SELECTION

Selection of Tutors

SFUSD and SFSU representatives screen, interview and select prospective tutors to participate in the project. SFSU America Reads Liberal Studies project candidates must be:

1. work-study eligible and qualify for at least 10 hours of workstudy. And be willing to apply their workstudy award as pay for tutoring.

2. in good academic standing as defined by financial aid requirements for work study.

3. willing to make a one year commitment to the project and to tutoring reading in schools.

4. willing to enroll in the specially designed EED 646 and cover the cost of enrollment as part of their regular tuition fees.

In addition, the diversity of the service areas and the mission goal of the SFSU dictates a commitment that our tutors reflect the cultural and linguistic makeup of the service area community. In this manner the tutors become powerful role models as relationship between tutors and their young tutees grow and develop.

Selection of Tutees

School site administrators in conjunction with third grade classroom teachers select third grade students for participation in this tutoring program. Pending parental permission, third grade students are selected at each school site for tutoring in reading according to one or a combination of the following criteria:

• scoring in the bottom quartile on the CTBS/SABE or equivalent standardized test of reading.

• recommendation of the classroom teacher and/or reading specialist

It has been recommended that the selection of student tutees primarily target students who lack basic reading skills and can benefit most from increased instruction and practice in reading, as opposed to students who need specialized help and/or have been identified as "learning disabled".

Selection of School Sites

SFSU has a history of collaboration between the teacher education programs and other local public schools. The initiation of this project takes place in schools with which SFSU has a history of established ties and strong collaborative relationship. In the first year of the SFSU America Reads Project, a total of 12 San Francisco public schools agreed to participate in the project. The participating schools are schools which reflect a large population of lower socio-economic status students who traditionally score in the bottom percentile in reading on the CTBS/SABE and who are therefore in greatest need of tutoring services. Further, these schools reflect our culturally and linguistically diverse service area.

The  participating schools are:

Alvarado Elementary Commodore Stockton Garden Village Elementary

Daniel Webster Fairmont Elementary Marshall Elementary

George R. Moscone John Swett Elementary Malcolm X Academy

Leonard Flynn Sanchez Elementary Edison Elementary