Budget buster- tutoring

[pennymom]

PLEASE do not pay a "tutoring/learning center" ANY money! As PPs have said, the company only wants to get your hard-earned cash, and may not actually be able to help. DO NOT waste your money or frustrate your DS any more than he already is!!!

I am a certified reading specialist, and agree that you should work with the teacher and school to get the testing done in your district, so they can identify your son's specific disabilities, and get him the specialized help he needs.

AFTER the district tests him, and only if you still wish him to be tutored after you see what they plan to do to help, see if your local college has a Reading Department with a clinic, such as the one here in NJ at Rowan University (http://www.rowan.edu/colleges/education/programs/reading/clinic.html). Or speak to the special education teachers in your district to see if any tutor on the side, or can recommend retired special ed teacher/reading specialist.

Best of luck to you and your DS...it can be very frustrating, but when you get a handle on what he truly needs, it WILL get better!

 

[SnowWhite607]

Yes please get your son tested thru the school. I am a certified special ed teacher and if he needs help or accomodations, we are more than willing to get it for you.....and for way less than $50 an hour!

Ever heard of FAPE?? It stands for Free and Appropriate Public Education. And its a right. Use it!

 

[reducereuserecycle]

check out tutor.com

you can buy minutes to get live homework help OR, depending on where you live/work, you can get the services free. check local library to see if they subscribe to tutor.com for local residents...if so they will give you login information to access tutor.com from home. also, US Service (military, etc.) has a contract with tutor.com so if you or your family are military that is another way to be able to use the service for free.

it is worth checking out because even though it is not face-to-face, he can still work one-on-one with a qualified tutor, and you can sit right next to him and be a part of the tutoring session.

 

[NotUrsula]

No legitimate professionals will be able to tell in advance how many hours a student will need to grasp a concept. Definite rip-off.

DS13 was independently tested 2 years ago and he has an LD. His private school hasn't done so well in accomodating him, so we've recently contracted with a local specialist LD school to have one of their teachers tutor him in techniques that will help him compensate for his disability. They are charging us $70/hr for this, but after just two weeks we are seeing good results and have had extensive conversations with his tutor; we are getting our money's worth. It is completely up to US how long this teacher continues to tutor him; when we are happy with his performance the tutoring will end. (The school's tuition is over $30K/yr for their full-time students. DS doesn't need that, thank goodness, but their expertise is proving very helpful and seems to be worth the price.)

 

[hambirg]

No legitimate professionals will be able to tell in advance how many hours a student will need to grasp a concept. Definite rip-off.

DS13 was independently tested 2 years ago and he has an LD. His private school hasn't done so well in accomodating him, so we've recently contracted with a local specialist LD school to have one of their teachers tutor him in techniques that will help him compensate for his disability. They are charging us $70/hr for this, but after just two weeks we are seeing good results and have had extensive conversations with his tutor; we are getting our money's worth. It is completely up to US how long this teacher continues to tutor him; when we are happy with his performance the tutoring will end. (The school's tuition is over $30K/yr for their full-time students. DS doesn't need that, thank goodness, but their expertise is proving very helpful and seems to be worth the price.)

Have you contacted your local public school? Even if a student is in private school, the local public school will accommodate their special ed services. Both my nephew and my son received speech therapy through the public school, while enrolled in private school. There was a girl in my sons class that went to a special learning center for her LDs that was provided for through the public system. It might not hurt just to inquire about it. It sounds like you found a good fit for him, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

As to the OP. . .ditto what everybody else has said. Have him tested through the school. . .by professionals that aren't there just to sell you a contract. Our public schools here offer free tutoring for any child who needs it.

 

[Motherofboys]

We had DS6 tutored this summer b/c he has learning issues, we paid $25 per hour for a highly recommended tutor -- a substitute teacher who hasn't been able to get a permanent teaching position

She was awesome! In this environment, I bet there are tons of teachers out there who are doing tutoring with all of the recent lay-offs and glut of teachers.

Good luck!

 

[couponclary]

Former teacher, now SAHM, and I agree with the others that the corporate "learning centers" are a HUGE rip-off! Have your child tested, go over the results and the school will recommend specific interventions and assistance in the areas that your child needs help in. A private tutor (at a much lower cost!) may be helpful, but wait until you have the results of the testing and hear the school's options before signing or paying anything. I've seen this so many times with struggling kids, and unfortunately, these places don't put your children first...they are out to make money first and foremost.

