Tutoring in Missouri
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in Missouri, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
Missouri splits its testing in two. In grades 3 through 8, students take the Missouri Assessment Program Grade-Level tests in English language arts and math each spring, with science added in grades 5 and 8. In high school the tests follow the course instead of the grade. A student takes the Algebra I end-of-course exam in whatever year they finish Algebra I, which for some is eighth grade, and the same goes for English II, Biology and Government. All four are required before graduation. The spring grade-level window for 2026-27 runs April 5 to May 14, and end-of-course exams are also given in fall and summer for students who finish a course then.
What Missouri tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Math | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | MAP Grade-Level | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | Not tested | MAP Grade-Level Science | Not tested | Not tested | MAP Grade-Level Science | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
- MAP Grade-Level (Missouri Assessment Program Grade-Level Assessments): reading and writing, math, grades 3 through 8
- MAP Grade-Level Science: science, grades 5 and 8
- Main testing window
- early April to mid-May
- Standards
- Missouri Learning Standards
- Exams tied to a course
- Algebra I, English II, Biology and Government (Missouri End-of-Course Assessments)
The A+ Scholarship requires a score of proficient or advanced on the Algebra I end-of-course exam, or on a higher-level math end-of-course exam. A student who takes Algebra I in middle school is sitting a test that counts toward that scholarship years later.
Is there a graduation test in Missouri?
Students must take the four required end-of-course exams before graduating, and state law also requires a passing grade on a civics test modeled on the U.S. naturalization test.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for MAP Grade-Level. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.