrate
22 need for support through the grant program, as determined by the depart-
23 ment, which may include serving a high percentage of low-income or
24 underserved students, or serving students who need academic assistance
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05291-01-5
A. 2625 2
1 in reaching levels of proficiency and have a low level of attainment
2 scores in the past year.
3 (b) At a minimum, an application shall include the local education
4 provider's high impact tutoring program plan that includes the following
5 information:
6 (i) how the local education provider's program plan addresses the
7 following elements of a high impact tutoring program and how it modifies
8 or omits such elements and the reasons for such modifications or omis-
9 sions:
10 (1) tutoring is provided in groups of four or fewer students;
11 (2) the same tutor instructs the participating students throughout the
12 school year;
13 (3) tutoring is provided a minimum of three times per week;
14 (4) tutoring is implemented during the school day, not as a before- or
15 after-school program, and is supplemental to core academic instruction
16 and not a replacement for such instruction;
17 (5) high quality trained tutors provide such tutoring, including
18 teachers, paraprofessionals, community providers, AmeriCorps members,
19 and any other individuals who have received training;
20 (6) the program uses a high-quality curriculum that is aligned with
21 academic standards and may be provided by the local education provider;
22 and
23 (7) tutoring is data-driven, with interim assessments to monitor
24 student progress;
25 (ii) how students will be identified for participation in the program;
26 (iii) the number of students projected to be served and whether those
27 students are low-income or underserved students;
28 (iv) the projected cost of implementing the program;
29 (v) how student academic progress and other program outcomes will be
30 measured;
31 (vi) whether the local education provider will create its own program
32 and whether it will partner with existing tutoring providers for imple-
33 mentation or for tutor capacity and training;
34 (vii) which academic subjects will be the focus of the program;
35 (viii) how the local education provider will be supported;
36 (ix) how tutoring will be delivered and how the delivery will accommo-
37 date remote learning;
38 (x) whether tutors will follow a specific curriculum;
39 (xi) how tutoring will be incorporated into the school day;
40 (xii) the needs of a rural local education provider for financial or
41 technical support to implement a high impact tutoring program; and
42 (xiii) any other criteria determined by the department.
43 (c) Local education providers implementing high impact tutoring
44 programs shall consider seat time and scheduling so that students have
45 consistent access to non-core academic instruction.
46 (d) The department shall review the applications received pursuant to
47 this subdivision and shall award grants after considering the alignment
48 of the local education provider's program plan with the elements of a
49 high impact tutoring program as described in this subdivision.
50 4. Within the amounts appropriated therefor, the department shall
51 determine the amount and durations of grant awards. The goal of such
52 grant awards shall be to serve as many students as possible through high
53 impact tutoring programs, including low-income and underserved students
54 and students in rural areas, while ensuring that grant money is awarded
55 to high impact tutoring programs that are likely to achieve positive
56 student outcomes.
A. 2625 3
1 5. (a) The department shall determine allowable uses for grant money,
2 which uses may include, but need not be limited to, hiring or contract-
3 ing for tutors or providing stipends or other incentives to paraprofes-
4 sionals, retired teachers, AmeriCorps members, and community organiza-
5 tions to ensure tutoring capacity; developing curriculum and related
6 supplies; covering costs associated with renting or purchasing physical
7 space for tutoring and covering administrative expenses. A local educa-
8 tion provider may make a request to the department to use grant money
9 for purposes other than those specified by the department if the
10 proposed use of the grant money increases the effectiveness of the high
11 impact tutoring program.
12 (b) Local education providers may offer tutors and other professionals
13 offering tutoring services information about potential pathways into the
14 teaching profession for the school district.
15 (c) Local education providers, tutors and other professionals offering
16 tutoring services shall comply with all state and federal laws relating
17 to health, safety, and antidiscrimination, including, but not limited to
18 Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Pub.L. 88-352, as
19 amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. Sec.
20 1201 et seq., as amended; section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
21 29 U.S.C. Sec. 794, as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendment
22 of 1972, 20 U.S.C. Secs. 1681 to 1688, as amended.
23 6. (a) On or before the reporting deadlines established by the depart-
24 ment, in each year in which a local education provider or group of
25 providers receives a grant pursuant to this section, the provider or
26 providers shall submit a report to the department that includes the
27 information required by the department. At a minimum, the report shall
28 include the following information:
29 (i) the number of students who participated in the high impact tutor-
30 ing program and nonidentifying information, including demographic infor-
31 mation, relating to those students;
32 (ii) any adjustments made to the local education provider's program
33 plan and the reason adjustments were made;
34 (iii) how the local education provider maintained consistent access
35 for participating students to non-core academic instruction;
36 (iv) how program grants were used by the local education provider and
37 a summary of other resources used, if any, to provide high impact tutor-
38 ing beyond the resources provided through the program;
39 (v) the academic achievement results or other criteria used to place
40 students in the high impact tutoring program;
41 (vi) the impact or student outcomes associated with the local educa-
42 tion provider's high impact tutoring program; and
43 (vii) whether the local education provider's high impact tutoring
44 program will continue in the following fiscal year and if not, the
45 reason the tutoring program will not continue.
46 (b) On or before July first of each year that a high impact tutoring
47 program is implemented pursuant to this section, the department shall
48 submit a summarized report to the education committees of the senate and
49 the assembly concerning the program, including, at a minimum, the grants
50 awarded, the participating local education providers, the duration of
51 the program, and a summary of the information provided pursuant to para-
52 graph (a) of this subdivision concerning the high impact tutoring
53 programs implemented by the local education providers and of available
54 student outcomes.
55 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
