Ampact, a national nonprofit organization that partners with school districts to expand academic support for students, has provided tutoring services to students at Dutchess BOCES’ Salt Point Center since last school year and it has made significant inroads.
The organization’s K-3 Math Corps program helps students build strong foundational math skills through individualized, evidence-based tutoring sessions several times per week. Fourteen SPC students are being provided with tutoring now, but Ampact Executive Director for New York Katrina Gobins anticipates serving up to 24 students throughout the school year. The program is funded through local grant support.
“This one-on-one and small-group support complements classroom teaching and helps students who may need a little extra time and attention to master key math concepts,” Gobins said. “We want to help students not only strengthen their foundational math skills but also develop a lasting sense of confidence and enjoyment in learning math.”
While Ampact Tutor Darshana Stump began tutoring 20 students in January 2024, a shorter time frame than a typical school year program, all students showed gains in math and 74% of them increased their scores by at least 20%, doubling their chances of meeting grade-level math targets, according to benchmark assessments completed in late January and early June.
Now with Stump tutoring students since the start of the 2025-2026 school year, students now have a longer and more consistent period of support with a greater percentage of students increasing their benchmark scores.
“Teachers also reported that students demonstrated stronger number fluency, greater problem-solving confidence, and a more positive attitude toward math overall,” Gobins said. “We hope to continue to grow our partnership with Dutchess BOCES and have more AmeriCorps members serve as tutors.”
What Stump appreciates most about her role is finding out what methods work with each student she tutors, as they all learn in different ways. “I try to find a way to make it their own and what clicks for them,” Stump explained. “It’s definitely what excites the kids.”
Stump hopes all of the students leave the sessions with a love for math and sometimes has seen them come up with drawings and crafts to create numbers with.
“I want them to have a positive relationship with math, so when they see the numbers they’re not overwhelmed by them,” Stump said. “I just want to see them grow beyond what they’re working on.”
Third grader Cameron Hartman enjoys his time with Stump, especially getting to play with blocks and learning to count beyond 10. “I learned how to count all the way to 100,” Hartman said.
