The Added Effect of Human Tutoring Paired with Personalized Learning Interventions on Student Outcomes

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Abstract

This study evaluates whether combining human tutoring with personalized learning technology improves student outcomes in reading and math. We examine Edmentum’s Targeted Skills Instruction (TSI), a virtual tutoring program that uses diagnostic data from Edmentum’s Exact Path platform to guide small-group instruction. Using three years of Renaissance STAR © data (2022–2025), we compare fall-to-spring growth for students who received TSI with those who used Exact Path alone. We apply a Differences-in-Differences approach to isolate the impact of TSI during the 2024–2025 implementation year. We find that TSI significantly increased within-year reading growth, with no statistically significant effects in math. Findings suggest that virtual tutoring enhances personalized learning in reading and can support district efforts within multi-tiered systems of support.

Authors

• Steffen Erickson, University of Virginia

• Amy J. Dray, Edmentum

• Weiling Li, Edmentum