In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law. ARP dedicated $122 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. This grant is known as ESSER III. The intent and purpose of ESSER III is to help safely reopen, sustain the healthy and safe operation of schools, and address the impact of the coronavirus on students. District 39 will utilize ESSER III funds to address the impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on our students and schools. District 39 is required by statute to set aside 20% of its total ESSER III allocation to address learning loss, and these services will be used to support an online tutoring program for eligible students.

Students’ eligibility will be based on their MAP growth scores during the 2020-21 school year. Families of eligible students will have the option of signing up for 1:1 online tutoring with Varsity Tutors, with a specific number of hours paid for by District 39. If parents want to continue to work with Varsity Tutors after they have used up their District 39 allocated hours, they are able to contract directly with Varsity Tutors.

Varsity Tutors works with dozens of school districts in Illinois and across the country to address learning loss from time spent out of school and/or in online learning. Participating districts/institutions grant access to select parents, who can claim a credit for a certain amount of tutoring time. Based on information gained about students’ academic performance, learning styles, extra-curricular interests, and personal preferences, Varsity uses an award-winning matching algorithm to place students with a private tutor who will serve as their learning coach throughout the semester. This includes covering concepts from school that may require additional explanation, assistance with assignments, preparation for tests, and anything else the student may identify as support needed to ensure optimal performance this school year. For more information, please see Varsity Tutor’s website.

Learning through the pandemic was hard on all students, however, some students demonstrated significantly more difficulty than others. In reviewing student performance, the District identified those students who struggled to make adequate growth on MAP during the 2020-21 school year. Younger students and students who did not participate in MAP will be given priority for supplemental summer learning opportunities during the Summer Enrichment Program at the conclusion of this school year (Summer, 2022).

Students were determined to be eligible for tutoring services based on their growth on MAP during the 2020-21 school year. Additional information was collected based on their fall MAP performance. Priority lists were developed based on the following criteria:

• Low Growth/Low Achievement in both reading and math

• Low Growth/Low Achievement in either reading or math

• Low Growth/High Achievement in both reading and math

  • • 6th-8th grade students (hybrid or remote learning most of last year)

    • 3rd-5th grade students who were remote last year

    • 3rd-5th grade students who were in person last year

• Low Growth/High Achievement in either reading or math

Yes, any district family can contact Varsity Tutors and set up their own program. Varsity Tutors will be happy to work with you and since Wilmette District 39 has an existing relationship, Varsity Tutors has indicated that families are eligible for a discount.

Additionally, there are many other options for tutoring services that parents can pursue on their own. These include the following (not exhaustive) list of options:

Best Step Tutoring

• • Free online tutoring

  • PreK-12 grades

  • All subjects

  • Qualified high school & college student volunteers

District 39 Teachers

• • Many District 39 teachers are willing to tutor students. There are restrictions placed on who can tutor (e.g., a child’s current teacher cannot tutor the child outside of school), but this is an excellent option.

  • Building secretaries have the list of tutors if you’d like to pursue this option

etutorworld

• • Grades K-12

  • Free diagnostic assessment

  • Expert tutors

  • 1:1 live online tutoring packages

Tutor Doctor

• • Elementary and middle school

  • Online/In-home tutoring

  • 1:1 tutoring

  • Trained in education

Club Z!

• • PreK-12 grades

  • All subjects

  • Online/in-home tutoring

  • Certified teachers