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PROGRAMS
TUTORING
HOMEWORK HELP
TEST PREPARATION

Reading
Writing
Math

READING TUTORING
Reading is the single most important skill that students learn in school. If students cannot read effectively, they are likely to encounter difficulty with social studies, science, and even math. Reading is a complex task involving two abstract skills: decoding, the ability to convert written symbols into words, and comprehension, the ability to gain meaning from these words. At the Center, we will determine a student’s decoding and comprehension ability, and design a program to remediate or to excel. The following areas may be components of a reading tutoring program:

Decoding / Phonics / Word Analysis
Reading Comprehension / Recall / Reading Rate
Vocabulary
Spelling

Decoding
Students obtain decoding skills by beginning at a comfortable level, which is established during our Skills Assessment. The rules of phonics are then taught explicitly and systematically; as one skill is mastered, a new one is introduced. The cumulative effect is a child who can read and whose confidence soars. As appropriate in reading tutoring, sight words are incorporated, structural analysis of words is stressed, and word families may be utilized. A multi-sensory approach is utilized to help students with different learning styles. Instruction for students with learning difficulties is based on the research-proven Orton-Gillingham method for teaching reading and spelling.

Reading Comprehension
A student is started with material he can read successfully. Critical comprehension skills are then taught explicitly to the student, including finding the main idea, making inferences, drawing conclusions, finding facts, detecting the sequence, etc. Throughout reading tutoring, the student is taught strategies such as visualization, using context clues, and scanning for information. As a student's ability and confidence grows, so do the lengths of the passages and the complexity of the reading material. Students can also learn strategies for approaching different reading tasks such as literature and textbooks.

Vocabulary
Vocabulary development is critical for middle school and high school students who are college-bound and will be taking the SAT. At the center, vocabulary instruction is based on the Greek and Latin roots that our language is grounded in. Students learn the Greek and Latin "building blocks" of words, as well as specific vocabulary derived from such roots, and are routinely tested on their progress. Students learn word meaning and relationships, and gain the skills they need to decipher an unlimited amount of words.

Spelling
Spelling instruction is approached phonetically, focusing on the structural principles of words most needed in writing. The instruction is systematic and direct, with attention also given to high frequency words that do not follow specific patterns.

WRITING TUTORING
To be successful in school and beyond, all students need to have adequate skills for written expression. In addition, many of the standardized tests utilized by school districts now require students to demonstrate writing proficiency. At the Center, a comprehensive writing program is designed to meet each student's individual needs. The writing tutoring program could include:

Sentence/Paragraph structure and organization
Writing Mechanics / Grammar / Language usage
Composition skills / Writing in the content areas
Essay writing for tests
Support with college application essays
Letter formation / Penmanship

MATH TUTORING
Many students fall victim to math anxiety throughout their education simply because they have not been afforded the time and the repetition they require to master new skills and apply concepts. Other students are not sufficiently challenged by their school math program and need opportunities for enrichment. At the Center, we are committed to addressing both these types of needs. Math tutoring is based on each student’s specific needs, from remedial to Everyday Mathematics to enrichment levels.

At the elementary and middle school levels, instruction can include:

Number Facts / Computation / Fractions / Decimals / Percents /
Word Problems / Geometry
Support with “Everyday Math”, "Connected Math", and other programs

From middle school to college level, instruction can include:

Pre-algebra / Algebra 1 / Algebra 2
Geometry / Trigonometry
Pre-calculus / Calculus