Athens, W.Va. (Hinton news) – Parents/guardians will soon have a new tool to help sixth and seventh graders in the region to complete homework, study new topics, and more. The GEAR UP SWV cohort will soon have access to these online academic resources through a service called Tutor.com. Tutor.com connects learners with qualified, expert tutors—online on demand, 24/7. GEAR UP SWV cohort can connect for 1-to-1 help in more than 200 academic subjects and test preparation areas; they can also utilize drop-off writing review (with detailed feedback provided within 12 hours), along with self-guided test prep from The Princeton Review®.
Tutor.com will be available to current sixth- and seventh-grade students in Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming Counties. As part of the GEAR UP SWV cohort, these same students will have access to Tutor.com through high school graduation, or for about the next six years.
“There’s a variety of ways that the GEAR UP Southern West Virginia cohort, students, teachers, parents, guardians, and even our staff, can use Tutor.com,” Kristen O’Sullivan, GEAR UP SWV Director said. “Having grown up in southern West Virginia, I imagine the advantages of having on-demand tutoring. The difference that would have made for me as a student, and later as a mom, is immense. To have assistance right at your fingertips will be such an incredible resource for our GEAR UP SWV families!”
Tutor.com is one tool that will help students graduate from high school, increase academic performance, and prepare for college. The college-going rate in West Virginia has fallen almost 10 percentage points over the last 10 years, and according to research provided by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, southern West Virginia rates tend to be lower than the state average, which is now 46.4 percent. In this critical time, programs like GEAR UP SWV are crucial to serving the needs of our region.
Parents/guardians will receive a permission slip in the mail this month. Students will have access after parents/guardians return the signed permission slips in self-addressed, postage paid envelopes. Parents/guardians are asked to return the signed permission slips before the end of the school year. GEAR UP SWV is part of a grant program provided by the U.S. Department of Education. More information is available at concord.edu/gearup.
