DEARBORN — As the school calendar reaches deeper into fall, the importance of understanding the curriculum is magnified with each passing day.

One of the best ways for any student to excel is through tutoring, and for Fordson High School students who receive free or reduced lunch, a new program is available for one-on-one tutoring opportunities in reading and math through iLEARNED Online and other similar tutoring outlets. The program will focus on improving students’ skills for use on the always-important MEAP tests.

Funds for the program were allocated to Fordson as part of the “No Child Left Behind” government initiative after MEAP test scores slipped over the past two years. Fordson is the only Dearborn school eligible for the program.

Currently, iLEARNED is in negotiations with the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn to set up computer stations for students to use.

The computers will be set up for kids to engage in one-on-one online tutoring sessions for subjects they need help in, and the tutors provided through iLEARNED are usually Master’s level or above in their subjects.

As a side benefit, any community center that gets involved with the program will receive a computer for every two kids they sign up according to Haaris Ahmad, who co-founded iLEARNED along with his wife.

Students who wish to sign up for the program at Fordson can sign do so through fliers that are being mailed to eligible households or by contacting Denene Charles at Fordson, the school’s Supplemental Education Services Coordinator. More information is also available on iLEARNEDOnline.com. Students who aren’t on free or reduced lunch programs can also sign up for iLEARNED’s tutoring programs by paying for their own sessions.

Ahmad talked about the effectiveness of tutoring programs.

“Statistics have shown a 37% increase in standardized test scores for individual tutoring sessions which are the most effective for obvious reasons,” he said.

“This is a great opportunity for both students and community centers.”

The tutoring sessions are also recorded so that parents can go in and see exactly what type of help their children received through the online program.

While an official date and time hasn’t been set for the tutoring program yet, the services are expected to be available by late October or early November, according to Suehaila Amen, the project’s contact for Fordson High School.

For more information, Amen can be contacted at 313.615.1515 or Suehailaamen@yahoo.com.