Author: Christina Merchant, Director of Curriculum & Training, HeyTutor

Editor: Cara Catalano, Content Quality & Systems Specialist, HeyTutor

Contributor: Ms. Bailey, Assistant Principal of Instruction IDEA Achieve

For many families of students with disabilities, academic support is not just about grades, test scores, or access to additional instruction. It is also about whether their child feels safe, supported, included, and understood at school.

A recent LA School Report article highlighted concerns from families of students receiving special education services across Los Angeles County. In a parent-led survey of 342 families, fewer than half reported that their child in special education often or always feels safe at school, while many families also described the ongoing emotional toll of advocating for services, accommodations, and consistent support. The article also noted that families often worry that even when an IEP is in place, the support outlined in that plan may not always be implemented consistently.

These concerns point to a larger question for schools, districts, and academic support providers:

How can we provide meaningful intervention for students with IEPs without making them feel separated from their peers, their classrooms, or their school community?

HeyTutor’s work with IDEA Public Schools offers one example of how tutoring can be designed to support both academic growth and student belonging.

A Different Approach to Intervention

At IDEA Achieve, HeyTutor supported 7th through 12th grade students with IEPs through an inclusive, classroom-based tutoring model. Rather than pulling students out of instruction, tutors were embedded directly into the classroom environment.

This model allowed students to receive additional academic support while remaining part of the classroom community. Tutors worked alongside teachers during direct instruction, guided practice, and independent learning. In some cases, students could receive small-group support, but they were not removed from the learning environment.

“We wanted support to happen without removing students from valuable instructional time,” said Keanna Bailey, Assistant Principal of Instruction at IDEA Achieve. “Pull-out interventions can sometimes unintentionally isolate students or cause them to miss core learning experiences. By embedding tutors directly into the classroom, students with IEPs were able to access grade-level instruction, participate in classroom discussions, and receive immediate support at the moment they needed it most.” 

This distinction matters. For students with IEPs, intervention can sometimes feel like something that separates them from their peers. When support happens inside the classroom, students can receive help in a way that feels more natural, connected, and aligned with the instruction already taking place. Instead of intervention becoming a separate experience, it becomes part of the learning environment.

Academic Support Should Not Come at the Cost of Belonging

Students with IEPs may need targeted support, additional practice, or individualized scaffolding, but academic support should not require students to feel isolated, singled out, or disconnected from grade-level learning alongside their peers.

Inclusive tutoring helps preserve something that is often difficult to measure, but deeply important: student dignity.

When tutors are embedded in the classroom, support can happen in real time. A student can receive help during guided practice, clarify a concept during independent work, or participate in a small-group explanation without leaving the room. This allows intervention to feel less like a separate service and more like an added layer of instructional support.

“Classroom-based support positively impacts students both academically and emotionally. Academically, students benefit from immediate clarification, scaffolds, and redirection during instruction rather than waiting until after confusion has already occurred. Emotionally, students often feel more confident and connected because they are learning with their peers instead of being separated from the classroom environment,” said Ms. Bailey.

This is especially important for secondary students. By middle and high school, students are highly aware of how they are perceived by peers. A support model that allows students to stay connected to their classroom can help reduce stigma and support a stronger sense of belonging.

Embedded Tutoring Strengthens the Classroom, Not Just the Student

One of the strengths of the IDEA Achieve model was that tutoring was not designed to replace classroom instruction. It was designed to strengthen it.

HeyTutor’s role was to provide additional instructional capacity inside the classroom. Tutors supported students as they worked through academic tasks, reinforced teacher-led instruction, and helped students stay engaged during different parts of the lesson.

This kind of support is most effective when tutors understand the classroom environment and align with the expectations already in place. In an inclusive model, tutors are not operating separately from the teacher. They are working within the instructional ecosystem of the classroom.

In regard to collaboration, Bailey explained “Strong collaboration between tutors and teachers looks like shared ownership of student outcomes. Tutors are aligned to the lesson objective, understand the classroom expectations, and actively support instruction rather than working independently from it.” 

This collaboration matters because students benefit when support feels consistent. When tutors and teachers are aligned, students are more likely to hear consistent language, follow familiar routines, and receive support that reinforces—not competes with—the classroom instruction.

Flexibility Made the Model Work

A successful inclusive tutoring model requires more than simply placing a tutor in a classroom. It requires flexibility, communication, and a willingness to adapt to the needs of the campus.

At IDEA Achieve, tutors were integrated into the instructional structure of the school day. The model included classroom support during direct instruction, guided practice, and independent learning. This allowed tutoring to fit into the school’s existing routines rather than requiring the campus to redesign its instructional day around an outside program.

Bailey noted that “The HeyTutor team adapted quickly by taking the time to understand the campus culture, instructional expectations, and classroom routines. They were flexible, collaborative, and student-focused. Rather than approaching tutoring as a separate program, they became active partners within the instructional environment, which helped build trust with teachers and consistency for students.” 

This flexibility is an important part of effective implementation. Schools serving students with IEPs often need support models that are structured enough to be consistent, but flexible enough to fit the realities of the school day. An embedded tutoring model can provide that balance when tutors, teachers, and school leaders are working toward the same goals.

Intervention Without Isolation

The phrase “intervention without isolation” captures the heart of this work.

Students with IEPs deserve access to meaningful academic support. They also deserve to remain connected to their teachers, classmates, and classroom learning. These goals should not be in conflict.

The LA School Report article highlights how deeply families care about safety, consistency, and belonging for students with disabilities. It also reminds us that academic services are only one part of the student experience. How support is delivered matters. Where support happens matters. Whether students feel seen, respected, and included matters.

At IDEA Achieve, the classroom-based tutoring model helped create a structure where students could receive additional support without being removed from the learning environment. Tutors became part of the instructional support system, helping students access learning while remaining included in the classroom experience.

She added, “What made this partnership successful was the alignment between intervention and instruction. Support was not happening in isolation. Tutors were reinforcing what students were learning in real time, which made interventions more meaningful and effective.” 

Looking Ahead

As schools continue to think about how to support students with IEPs, inclusive academic models deserve continued attention.

There will always be times when students benefit from more targeted support, and schools may find that a thoughtful combination of inclusive classroom-based tutoring and small-group intervention creates the strongest balance. When small-group support is used intentionally, it can provide focused instruction and skill-building while the push-in model helps students remain connected to classroom learning, peers, and teacher-led instruction. The key is designing intervention in a way that strengthens access and support without creating a sense of isolation. In IDEA Achieve’s case, the inclusive classroom-based model allowed students to receive additional academic support while remaining connected to their teachers, classmates, and classroom learning environment. 

Bailey emphasized, “Inclusive intervention models remind students that support is something to be normalized, not separated. School leaders should not underestimate the impact that in-classroom support can have on student confidence, participation, and achievement. When implemented well, inclusion creates stronger instructional environments for all students, not just those with IEPs.” 

For school leaders looking for ways to strengthen academic support for students with IEPs, the IDEA Achieve model offers an important reminder: Intervention does not have to mean isolation. With the right structure, collaboration, and shared commitment, students can receive the help they need while remaining fully connected to the classroom community around them.

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