Here's what made the difference.

Schools across the country are looking for ways to accelerate student learning without adding more instructional time to an already full school day. 

The question is no longer whether tutoring works. It is whether it can deliver meaningful results without straining schedules that are already stretched thin.

To help answer that question, we were a grantee of the Call to Effective Action grant program through Accelerate, a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to high-impact tutoring. The grant funded both the tutoring implementation and an independent research study, giving us the chance to explore what happens when high-quality virtual math tutoring is intentionally designed to maximize every minute of learning. Because Accelerate funds and evaluates tutoring providers across the country through this initiative, the resulting synthesis report reflects our results alongside those of other programs in the cohort.

The results were compelling.

A different approach to tutoring

Many tutoring programs require significant instructional time, additional staffing, or after-school participation, making implementation challenging for schools.

We took a different approach.

The virtual tutoring model was designed to fit within the existing school day by leveraging intervention or WIN periods already built into school schedules. Students participated in small-group sessions of 3-4 students, led by highly qualified, certified teachers who delivered standards-aligned instruction, monitored student progress, and provided targeted support tailored to individual learning needs.

The goal was simple: make every tutoring session meaningful while creating a model that schools could realistically sustain and scale.

The results 

The findings from the Accelerate-CEA Synthesis Report tell the story.

During the 2024-25 school year, our partnership with a participating Texas school district began, serving 144 mathematics students in grades 6 through 8 via virtual tutoring embedded into the school day.

Because of this strong partnership with the school district and Accelerate’s Call to Effective Action Grant, we were able to conduct a matched comparison study that same school year. 

Students in our tutoring program averaged just 10 hours of direct tutoring instruction and walked away with 3.8 months of additional math learning.That effect was statistically significant, meaning gains likely weren't due to chance.

Importantly, that also means students gained one month of growth for every 2.7 hours of tutoring. Based on rigorous research standards, our tutoring program delivered one of the strongest efficiency outcomes in the 2024–25 cohort, ranking second overall among the seven evaluated programs.

And these weren't gains measured against students getting no support at all. The comparison group also received regular classroom math instruction and used our MATHia® platform. The only difference was live tutoring. That means the additional 3.8 months of learning came on top of an already strong instructional foundation, not in place of one.

The report demonstrates that meaningful academic acceleration does not necessarily require dramatically more instructional time. Instead, it requires intentional, high-quality instruction delivered consistently by skilled educators.

It also pushed back on a common assumption in prior tutoring research: that virtual instruction and math tutoring tend to produce smaller gains than in-person or literacy programs. Our results, alongside strong performance from other virtual programs in the cohort, suggest virtual math tutoring has come a long way.

How Tutoring Services delivers these results

These aren't accidental outcomes. The report itself points to specific features of our tutoring model that may make the difference, and they're the same features built into every Tutoring Services program we run.

• Certified, mission-aligned tutors. Every tutor is a state-certified math teacher, not a contractor or a platform. The report credited our strong tutor retention and low substitute rate to this approach, paired with ongoing professional development and predictable 10-week tutoring cycles.

• Curriculum alignment, not a separate track. Our tutoring syllabus is adapted to each state and district's curriculum, so sessions reinforce what's already happening in the classroom instead of competing with it. Tutors also use weekly exit-ticket data to make real-time adjustments, keeping instruction responsive to what students actually need.

• A model built to scale. Standardized lessons, standardized assessments, and repeatable 10-week cycles mean the quality doesn't erode as a program grows from one school to an entire district.

Districts notice the difference. When California’s Palm Springs Unified School District partnered with us, Dr. Amber Gascoigne, Director of Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, said the fit was immediate. “Carnegie Learning asked us for scope and sequence and our curriculum needs,” she said. “The content the tutors present to the kids matches their instruction in the classroom. That’s been huge for us.”

Behind every data point is a student 

The numbers tell an important story, but so do the students.

Across hundreds of feedback responses collected throughout the implementation, students consistently described tutoring as engaging, encouraging, and confidence-building.

Many shared that Algebra concepts that once felt confusing finally started to make sense. Others described tutoring as a helpful refresher that prepared them for classroom lessons and assessments. One student proudly shared that tutoring helped them become "one of the best students" in Algebra class, while another celebrated doing much better on the post-test after struggling on the pre-test.

Again and again, students credited their tutors for making mathematics easier to understand, taking time to explain difficult concepts, and creating a learning environment where they felt comfortable asking questions.

Tutors noticed those same transformations. They watched students participate more actively, strengthen their understanding of foundational Algebra concepts, improve assessment performance, and build confidence with each tutoring session.

Behind every statistic was a student who became more confident, more engaged, and better prepared for success.

Why it matters 

The Accelerate research reinforces an important idea: high-impact tutoring is about more than increasing instructional time. It is about maximizing the quality of every interaction between students and educators.

By combining experienced tutors, evidence-based instruction, strong district partnerships, and continuous implementation support, we’ve developed a tutoring model that is both effective and scalable.

For district leaders looking for practical ways to accelerate learning, the findings offer an encouraging message. Schools do not always need more instructional time. They need instructional time that is intentionally designed to have the greatest impact.

When every minute is designed with purpose, nearly 4 months of growth in 10 hours isn’t just possible. It’s the point.

Want results like these in your district? Let's talk about how our virtual tutoring model can help your students and teachers.