 

[csharpwv]

$7,000 is a ton of cash to be paying up front!

If your child will have a one on one dedicated tutor throughout the entire program that may not be a 'bad' price - but if that center is like most there are the crescent shaped tables where 4-6 kids work with the same tutor. If it isn't a one-on-one program I say it's definitely NOT worth it.

When I was in college just a few years ago I gave piano lessons and charged $20.00 an hour - and that was what most music stores charge for a 1/2 hour lesson. But I found that an hour gave so much more ability to be flexible and teach a love of music - not just an instrument.

So I agree with previous posters- have your child assessed at school - consider reading a few books that I have found to be very interesting -
Boys Adrift and Why Gender Matters - both by Dr. Leonard Sax PhD - MD.

Very good books and may give a glimpse into some other options, the possible root of the problem - and some possible long term solutions.

 

[Pembo]

I worked for Sylvan Learning Centers (a competitor of Huntington). I did see the program work for some kids but it was way too expensive. Definitely talk to the school and find out about other tutoring options.

Your child probably won't need 6 hours of tutoring a week and most likely wouldn't be able to pay attention that long. Figure they go to school 7 hours a day and then another 1.5 hours of tutoring? That's asking a lot for any age kid.

One more comment - when I worked for Sylvan, we had kids for 2 hour blocks...instruction time worked out to about 1.25 hours with breaks and then I had 3 kids at a time so that child really wasn't receiving my full attention.And the way the program was designed, even if a child understood a concept we had to do 3 assignments in that skill...no skipping ahead. That is a real time waster.

A private tutor will give your child undivided attention specific to his needs for the full hour.

 

[NotUrsula]

Have you contacted your local public school? Even if a student is in private school, the local public school will accommodate their special ed services. Both my nephew and my son received speech therapy through the public school, while enrolled in private school. There was a girl in my sons class that went to a special learning center for her LDs that was provided for through the public system. It might not hurt just to inquire about it. It sounds like you found a good fit for him, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

As to the OP. . .ditto what everybody else has said. Have him tested through the school. . .by professionals that aren't there just to sell you a contract. Our public schools here offer free tutoring for any child who needs it.

Oh, yes, we contacted them. The waiting list for extension services is 2 years, and the only way to get the head of the list is to fail every class. We are not willing to let him get that behind before he gets help. There have been several lawsuits in our state over this, but no one has been successful at overcoming the problem; there is just not enough money to provide that many more staff to cover the need, and you cannot get blood out of a turnip.

This is from the state Dept of Ed's FAQ on the subject (bolded italics are mine):

Question 31: Must services plans be in place for all eligible parentally-placed private school children with disabilities residing in the LEA's jurisdiction?​

• Answer: No. The Part B regulations do not require public agencies to develop services plans for each and every parentally-placed private school child with a disability residing in the LEA's jurisdiction, regardless of whether that child receives services from the LEA. Services plans are required only for those parentally-placed private school children with disabilities whom the LEA has elected to serve, and must reflect only the services that the LEA has determined it will provide to the particular parentally-placed child with a disability.

The law is that the Local Educational Authority must agree to test your child if he is enrolled in private school, but once he is tested they are not actually obligated to provide ongoing support services; they can choose to do so, but they are not required to provide the full range of services that they provide to kids who are enrolled in public schools. In our case the amount of available proportional funding for service to private-school students means that only a very small percentage can be served each year.

 

[stichy]

Call the school right now. You pay taxes. Your child should be evaluated by the school and they will address his needs. It is free. It is the law.

The school is in the process of starting the testing for learning disabilities. Huntington doesn't test for that. We have a meeting with the school on Monday. We are just trying to cover all the bases. I figure we owe it too him since we are pretty much able to afford it at this point. He received a tidy sum of money over the summer. It was to be put away for college. But at this point college may not happen if he keeps on the same path. So we are going to use some of the money for the tutoring.

