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When Nikita Daniel, a seventh-grader at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, was struggling with math last January, she sought help from someone older and more experienced — an eighth-grader.

Nikita, 12, of Beltsville, is a participant in the school's Tutor Corps, an after-school peer tutoring program. Students at the Beltsville school study math for an hour each Wednesday and some have seen remarkable results.

"I've improved a lot," Nikita said. "Before I used to get B's and C's and now I've got all A's."

The program, which has existed for about 10 years, starts each September, when students sign up as tutors or tutees. They aren't required to show up every week, but attendance usually spikes after interim progress reports and before spring standardized tests, according to Celeste Kell, the program's director.

Kell, the math department chairwoman at the school, said Tutor Corps has attracted as many as 33 students in a single session. One key to the program, she said, is that tutors don't condescend toward their tutees.

"I try to make sure they see it's low-key," said Kell, a Laurel resident. "It's not somebody saying, ‘Hey, you don't know what you're doing and I do.'"

Tutors in the program are usually eighth-graders, although a few seventh-graders were used in past years. Students from both grades seek help, some struggling and others just wanting to keep performing at a high level.

Darius Cortez, 13, of College Park is one of the few seventh-graders at the school already taking algebra instead of in the eighth-grade. After a rocky start in September, his teacher suggested the program as a way to help Darius keep up with the advanced curriculum.

"It was sort of complicated for me to grasp things as quickly as the others," Darius said. "[Now] I participate a lot more, I'm starting to ask questions ... I like it."

The tutors have also learned quite a bit. Devin Mayo, 14, of Upper Marlboro is an eighth-grader taking algebra. Already a solid student, his work with Darius and other tutees has reinforced his understanding of the material.

"My grades have gone up," Devin said. "Even though I am a tutor, I'm still learning."

The school has had a peer tutoring program for at least 13 years, Kell said. When she took control of the formerly all-subject program about 10 years ago, she converted it to an all-math format to take advantage of her expertise and help some of her struggling students.

The commitment to math is evident at the school, where math scores on the Maryland State Assessment test have steadily increased. From 2004 to 2008, the percentage of mathematically proficient students at the school went from 58.6 to 70.7 percent.

Kell said Tutor Corps has shown her that students, in many cases, make ideal teachers. They see the material from a student's perspective and are able to relate to classmates on a personal level.

"Kids can say it and it sticks," Kell said. "Sometimes they learn a lot better from a peer. I mean, they listen to adults all day."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.