Information Regarding the Purchase of Skills Tutor Software for 26 Neglected and Delinquent Program Sites (Student Services and Federal Programs)

As required by School Board policy, when the amount of purchase from a sole source provider is $25,000 or more, the Board is to be notified. The Neglected and Delinquent Program (N&D) piloted the Skills Tutor supplemental instructional software program at Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center in 2007. The program is an online instructional tool aligned with statewide standards, used by tutors hired with N&D funds, to provide targeted instruction in core skills to students who are academically in need.

In an effort to address systematic issues and program-wide priorities such as: 1) accountability for student achievement, 2) continuity and uniformity in the data collected on student performance, 3) documentation of individual student gains, and 4) ensuring continuity in each student’s education as he or she moves into and out of county institutions and schools, the district convened a committee to review the progress of students who used the software along with input from teachers who used the program for instructional support. The information was presented to teachers hired through the district’s N&D Program. A survey revealed that 71% of the teachers serving students at N&D sites highly recommended that Skills Tutor Software be used to provide supplemental instructional support to students and be used to collect and track student data. The remaining 29% reserved their recommendations based on questions of functionality and training.

Based on all input, the district chose to purchase Skills Tutor software for each of the 26 sites being served by the N&D program and embark on a tailored implementation plan. The district received a user license to cover all N&D sites, on-site professional development and training for all teachers, online and CD-based versions of Skills Tutor, Math Fact Fluency, and Employability Skills resources for students. The purchase price for the user license, training, resources, and monitoring from commencement through the life of the subscription (3 years) was $71,035.

This purchase was made with Title I, Part D funds in the amount of $71,035.

The evaluation for Skills Tutor software will be two-fold. First, the district will survey teachers on the training and implementation support provided by Houghton Mifflin to determine the overall effectiveness of the contracted services and support. Most importantly, pre and post student assessment data will be collected to determine learning gains. These learning gains will be analyzed to determine the impact that Skills Tutor software had on student achievement.