Grade-Level Learning: Why Tutors Should Move Beyond Remediation

In my role supporting curriculum development and tutor coaching, I often observe tutorial students who have yet to gain proficiency in earlier math concepts. This poses a challenge for tutors to work with them on grade-level content. Tutors may think the best way to remedy lacking prior knowledge is to remediate. However, I have observed this approach can cause students to be stuck behind for longer. “Meeting students where they are” doesn’t mean going all the way back to prior grade-level content and staying there; it means giving students what they need, when they need it. Instructional coaches can help tutors avoid focusing solely on remediation by guiding them to weave prior skills into grade-level content—an approach I’ve found to be highly effective.

TNTP’s “The Opportunity Myth” report revealed startling data on how few assignments students receive are on grade level. The research noted, “Classrooms that served predominantly students from higher-income backgrounds spent twice as much time on grade-appropriate assignments and five times as much time with strong instruction, compared to classrooms with predominantly students from low-income backgrounds,” exacerbating systemic educational inequity. As millions of students are still struggling to catch up from post-pandemic learning loss, tutors need to focus on providing opportunities for students to engage with and learn grade-level content.

Having Gaps in Learning is Normal

Students inevitably experience learning gaps, due to a wide range of factors such as absences, school transfers, the “summer slide,” or simply forgetting. It’s a natural aspect of the educational process that all educators should anticipate. To combat this challenge, I’ve found that providing grade-level content with appropriate scaffolding is crucial. Scaffolding involves educators initially providing support to students and gradually allowing students to work more independently as they gain skills, as described in “How Learning Works.” If students don’t use grade-level content, including in tutorials, they miss the opportunity to become proficient. I’ve encountered the most learning successes in tutorials that use challenging materials and where tutors hold students to high expectations and foster confidence in their ability to achieve at grade level. Learning is inherently hard. When tutors give students easy content, students won’t be challenged and won’t learn effectively.

Creating equitable learning opportunities begins with consistently offering students access to grade-level materials.

Scaffolding: Weaving Background Skills into Grade-Level Materials

Consider solving an equation like 4 + x = 7 with students. It quickly becomes clear that students must know how to subtract and add to solve each equation. We could halt algebra instruction and focus solely on remediation until the student fully re-learns their subtraction facts to fluency. At first glance, tutors may feel like this is a quick win. Students would have learned background skills they were previously missing, setting them up for success in algebra. Tutors sometimes erroneously see their role as building success on foundational skills.

student writing at desk in full classroom

However, this method risks putting students behind grade-level content indefinitely. According to TNTP’s research, when students are removed from their grade-level coursework to focus on remediation, they are often unable to catch up and remain stuck behind their peers. This practice not only impacts their current learning trajectory, but also their future education and career opportunities.

In tutoring, I’ve witnessed great success with weaving opportunities for reviewing subtraction practices with grade-level content. For example, when addressing equations like 4 + x = 7, I’ve observed tutors discuss the concepts of subtraction in the context of these equations and explore 7 – 4 to reinforce subtraction skills. Employing tools like algebra tiles has helped students gain a conceptual understanding of subtraction, while simultaneously engaging with grade-level content. This method ensures that students build essential math skills while still engaging in grade-level mathematics.

Scaffolding is a Challenging Skill, But Quality Curriculum Can Help

One obstacle to using grade-level content in tutorials that I’ve noticed is that scaffolding is challenging, especially for novice educators like tutors. When tutors use quality curriculum materials with guidance for novice educators, they are better able to help students with learning gaps and keep the focus on conceptual understanding. From my perspective, the best materials recognize that background skills should bridge to grade-level content, not entirely replace grade-level instruction. They support students in refining their understanding of foundational content in the context of grade-level problems. Additionally, quality materials I’ve seen implemented well support tutors by telling them what misunderstandings to expect and how to address them.

“Meeting students where they are” doesn’t mean going all the way back to prior grade-level content and staying there; it means giving students what they need, when they need it.

These materials need to be sustainable for tutors. This is especially important in contexts where tutors may only get a few minutes to prepare. This means that they can be

  • adapted for different contexts
  • used easily with different types of learners, and
  • quickly implemented without complex planning.

Sustainable curricular materials should offer tutors the following:

  • If a student is struggling, a clear “what to do, ”supporting tutors in facilitating a high-quality tutorial.
  • Specific questions tutors can ask to assess students’ background knowledge, such as, “How do we know when to add to solve instead of subtract?”

This is especially helpful to new educators. To seasoned educators, these strategies may come easily, but explicitly naming moves like these can help new tutors grow as educators and better support their students.

Spiraling Prior Content Should Happen for Everyone, in Every Learning Environment

In my experience, revisiting prior math content through spiraling doesn’t take away from grade-level learning; instead, it can deepen conceptual understanding, showing students how content connects and builds from grade to grade. Spiraling provides opportunities to discuss these connections and for students to build mental models, according to education researcher Alyssa Buccella. I’ve seen the most consistent student learning happen when built-in review of background skills happens for all students.

Spiraling content rather than relying on remediation tactics is crucial for fairness, especially for marginalized students. Students in high-poverty districts are behind where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who have reached pre-pandemic success levels are still years behind grade level, according to researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities. To ensure students progress, we must provide them with grade-level materials in both classrooms and tutoring, incorporating background skills as needed.

Dr. Halley Bowman has over 15 years of experience leading and studying academic initiatives in education nonprofits, specializing in mathematics education and high-dosage tutoring in historically underserved communities. As the senior director of academics for Saga Education, her work and research focus on support and guidance that can help novice educators keep cognitive demands high on students.

Stop letting remediation hold students back. Saga Education’s curriculum provides tutors with proven strategies to integrate foundational skills while maintaining grade-level rigor.