 

[stichy]

Once it's determined he has a disability then he will get accomodations in the classroom or outside the classroom depending on the severity of his disability. Until then, you have to do what you think is right for your child. My child is on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in school because she has a learning disability in Math. Although I think the accomodations and services my child is receiving in the classroom are adequate, I believe she also benefits for some "outside of school" assistance which is why she sees a tutor as well. We pay for the tutor as she does not qualify for services outside of school time. You should do what you can afford. I have to say I would be a bit skeptical about paying for all those hours up front. What if the tutoring or center is just not a good fit for your child? I would think a teacher would be more beneficial as they knows exactly what he is working on in school. "Learning Centers" are not bad they just usually have their own curriculum and it may not mirror what you son is doing in school. Best of luck to you and your son, you are his biggest advocate, if you don't think the school is doing enough to accomodate his disability, speak up.

The teacher I contacted at school used to teach at Huntington which makes me feel better. We will most likely prepay all the hours. It we don't need to use all of them they refund you the money. There's no contract so if we decided it isn't working for us we can quit and get all of the unused money back. Those facts make me feel much better.

 

[stichy]

I worked for Sylvan Learning Centers (a competitor of Huntington). I did see the program work for some kids but it was way too expensive. Definitely talk to the school and find out about other tutoring options.

Your child probably won't need 6 hours of tutoring a week and most likely wouldn't be able to pay attention that long. Figure they go to school 7 hours a day and then another 1.5 hours of tutoring? That's asking a lot for any age kid.

One more comment - when I worked for Sylvan, we had kids for 2 hour blocks...instruction time worked out to about 1.25 hours with breaks and then I had 3 kids at a time so that child really wasn't receiving my full attention.And the way the program was designed, even if a child understood a concept we had to do 3 assignments in that skill...no skipping ahead. That is a real time waster.

A private tutor will give your child undivided attention specific to his needs for the full hour.

They've guesstimated based on his tests how much time he will need on each skill. They don't go over stuff that he has no problem with. If they pretest him and he does well they will skip that skill. We are starting in 2 hour blocks. If that is too much for him then we will back down to 1.5hours. It's much easier to go down in time than up. They are going to do reading comprehension and vocab for 1.5 hour and then 30 minutes of math to switch it up. Right now they are going to start him in basic level which is $55 an hour. Which means the tutor is there right next to him the whole time. He's 8 and he hasn't learned yet to be an independent learner (I knew all this going in). Once he starts to learn more independently he will move on to advanced classes. The teacher backs off during this time and just checks in on him. Those hours will cost $30. They priced the whole package at $55 an hour since they don't know how many hours he will need at that level. So eventually we will get some money back. This is in addition to the money we are shelling out for private taekwondo lessons to get him back up to speed because he previous school really went down hill the last couple of years. Thank god he is an only child.

 

[rantnnravin]

I worked for Huntington maaaannnnyyy moons ago when I first graduated college with my teaching degree... Unless you are paying for one-on-one tutoring (which is very $$$$ through them) your child will be in anywhere from a 3:1 to 6:1 group. Even with 1:1, it is the Huntington curriculum and it does NOT parallel the school curriculum. Students get individual assignments beginning at a level much lower than where they actually test and must do several assignments and work their way up. The teacher checks the work and goes over the mistakes with them - there are no individualized lessons.

I know you want to do everything possible to help your child and I commend and thank you for that commitment. I implore you to consider hiring a private tutor, either through the school district or a local teaching college and have them work with your child on what he is doing in his classes NOW. You can pay as you go, quit when it's the right time and have your money in the bank growing for YOU not Huntington.

ETA: Oh, and for the obscene amount of $$$ they charge, the teachers make ~$10 per hour

 

[MomToOne]

They've guesstimated based on his tests how much time he will need on each skill.

The tests they give just test what he knows/doesn't know, and not why. Then they start running him through material to teach him what he doesn't have mastered.

If you think he is behind simply because the teaching he had the last few years was poor, then this may be enough (but again, the hourly rate is high).

If you think he is behind because of an underlying LD, then knowing exactly what it is is critical to figure out HOW to teach him. The center-type tutoring probably won't help if this is the case.

