SB233 would add a new section to the Public School Code requiring public schools to identify fourth through eighth grade students who scored in the bottom quartile on statewide reading or mathematics assessments and to provide those students with high-impact tutoring. Schools would review prior-year assessment results by the 30th day of each school year, notify parents when a deficiency is identified, and ensure tutoring begins within 30 days of identification.
The bill defines high-impact tutoring as individualized instruction delivered by a licensed or department-approved high-quality tutor, including current or retired school personnel, private tutoring providers, volunteers, or charitable organizations. Tutoring must occur at least three times per week in 30-minute sessions for at least 10 weeks, with no more than four students per tutor, and must use instructional materials aligned with state academic standards. Parents must receive a detailed tutoring plan, periodic progress reports, and guidance to support learning at home.
Impact
SB233 would create a new statutory obligation for public schools to provide targeted academic intervention to certain students with reading or mathematics deficiencies, effectively expanding the duties of schools under the Public School Code and interacting with the Assessment and Accountability Act. It would require schools to use statewide assessment data to trigger services, notify parents, and deliver tutoring that meets specific frequency, duration, staffing, and instructional-material standards. The bill also broadens the pool of eligible tutoring providers by expressly allowing retired school personnel, private providers, volunteers, and charitable organizations if approved by the department.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a student-support and academic-recovery proposal rather than a controversial policy change. Its emphasis on early intervention, parental notification, and structured tutoring suggests a generally positive policy orientation toward improving literacy and math outcomes. No formal vote history or transcript is available here to indicate opposition or support from specific lawmakers or stakeholders.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are likely to be implementation and resource concerns: whether schools have the staffing, funding, and administrative capacity to identify students quickly and provide tutoring within the required timeline and intensity. Another possible issue is the bill’s reliance on statewide assessment results and the bottom-quartile threshold, which may raise questions about fairness, accuracy, and whether the measure captures all students in need. There may also be debate over who qualifies as a “high-quality tutor,” the department’s approval role, and whether the tutoring mandate could crowd out or duplicate existing remediation programs.
Mathematics Proficiency and Intervention Act; establish to provide intensive multitiered system of supports for students in kindergarten through Grade 3.