 After the initial consultation, the next step is for your child to complete an assessment. A parent told me recently that she felt there was something underlying impacting her child’s learning that had yet to be discovered. The frustrated child had little confidence and was struggling to keep up in school. Uncovering the root of the struggle is why we do an assessment before tutoring starts. Ultimately, the goal of the assessment is to identify the areas in which your child is struggling. This then tells us how best to support academic growth. Testing will also find the areas in which a student is excelling to identify areas of strength!
The assessment actually provides the answer to several questions including:
The assessment tools we use are a combination of standardized and non-standardized assessments. A standardized assessment is one that when scored compares your child to their peers. The same questions get asked in the same way every time it is given. During the design of the test, many students take it and then it is statistically analyzed. With these tests you will know if your child is performing at, below, or above age expectations for each skill. Non standardized tests are not analyzed in the same way. There is often more flexibility in the administration. Performance on non standardized tests gives information that is helpful for planning instruction. After the child completes the tests, the examiner analyzes the results. Patterns of strength and challenge are identified . This information determines what should be targeted in tutoring and in what order. We use this information to create a targeted tutoring plan for your child. Because of the baseline data we now have, we can ensure that instruction is systematic and directly targeting key areas. After analysis, you will be given a complete assessment report. The report details each test given, your child’s scores, a summary of performance, and recommendations for programming. You can share the report with your child’s school, pediatrician, or any other professionals involved in your child’s care. The initial assessment also helps us to track your child’s progress in tutoring by giving us comprehensive starting data. The majority of standardized assessments can be administered on a yearly basis. This means that comparisons can be made between pre-tutoring and post-tutoring administrations. One of the benefits of non standardized measures is that they can be given more often to check progress. Also, at Hyperion Language and Learning Services we keep careful data during tutoring sessions to be able to track and report on progress frequently. Contact us today if you are interested in talking to us about how we might be able to uncover the secret to your child's academic success!
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 The first step in getting started at Hyperion Language and Learning Services is signing up for an initial consultation. This is a risk-free way for you to learn more about our services and for us to learn more about your child’s needs. Together we can determine if our center will be a good fit and if so, we can come up with a plan for moving forward. This initial meeting does not mean that you must sign up for our services- it is more of an informal conversation where we can get to know each other. To schedule your in-person, teleconference, or phone consultation you can complete the form by clicking the button below! After you complete our consultation request form we would love to learn as much about your child's history as possible. This lets us be better prepared for the consultation meeting. You can either snail mail records to our office at 19 Main St. in Kennebunk or you can securely email them to info@hyperionlearning.me. Helpful records include the following:
At the time of the meeting we will ask you any clarifying questions we may have based on the documents you shared. Additional questions we may ask include
After getting all this helpful information we will tell you all about the services we offer at Hyperion including talking about our tutors, our teaching methodology, and how we structure our services. If it seems like we are a good fit for your child's needs then we can generate a plan for moving forward together. The beginning of the school year is always a crazy time. Getting back into the routine of the school day, after school activities, and earlier bedtimes can be rough. Sometimes it can seem easier to let your child get settled into the school groove before adding tutoring services back in. Before you make this decision though, please check out this quick video that outlines several benefits of starting up with tutoring right away. Then, whatever decision you make, you know have viewed both sides of the coin!  “Summer slide” is the term used to explain how a student can lose skills they learned during the school year over the summer months. Doesn’t sound as fun as you expected right?
Multiple researchers have studied this phenomenon and have found that students can lose 20-30% of school year gains over summer vacation AND that this can have a “snowball effect” so that these loses build on each other every year. So what can you do? Keep kids learning over the summer! Try a combination of structured and unstructured learning activities. Structured activities can include reading books, working through math problems, online learning games, or direct tutoring instruction. Unstructured activities could include cooking (reading recipes and measuring ingredients), going on a nature walk (take notes, describe and count objects), or playing a game that promotes language, math, and/or reading skills (Scattergories, Cribbage, Shut the Box). The key is to keep kids learning, imagining, and playing. By finding the balance your child can avoid riding the summer slide! Let us know if we can help! |