Glastonbury School System Getting 'Hi Dosage' Tutoring Grant

GLASTONBURY, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker Thursday announced that the Connecticut State Department of Education is releasing $11.5 million to 46 school districts across Connecticut to build and expand "high-dosage" tutoring through the Connecticut High-Dosage Tutoring Program. Glastonbury is among the school systems getting funds.

Lamont said the goal is "empowering students with enhanced educational opportunities and addressing the education disparities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic."

A total of $$85,013 has been earmarked for Glastonbury, which will serve 48 students in the program.

Lamont and Russell-Tucker announced the launch of the Connecticut High-Dosage Tutoring Program in March 2023 to target students in Grades 6 to 9 with a primary focus on enhancing mathematics proficiency. CSDE initially allocated $10 million from American Rescue Plan Elementary Secondary School Emergency Relief (or ARP ESSER) funding for the program. In light of the high interest from districts during the application period, CSDE increased its commitment to $11.5 million.

Following an application period, a rigorous review process culminated in the allocation of funding to 46 districts, which are collectively expected to serve nearly 11,000 students. Among these districts, 26 have been identified by CSDE as high-needs districts, where at least 43 percent of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals between 2014 and 2022. Additionally, 15 of the districts are Alliance Districts. Funding amounts were determined based on individual district grant requests, anticipated student enrollment in the high-dosage tutoring program, and an analysis of each district’s 2021 ARP ESSER allocation. LEA applications that scored above the minimum cutoff score were offered grant funding through this program.

Lamont said the investment in mathematics education follows recent data released by CSDE, revealing that while there have been improvements in mathematics proficiency across nearly all grades and student groups over the past year, the state is still striving to exceed pre-pandemic performance levels. Research indicates that in-person, in-school tutoring is the most effective means of addressing learning gaps. As a result, more than 40 districts in the state have committed to using the funding to integrate or expand in-person tutoring during regular school hours.

Scheduled to begin by January 2024, the Connecticut High-Dosage Tutoring Program will allocate funding to schools for 2023-24 and the first half of the 2024-25 school year.