No Child Left Behind

Upgrade Academics is currently one of Buffalo's largest Supplemental Education Services Providers, providing free tutoring services in math and reading under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  In the 2009-2010 school year, almost 1,000 Buffalo Public School students registered to receive these services from Upgrade.  On average, students enrolled in our program show an improvement of over 20%.

Program Highlights

• 110 hours of FREE tutoring
• Tutoring services provided after-school, Monday through Friday
• Ratio of 5:1
• Bilingual/ESL services available at select locations (tutors proficient in Spanish, Somali, Arabic, Burmese, and Karen, and ESL teachers)
• Bus transportation provided from school to tutoring for students attending five days/week
• Transportation home in special circumstances
• Full, nutritious meal included
• Additional after-school enrichment activities available at most locations

Eligibility

To be eligible for free tutoring, students must meet certain government-mandated criteria.  Students must:

• Be in grades K-12
• Be eligible for free or reduced lunch
• Attend one of the schools designated by New York State as In Need of Improvement. To view the 2009-2010 list, click here.
  

Curriculum

• Full diagnostic assessment administered in reading, language arts, and math
• Individual Achievement Plan (IAP) developed based on assessment results
• Schoolwork used in conjunction with academic goals outlined in IAP
• Quarterly reports and conferences, updating parents on student progress
• Post-assessments administered to evaluate student improvement

Locations

Upgrade Academics currently operates eight sites throughout the City of Buffalo:

• Gateway Longview Family Resource Center (347 East Ferry St, 14208)
• Ellicott-Masten YMCA (585 William St, 14206)
• Delavan-Grider Community Center (877 E Delavan Ave, 14215)
• West Side Community Center (161 Vermont St, 14213)
• Lafayette Center (257 Lafayette Ave, 14213)
• Cazenovia Library (155 Cazenovia St, 14210)
• Salvation Army (187 Grant St, 14213)
• Upgrade Academics Delaware (334 Delaware Ave, 14202 - entrance in parking lot on South Elmwood)

2009-2010 Official SES Application