Standardized Test Prep:
While we appreciate that higher test scores are usually the primary goal of any test prep course, we also believe it's necessary to help students develop a more genuine understanding of the skills being tested. We have found that different types of students have differing levels of readiness for test prep, and in some cases standardized tests do not accurately reflect a student's skill level. As such, we offer each of the following approaches, which you can customize during the initial meeting.
ISEE Score-Optimization Service:
For score-optimization, we emphasize repetition and family support for the significant homework component. As with all the major test-prep companies, we have found that score-improvement is only guaranteed through significant preparation both inside and outside of tutorial time. For score-optimization, we recommend that students attend twice per week for one-on-one sessions, with a third session devoted to rote techniques.
ISEE Preparation and Transition Assistance:
In this service, we use lesson reports to trace our work with students in order to provide advice and recommendations as your student transitions to middle or high school, including help preparing applications and essays. Any homework assigned in the course of this work is optional, though still recommended for any desired score-improvement. For those who opt for this service, we will write a letter at the end of our work for prospective schools describing the optimal learning environment in which the student thrives.
We occasionally find that some students have cognitive or motivational struggles that require a more foundational approach. If we determine that a student's struggles are not as straightforward as those addressed by standard test prep, we may recommend that they choose our mentoring service instead, with a focus on ISEE material. Parents who are already aware of such struggles are welcome to request this service, as it includes more regular communication through email and parent conferences.
The Joh and Kate ISEE Preparation Book:
We have written our own book for the ISEE that allows our teachers to custom build a course for each student. This book is a reflection of years of conducting ISEE preparation with students. Our book, which simulates some of the more common methods in our courses, walks through the main topics covered, various ways of teaching/learning the material, advice for parents, and instruction on the art of story-problem construction for math, and story-telling for vocabulary development. The math section of the book also includes over 100 problems created by former ISEE students.
SAT and ACT
Since our primary emphasis as a company is on long-term development, most of our test-prep work is done with younger students, or with high school juniors and seniors who are already working with us when they begin test prep. We do have considerable experience with other kinds of test prep, as Joh was trained at the Princeton Review and worked with Kristen Leeson tutoring for a number of years, and he and Kate have conducted SAT and ACT prep on their own for the past two years. As such, we are happy to discuss a customized SAT or ACT course, or to offer recommendations.
|
