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During an initial consultation here at Hyperion Language and Learning Services, parents are often trying to determine if the supports and services their child’s school is providing is enough. They often ask for input on how much more service they should be looking to get for their child outside of school hours. These are great questions to be asking because the intensity of instructional services plays an important role in the achievement of academic success.
What do you mean by intensity of academic supports and services? Intensity refers to how often the academic service is being provided, how long each instructional session is, and for how many days, weeks or months the intervention will go on for. What does the research say? Research tells us that the level of intensity really matters when it comes to providing appropriate teaching for struggling learners. 30 to 50% of students who get academic support beyond that provided by their classroom teacher will not respond to this intervention. This is equal to 5-10% of all children in our schools. We also now know that students with severe or persistent learning challenges need 10x-30x more opportunities to practice the skills they are learning. By giving these students lengthier and more frequent learning opportunities over a longer period of time it helps them to not only make progress but close the gap between them and their peers. What does this mean for my child? You may have noticed that although your child is working very hard and making wonderful personal progress, there is still a difference between where their skills are and where the expectations for their grade level are. And that's where our Summer Learning Academy at Hyperion Language and Learning Services can help. Our program is designed to be provided intensively so that each learner receives more high-quality instruction that addresses more skill areas while providing many many opportunities for practice of the skills being taught. Not only does this lead to progress in reading, writing, or moath it also results in increased confidence and improved self-esteem. The Summer Learning Academy runs Monday through Friday from 8 to noon for 6 weeks in July and August. Learners commit to attending at least 2 hours per week with the opportunity to receive really intensive services at 20 hours weekly. Most students come somewhere in between that range. Committing to more hours per week of instruction really allows your child to practice needed skills and really close the gap and start the next school year off feeling more confident in their skills. But summer is supposed to be fun! We know that your family is likely very busy and want to take advantage of all the fun summer has to offer and it is important to us that our learners can balance the fun and relaxation of summer with making academic progress. We make sure to give all students the breaks they need throughout the morning and also run contests and raffles throughout the program. Most of our students really enjoy choosing from our ever-growing stockpile of language and learning games Do you think your child would benefit from intensive instruction this summer? If so, you can reach out to us and schedule a free, no obligation, no commitment consultation so we can chat more about how Hyperion’s program could support your family. We would love to be the bridge that your child needs to achieve academic success. (will input a button to click and schedule consultation)
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 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!  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 [email protected]. 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! |