The CCEA Community Foundation's Supplemental Educational Services (SES) program was launched in 2004 with two primary goals: 1) to help students improve reading and math skills during its 18-week program, and 2) to provide jobs to lead teachers and tutors - all whom are employed by the Clark County School District.
SES successfully completed its fourth year at the end of the 2007-2008 school year as the largest and most reliable of all SES providers in the Clark County School District.
With more than 1,500 students enrolled and a greater than 75% completion rate, students in the Foundation's after school tutoring program showed incredible academic growth. The overall student average increase from pre-assessment to post-assessment in reading/language arts was 11.7% and 15% in mathematics.
In addition to having some of the best teachers in the CCSD involved in tutoring these students, the curriculum played an important role in the academic gains made by our students. We believe that quality instructors and a solid curriculum are essential to the success of any educational program. Each year SES strives to become more dynamic in both areas. Last summer much of our time and attention was focused on improving our curriculum in the lower grade levels. Our grade K-2 curriculum focuses on building the necessary skills for comprehension and future success. Time-tested standards such as Dr. Seuss books, along with many others, were incorporated into the curriculum. Many hands-on experiences and activities are a large component in the mathematics curriculum. The hands-on activities introduced and implemented in the 2007-2008 academic year were designed specifically for a small group setting. We created an ideal situation for teachers where they could take advantage of implementing an effective, fun activity they would not be able to accomplish in a regular classroom setting.
Reevaluating grades 3-5 curriculum was our primary task this summer. This curriculum is redesigned to further enhance students' language arts and mathematics skills while preparing them for the CRTs and the state's writing proficiency exam.
SES tailors its program to ensure students excel academically, assisting CCSD schools in being removed from the state's "needs improvement" or "watch" list.
Becoming the leader in tutorial services in Clark County could not have been possible without the great team of teachers, leads and facilitators who participate in the delivery of our program and the support and cooperative partnership of CCSD's Title 1 office.