Dear Teacher(s),

            We are pleased that you and your principal are interested in participating in the America Counts Program. We hope and expect that you will find the tutor’s assistance helpful to you and beneficial for your students. Here are answers to some questions you might have:

Who are Skyline College America Counts Tutors?
America Counts tutors are undergraduate students from all academic disciplines at Skyline College; most are not in teacher training programs. (Your tutor will be glad to tell you about his or her major, etc.) Although tutors have received some pre-service training in tutoring, student expectations and literacy instruction, they are not trained teachers or literacy experts. Tutors were qualified on the basis of successfully completing college level English and Intermediate Algebra. For this reason, tutors are expected to work solely under your direction. We think the best training is that which is specific to your school and classroom. Tutors may record on their timesheets any training sessions provided by you or your school.

Skyline College America Counts tutors are paid employees, however a few tutors may participate in the program as a volunteer. Paid students are paid 100% from their federal work-study packages. Tutors may earn up to, but no more than, their federal work-study allotment. America Counts tutors are paid at $11.25 per hour. We hold tutors to a very high standard, and so should you. Nevertheless, if your tutor is anything other than cooperative or helpful, please report this to your principal or to our office immediately. Tardiness and absences, lack of cooperation and unprofessional behavior are not acceptable. If the tutor is not helpful to you, the tutor should not be in your classroom.

How can I use my tutor?
The tutor's efforts must be aimed at improving literacy and math skills, a broad area that can include specific subject areas as well as pure reading instruction. To this end, you may use tutors in whatever literacy manner you see fit: working with students one-on-one; in small groups of 3-5 students; for class-wide projects; helping with homework and classroom assignments, etc. Like everyone in a school, your tutor can help with occasional housekeeping and clerical tasks; however, the tutor's primary purpose is academic. They are not to be used as clerical or disciplinary aides.

When will my tutor be here?
All America  Counts tutors are full-time students at the College, so it is not possible for us to send you a tutor to meet your ideal schedule. Tutors must sit down with you and work out a mutually agreeable schedule.

We hope you will try to accommodate a tutor's scheduling needs, just as we expect the tutor to accommodate yours. But if you are not able to work out a satisfactory schedule with a given tutor, direct the tutor back to your principal for a new assignment. We cannot guarantee that we can send you an alternate tutor.

Is there anything tutors cannot do?
Tutors are not permitted to: 1) supervise children in the absence of a teacher; 2) fulfill any serious counseling role with the children; 3) monitor hallways, lunch rooms, or playgrounds. Tutors should not be expected to handle disciplinary problems. Please see rules and regulations for teachers for more detail.

What do I need to do?

      Meet with your assigned tutor:

·        Setup a schedule that works for both you and the tutor.

·        Students will be required to fill out an entrance and exit from with you (sample included in this packet). The entrance form should be filled out initially in order to set clear and concise goals between you and the tutor for each of the students being tutored.

·        Exit exams will be filled out at the end of each term or as goals are met.

      Meet with your assigned tutor weekly or biweekly:

·        We will allow you to set a flexible schedule that fits both you and your tutor. Allowing this time will be important to discuss what aspects of the tutoring that are working and aren’t working. This will be the opportunity that you will have to determine progress or to devise different tutoring strategies, as needed.

      Timesheet log and timesheets:

·        Students will be required to keep a timesheet log for each teacher he/she is assigned to work with. Please make sure to sign off on the timesheet for each day your assigned tutor reports for work. At the end of each month students will be required to submit the original timesheet log with the actual timesheet to our office on each of the pre-determined dates.

·        Please review the timesheets carefully, and keep a copy in your records. You should verify only those hours when the tutor worked in your classroom, or you otherwise have first-hand knowledge of their work in your school. Any irregularity in timesheets will result in the immediate suspension of a tutor. If a timesheet is reviewed for any reason by this office and does not conform to the copy you have kept, the tutor will be suspended.

      Important point revisited:

·        Our effort to improve literacy and math skills is a community effort therefore it is our hope for you to contact us with any issues or questions that arise immediately.

·        Please make sure to sign the teachers contract and submit to the Office of Financial Aid c/o America Counts Coordinator 

America Counts has been a wonderfully productive and enjoyable program for everyone involved. We are grateful for your participation. Please feel free to call us if you have questions or if we can be of any assistance.

Yours truly,

America Counts Coordinator & Tutor Trainer 

Participating Schools:

Los Cerritos Elementary, South San Francisco, CA

Ponderosa Elementary, South San Francisco, CA

Thomas Edison Elementary, Daly City, CA

Teachers Handbook:

Teachers Contract

Rules and Regulations

Contact Information

Additional References:

Tutor Responsibilities & Contract

America Counts Student Entrance Forms

America Counts Student Exit Forms

Evaluations:

Program Evaluation

Tutor Evaluation (Complete one per tutor)

  Additional Resources:

· U.S. Department of Education