LOs Angeles Unified SChool District ('23-25)
Four days a week, I receive students who are excited to continue their learning using digital tools aligned with standards. Cignition provides students who stay after school a place to foster a sense of community, extending their learning with fun activities. They utilize 21st-century technology and activities that correlate with their daily learning. Additionally, they can experience a community with peers that extends beyond Cignition. Ultimately, students have demonstrated significant academic improvement in reading and mathematics. It has given students who need to close the achievement gap the opportunity to do so.
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3,000+ Students Served across two years of partnership, with more expected in 2025-26.
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Year-over-Year Growth Gains - from 29.5% ELA and 33.3% math growth in 2023-24 to 40.8% ELA and 58.2% math growth in 2024-25.
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Profound Literacy Acceleration - K-3 students achieved an average of 13.7 months of reading growth in the 2023-24 school year and 11.3 months in the 2024-25 school year.
District Commitment, Localized Success
Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the country and the largest in California, has made high-dosage tutoring a cornerstone of its academic recovery strategy. With more than half a million students across thousands of classrooms, LAUSD needed partners capable of delivering quality tutoring at scale while also adapting to the diverse needs of its schools.
Cignition has partnered with LAUSD for the past two years, supporting dozens of schools and thousands of students across the district. This district-wide initiative even paved the way for the launch of a Special Education–focused tutoring program in 2024–25, which built directly on the success of Cignition’s general education tutoring in the prior year.
By working in tandem with LAUSD leaders and school staff, Cignition has become a trusted partner in making tutoring not just an extra resource but a built-in part of the school day — aligned to district goals, responsive to school needs, and essential to student success.
Serving Thousands of Students at Scale
In 2023–24, more than 1,000 students across LAUSD participated in tutoring with Cignition. That number increased significantly in 2024–25, bringing the two-year total to over 3,000 students served, and setting the stage for nearly 4,000 by the close of 2025–26.
Serving a district of this size and complexity requires not only quality instruction but also robust program management. Schools provide guidance on how to foster their relationship with tutoring partners best, and LAUSD sets requirements and deadlines for rostering, program launches, and ongoing operations. For new schools, especially, additional support may be needed to ensure smooth implementation.
All tutoring sessions occur within a narrow late-afternoon window, placing a premium on coordination and timing. Cignition’s program managers ensure that sessions launch on time, that tutors are present and ready, and that students are where they need to be. If students are absent, schools are notified immediately, and support is provided to help them course-correct. This hands-on management ensures attendance buy-in, a critical factor in student outcomes, and reflects Cignition's serious commitment to the operational details that drive program success.
The payoff has been clear:
- Schools are returning after year one.
- New schools are joining after hearing about their peers' results.
- And some have even chosen to switch vendors to work with Cignition.
Academic Growth Year Over Year
Cignition’s partnership with LAUSD has produced strong and improving results across both ELA and math:
- ELA: Growth from pre- to post-assessment improved from 29.5% in 2023–24 to 40.8% in 2024–25.
- Math: Growth nearly doubled, increasing from 33.3% in 2023–24 to 58.2% in 2024–25.
- Literacy Acceleration: In foundational K–3 literacy, students achieved an average of 13.7 months of reading growth in year one and 11.3 months in year two, sustaining remarkable gains.
2023 - 24 ELA
2024 - 25 ELA
2023 - 24 Math
2024 - 25 Math
These outcomes demonstrate not only the power of high-dosage tutoring but also how results compound with experience and refinement over time.
Student Experience: Confidence and Agency
Academic growth is only part of the story. Student surveys show that tutoring sessions also strengthened confidence, collaboration, and persistence.
Across both years:
- 95–96% of students reported positive tutor relationships.
- 92–94% of participants felt that sessions encouraged collaboration.
- 90%+ said they deepened conceptual understanding.
- 90%+ affirmed that tutoring fostered productive struggle — learning to work through challenges until they succeeded.
These results highlight how Cignition tutors build not just academic skills, but also the agency and resilience students need to thrive in school and beyond.
Why Engagement Matters
While attendance rates varied across schools, data consistently showed that students who met dosage expectations mastered significantly more standards than peers with inconsistent attendance.
- In 2023–24, students attending ≥80% of sessions mastered twice as many standards as those attending 40–59%.
- In 2024–25, that gap widened: students with strong attendance mastered nearly three times as many standards as those with low attendance.
The takeaway is clear: when schools maintain consistency in tutoring schedules, student achievement accelerates.
2023 - 24
2024 - 25
Continuous Improvement at Scale
Cignition and LAUSD have built success not only through implementation but also through continuous improvement practices. Two elements stand out:
- Professional Learning for Tutors — ongoing training ensures tutors are well-prepared to support diverse student populations.
- Data-Driven School Conversations — regular reviews with school leaders help align tutoring with classroom priorities and identify opportunities to strengthen results.
These practices are expected to continue expanding in 2025–26, further increasing the share of LAUSD students meeting mastery goals.
I love that our students are able to get small group instruction in addition to the tier 1 instruction that they receive in class. The activities are standards-based, and the students are engaged in learning. I meet with the lead weekly to discuss attendance, progress, and topics for tutors to cover. I really appreciate the high level of communication that we have. I highly recommend Cignition, and plan to continue using them for tutoring next school year.
Cignition continues to create engaging lessons to meet the needs of our International Newcomers. These students have recently arrived in the US and have very little English language proficiency. The ability to pivot and think outside the box is essential to ensure that high-dosage tutoring effectively serves the needs of our diverse populations. I appreciate the partnership and commitment to student success!
I love seeing and hearing the students engage in the lessons. They are speaking and recognizing letters and words. Our sessions are no longer as they once were; they are now full of meaningful discourse!
My son was very comfortable with his tutor. The comments at the end were very helpful for us parents because we got to see how our child accomplished whatever activity they worked on for the session. Every week, there seemed to be an improvement.
Looking Ahead
As LAUSD enters its third year partnering with Cignition, the district is both scaling its reach and deepening its impact. Many schools are returning after seeing strong outcomes, while others are joining for the first time after learning about their peers’ success.
Tutoring has become an integral part of the district’s learning recovery and acceleration strategy. With thousands of students already served, and thousands more to come, Cignition is proud to continue supporting LAUSD’s commitment to equity and excellence.
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Impact Your Students Today
Cignition's pool of expert math tutors are ready to help your students succeed, inside and outside of school time. Learn more about incorporating Cignition tutors into your classroom and after school programs