And I hate to say, but don't put too much trust in what the teacher is telling you. I had teachers tell me for years that my daughter was "a little slow, but fine". She even made As and Bs in school, although they were hard fought battles with long nights stuggling over homework. The teachers told me they didn't see the need for testing (I asked several times), until she TOTALLY TANKED - really bad - on standardized testing the first year she took it. And then they still tried to tell me that they thought "the test wasn't a true reflection of her abilities". I had to tell them that while it might not have been a true reflection of her abilities, it definitely showed there was some sort of problem and I was getting her tested!!! While we like to think teachers will know all there is to know about learning, including learning disabilities, the truth is most regular classroom teachers know some but not much. They are NOT specialists in this area.

 

[hambirg]

Oh, yes, we contacted them. The waiting list for extension services is 2 years, and the only way to get the head of the list is to fail every class. We are not willing to let him get that behind before he gets help. There have been several lawsuits in our state over this, but no one has been successful at overcoming the problem; there is just not enough money to provide that many more staff to cover the need, and you cannot get blood out of a turnip.

This is from the state Dept of Ed's FAQ on the subject (bolded italics are mine):


[/LIST]
The law is that the Local Educational Authority must agree to test your child if he is enrolled in private school, but once he is tested they are not actually obligated to provide ongoing support services; they can choose to do so, but they are not required to provide the full range of services that they provide to kids who are enrolled in public schools. In our case the amount of available proportional funding for service to private-school students means that only a very small percentage can be served each year.

Ugh. . .that sucks! I guess I should be very thankful that that isn't the case here. I do feel better knowing that you were already aware of that and had already checked into it. I would hate for someone not to know that's even an option.

 

[Mary•Poppins]

Please be careful of Huntington.

I am a teacher and we had a parent that wanted her child to go to the local prep school. Now this school is hard to get into. You really need to be working a bit over grade level ... and have a lot of money for the tuition. Now, we didn't know this mother was pursuing this ....

Anyway, the mom kept telling us that her child was not doing well even though he showed not signs of struggling. (I am a teacher in a public school system.) However, we tested him with all of our local assessments, the special ed. teacher tested him along with the reading specialist. He came out average ... and even a bit above average in some of the testing. She took him to Huntington .... and he was just about failing everything! Our school psychologist (who has a PHD) called the center to talk to the testing administrator to discuss the tests, stanines, national averages, etc. and the administrator could not answer any of her questions.

Please be careful. Let the school test your child and see were there is a need. Good Luck.

And as a side note, the help you can provide at home, under the guidance of a specialist in school (like a sp.ed or remedial reading/math teacher) can make more of a difference than a tutor that comes to your home once a week. I hope this helps.

 

[mjkacmom]

Please listen to the advice you are getting from everyone here. You were given a strong, professional sales pitch, as you would've from a time share presentation. The difference is, this is about your child, and now you feel you owe your son this experience. Mommy guilt. I sent my oldest to a center one summer after she got a B in math in the 4th grade. She HATED it, and she only went once a week! Her 5th grade math teacher discovered the problem - she didn't know her multiplication tables 100%.

I don't know what they told me about her test scores, but she's always scored high proficient on standardized math tests, was always in high math in elementary, vector for JH, honors in HS. She never came home with less than an A. They must've really given me a good pitch, and had a good laugh, since I'm sure her test was awesome.

How much did they charge you to test him?

 

[Pembo]

From my experience, if your child does have a learning disability, the corporate tutoring structure may not be the best learning environment. And 1.5 hours for an 8 year old is WAY too long! I am a special ed teacher and none of my students could concentrate for that long on any subject especially the ones they have difficulty with. 45 mins would be pushing it.

I know you are desperate and want to do what is best for your child but I urge you to look for more individualized tutoring in a private setting. Please talk to the school district about what teachers tutor, ask other parents if they have had tutors....

Huntington may work but what if you spend all that money and it doesn't???

 

[eliza61]

I'm going with the majority. My son is learning disabled and generally the huntingtons of the world are not the best place for them.
I wish I had gotten more information before signing my son up, we went through 5,000 bucks before realizing that it wasn't the place for him.

Also, I know in NJ with all the cutbacks in school budgets unfortunately special education services have taken a major hit. I know people scream it's the law but if you're school has only 1 special education teacher, you can scream "it's the law" until the cows come home, it ain't going to get your kid help any faster.

I'd look for a private tutor.