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How post-pandemic tutoring is helping Hampton Roads students get back on track

One Hampton Roads tutor tells 13News Now she's seeing 1.5 years of academic growth in six months with bi-weekly sessions.

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NORFOLK, Va. — The first day of school is just weeks away for students in the Hampton Roads area.

While summer has been a time for travel, playing and catching up with family, some have used the break from the everyday academic routine for tutoring sessions.

Reports have highlighted learning loss since the pandemic and experts say it can be tough to overcome without extra help, especially with younger students who were hit the hardest.

RELATED: Why Virginia does not have a back-to-school sales tax holiday this year

"What we noticed if they had those foundational skills, they were really able to manage learning at home a little bit easier than if they didn't have the foundational skills if they were trying to learn those at home either with a parent or a large online setting," Jessica Bradley, a former teacher who now owns The Learning Room tutoring service, explained.

She added, "Reading and math are gonna be our core subjects until we get to about high school level and then we're gonna get to the Chemistry and the really hard math and those types of things."

Dr. Shanan Chappell Moots, a research associate professor at ODU's Center for Educational Partnerships, has studied trends in student achievement data in Virginia from before the pandemic through the 2022 school year.

"We did make some progress but there still are some gaps, about a 5% drop still from students who are not scoring proficient from that 2019 data," Moots said.

Experts said students are getting back on track now and many families have hired a tutor to help with that.

Chesapeake Public Schools partners with the library for free online sessions.

"They get a live person they meet up with them and then they walk them through whatever it is they need help with it can be homework help, it can be a specific skill," explained Kim McGrath, director of academic support for Chesapeake Public Schools.

She said tutoring is actually embedded into the school day.

"We have in our middle school we call it 'Core Plus' so it's right into their schedule it's one of their bells and in elementary school, we have a power-up bell," McGrath said.

Every child is on a different learning journey, but the growth can be significant with two sessions a week of tutoring. "So two hours a week we're getting about a year and a half academic growth in about six months and that's an average." Bradley shared.

These are some questions to ask if you're considering a tutoring service:

Does the program work with your budget?
What's the rate of success for the program?
How quickly does the program achieve that success?
How are the tutors screened and vetted?

There are resources out there to help pay for services. Your health insurance may also cover some related costs.

"Insurance does cover some things," Bradley said. "They will not cover tutoring per se but they will cover things like speech or occupational therapy and those things and you might just have to pay a co-pay, but it is worth asking."

Educational experts say tutoring can be beneficial for everyone, from all different backgrounds and in public and private schools.

"I really encourage people, if you think your child was struggling last year, please don't wait until the beginning of the year. Let's be proactive. We're talking about a few hours a week that really could make a big difference," Bradley said. A big difference that can last a lifetime.

For more information on tutoring, ask your child's teacher or counselor for recommendations. Some tutoring companies offer free worksheets, flashcards and other resources online. Here are some links to different school divisions' services: