State, philanthropic organization partnering to provide math and tutoring programs

The state and a private nonprofit are jointly investing $20 million to fund tutoring and math programs in schools in Baltimore City and Charles and Baltimore counties, the organizations announced Thursday.

Maryland and Arnold Ventures, a nonprofit philanthropic organization headquartered in Houston, will each contribute $10 million to the project, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Wes Moore (D). The money will go toward Saga Education of Newton, Massachusetts, which will provide tutoring for public school students in Baltimore City this fall, and to ASSISTments, an online mathematics tool for students and educators that will be used in Baltimore and Charles counties.

All three school districts stared classes for 2024-25 on Monday.

“High-impact tutoring is backed up by research and data when it comes to addressing the pandemic’s impact on student learning,” State Superintendent Carey M. Wright said in the statement from the governor’s office. “This investment in our students will pay off as we scale up successful strategies, moving more students towards better academic outcomes. We are excited to see the benefits of this partnership.”

The announcement comes two days after the state Department of Education released standardized test results from the last school year that showed about 48% of students were proficient in English language arts and 24% in math. The scores are from math and language arts tests taken in the spring by students in grades three through eight. Additional results came from specific math courses in Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry.

Charles and Baltimore counties were sixth and ninth lowest on the math scores, with overall proficiency at 15% and 19.3%, respectively. The math initiative will begin this fall in Baltimore County and in the spring in Charles County.

“Sustained and continuous math achievement has been one of the most stubborn metrics to move since the pandemic for schools and school districts everywhere,” Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers said in the statement. “This additional support coming to ASSISTments and Baltimore County schools will provide the resources needed to extend mathematics fluency to more students, and more quickly.”

Saga Education plans to offer tutoring for students in Baltimore City, which recorded the lowest proficiency in language arts at nearly 28% and second lowest in math at 10.2%. The nonprofit organization defines its “high impact” tutoring work being held during the school day three times a week in small groups.

“To boost student achievement levels in math, it is critical that we employ innovative strategies to maximize the time students have to learn and practice their skills,” Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises said in the statement. “Our work with Saga will enable more high school students to focus more hours on math, particularly Algebra I, giving them greater opportunities to succeed today and in the future.”

The grants are the first under the Partnership for Proven Programs, a collaborative effort with Arnold Ventures announced in February to expand “programs across the state that have proven their ability to make progress on economic mobility and cradle-to-career outcomes,” the state said at the time.