Free Online Tutoring Made Available To All CA Students

CALIFORNIA — Every Californian and K-12 student will now have access to free online tutoring available 24/7, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday.

The new initiative will offer homework help and skill-building resources to all residents here and on the websites of any of the 1,130 public libraries across the state.

The pilot program, led by the State Library, offers tutoring in math, language arts and K-12 courses in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Tagalog. The assistance is free and open to all ages.

The initiative marks the first round of the California State Library's $439 million grant program, the largest injection of funds into public libraries in state history. The grant program, Building Forward Library Improvement, is geared toward modernizing libraries and also converting many into community cooling centers as the state faces more frequent heat waves.

“With historic investments to give the youngest Californians a strong start in life, enrich our schools and expand supports like tutoring, we’re building on our commitment to create more opportunities for every child in our state to thrive," Newsom wrote in a statement.

The "HelpNow" initiative will offer "live, real-time" homework assistance from tutors familiar with the state curriculum. Tutors will be available to assist students 24 hours a day by laptop tablet, or phone from tutors familiar with state curriculum and standards.

“Not every family can afford a private tutor," said Jack Rothstein, Brainfuse Library Services Director. "Now through the CA State Library Brainfuse HelpNow program, every Californian can get free online tutoring.

"HelpNow tutors will assist all learners from Kindergartners on up build thinking and problem-solving skills. Tutors work with students through their homework challenges, and guide them to the right solution, without giving the answer."

The program comes as the state leaves in the rearview mirror an era of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced students out of their physical classrooms and into virtual learning spaces — a scenario that hampered student learning throughout 2020 and 2021, according to multiple reports.

Scores throughout those two years showed a widening of achievement gaps between student groups, according to data from the California Department of Education.

"The statewide performance data from last year confirm what we heard from school districts and county offices throughout the year. Namely, the challenges that students and educators faced during the pandemic were multi-dimensional and disruptive to learning and mental health," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said in January.

Pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as the driving factor, the Los Angeles Unified School District released test scores Friday showing sharp drop-offs in proficiency among students in nearly all grade levels in English and math.

The percent of Los Angeles students meeting or exceeding state standards in English dropped by about two percentage points compared to the pre-pandemic 2018-19 year — falling from 43.9 percent to 41.7 percent. In math, the drop was steeper, falling by five percentage points from 33.5 percent to 28.5 percent, according to the preliminary Smarter Balanced Assessments.

"As anticipated, the preliminary state assessment results illustrate that there is no substitute for in-person instruction," Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said in a statement. "Los Angeles Unified is proactively addressing the decline in achievement performance, particularly in English language arts and mathematics, at all grade levels.

READ MORE: LAUSD Student Show Sharp Drops in English, Math Proficiency

The percent of students meeting or exceeding the English standard fell in all grade levels except eighth grade, which saw slight increase. The biggest drop was in the 11th grade, which fell by 7 percentage points. Third-graders fell off by 4.5 percentage points and fourth- grades fell by about four points, according to the figures.

In math, every grade level saw a decrease, led by the 11th grade with a 9.7 point drop-off from 28.6 percent to 18.9 percent. Eighth- and sixth-graders saw a nearly six-point drop.

The 2021-22 tests were the first administered in LAUSD since the pandemic began. Statewide results have not yet been released.

City News Service contributed to this report.