Students with Disabilities in High-Impact Tutoring

As local educational agencies (LEAs) continue expanding High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) opportunities, thoughtful planning may help ensure students with disabilities can meaningfully access and benefit from tutoring supports alongside their peers. The following considerations are offered as optional guidance for local discussion and planning and are not intended to create new requirements or mandates.

Program Design and Access

• Consider how tutoring opportunities are communicated to families of students with disabilities, including the use of accessible formats and home-language communication when appropriate.
• Consider whether tutoring schedules, locations, and transportation options support participation for students with varying support needs.
• Consider how tutoring programs may align with inclusive practices and avoid unintentionally separating students with disabilities from peers whenever possible.
• Consider whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid tutoring formats best support student engagement and accessibility needs.
  

Alignment with Individualized Supports

• Consider how tutoring goals may complement, but not replace, specially designed instruction and services identified in a student’s individualized education program (IEP).
• Consider whether tutors have access to appropriate instructional information, accommodations, or learning strategies that may support student participation while maintaining student confidentiality.
• Consider how accommodations commonly used during classroom instruction may also be incorporated during tutoring sessions when appropriate.
• Consider how tutoring may reinforce grade-level access, foundational skills, executive functioning, communication, self-advocacy, IEP goals, or other individualized learning priorities identified by local teams.
  

Staffing and Training

• Consider providing tutors with foundational learning opportunities related to disability awareness, inclusive instructional practices, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, and positive behavior supports.
• Consider how collaboration between tutors, educators, specialists, and families may strengthen consistency of instructional supports.
• Consider the potential value of pairing students with consistent tutors to support relationship-building, engagement, and continuity.
  

Instructional Practices

• Consider the use of evidence-based instructional practices, including explicit instruction, scaffolded supports, modeling, guided practice, visual supports, and frequent feedback.
• Consider how tutoring sessions may provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression consistent with principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
• Consider the pacing, length, and intensity of tutoring sessions to support student attention, stamina, and participation.
• Consider how assistive technology or accessible instructional materials may support student access to tutoring activities.
  

Data and Progress Monitoring

• Consider how LEAs may monitor student engagement, attendance, and progress over time to help inform local continuous improvement efforts.
• Consider the importance of using multiple sources of information when evaluating the effectiveness of tutoring supports for students with disabilities.
• Consider opportunities for ongoing family feedback regarding student experiences and access to tutoring supports.
  

Family and Student Partnership

• Consider including student voice and family input when designing tutoring opportunities and determining supports that may promote participation and engagement.
• Consider how tutoring programs may affirm student strengths, interests, identity, and belonging while supporting academic growth.
  

Cross-System Coordination

• Consider how general education, special education, multilingual learner supports, expanded learning programs, and community partners may collaborate to increase coherence and reduce duplication of supports.
• Consider how tutoring initiatives may align with existing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks and inclusive educational practices implemented locally.

These considerations are intended to support local reflection, collaboration, and continuous improvement as LEAs design tutoring opportunities that promote access, engagement, and positive outcomes for all students.

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