TEST SESSIONS: Because our assessment techniques are unique, not simply a duplication of other standardized testing, a test session of one hour is mandatory for new students. We assess each new student to determine his or her specific needs and abilities, including knowledge base, work style, and spoken language skills. Then we use our findings to provide a study program that will help the student achieve real results fast. Typically, this happens, and 25 to 30 lessons make a big difference for almost every student.

We offer a wide range of programs to meet the needs of our students.

Our course offerings include:

Read to Learn/ Efficient Study  (Grades 4-12, College)

Tune in to Test Prep

Middle School/High School/Adult Speed Reading

Learn to Read (Grades K-3)

Learn Math (Grades K-12)

(1-2 hours for 15-45 lessons)

This course helps students complete homework faster, strengthens concentration, and makes students more likely to engage in outside reading. We use interesting and effective materials along with machine, computer, and self-pacing devices. The course is geared to the student’s reading level and interests. Efficient study techniques are emphasized.

Academic Reading:

How to read chapter books, textbooks, reference books, magazines, newspapers, and everything else. 

Part of our learning strategy is intensive vocabulary instruction, because the best single predictor of a student’s reading level is the level of his or her vocabulary. (Mulcahy-Ernt, 1990) We will help your child become a reader. A study by Nagy, Herman, and Anderson published in 1985 shows that the average 5^th grader who does independent reading learns 800-1200 new words each year.

For more on this topic, read my article on Going to Middle School and High School

Advanced word attack skills:

The rest of phonics, plus Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Comprehension Training:

Can comprehension be taught? Yes, instruction starts at home in early childhood, and builds through the school years. We teach skills for non-fiction and fiction, with emphasis on oral analysis. We stress appropriate reading techniques and speed, and we extend the student’s reading pleasure with play reading and literary discussions.

Comprehending Non-fiction:

  Read to skim/preview information and create interest

  Read to follow the author’s train of thought

  Read to prepare notes for essays/papers

  Read to develop knowledge base

  Read to learn vocabulary

Comprehending Fiction:

  Four basic elements of "once upon a time"

  Setting—look for the clues

  Characters—flat and round

  Plot—basic types

  Theme—attitude toward life

  Author's storytelling style

  Reading for pleasure—why you can’t read hard books if you haven’t read easy ones

For more on this topic, see the new article Can Reading Comprehension Be Taught?

Academic Writing:

How to write good sentences, paragraphs, essay answers, and papers; how to proofread and edit your work. Writing and editing are done on the computer to facilitate revisions. We get a lot of practice done this way.

• Paragraph plans
• Topic and support sentences
• Types of writing
• Answering essay questions
• Proofreading and editing

Study Skills:

These skills rest on a foundation of good reading skills, and are part of learning to read science, social studies, math, and literature. We use our materials first, then let the students practice on their own textbooks.

• The forgetting curve
• Learn it once
• Text marking, taking notes and test taking
• Studying in a group—why should you?
• Listening skills as the basis for learning new information
• Scheduling  and prioritizing

Learn the keys to success on standardized tests. Every standardized test is a test of reading abilities and thinking habits. It may also be a good judge of a student’s ability to manage time and persevere.

We evaluate each individual student's knowledge and skills, and create a plan to fill in the gaps:

• Learn the 'ins and outs' of the standardized test -
  what successful test-takers know how to do
• Improve your reading skills to increase your odds
• Increase your knowledge base to improve comprehension
• Vocabulary and word skills are fundamental to success
• Sharpen the math skills you have; add the ones you need
• Find out how good  thinking habits get rewards

Course Description:  The course consists of an initial evaluation plus 10 sessions of 1.5 hours each. We teach test- taking skills combined with structured classroom practices to ensure learning. Each student receives individual instruction as well as small group work, take home practices, and a progress report after 5 lessons.

Requirements: Students must have good basic reading, vocabulary and math skills according to our tests.

Enrollment: Students should enroll at least two months before
the test dates-- if they already read well and know the math. Otherwise, plan to spend some time catching up.

Cost: $900 for 15 hours of lessons, plus $130 for the evaluation.

Special ISEE Test Prep Course

We teach students to master all parts of the ISEE: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Math Achievement, and Essay Writing. 

How is our course different from the others?

We are set up to individualize every part of the course. When students can start instruction at a level where they succeed, confidence and enthusiasm grow.

We have collected a great many practices at all levels, so that a student can start where he or she is successful. The absence of sufficient practice materials is a major problem for most providers of test-prep classes.

We can challenge the best students to refine their skills, but we can also teach students with more room for improvement, including those who simply haven't yet done much preparation, to do their very best.

Requirements: At the evaluation session, students should present ERB scores and current class selections so that we can advise them wisely. The ISEE is a difficult test, and so students need to set realistic goals for achievement. Students are expected to already be proficient at reading and math..

Why do students benefit from an ISEE test- prep course?

Although the Verbal Reasoning section seems short and easy, many students hurry through this and miss questions they should figure out. With targeted practices their scores can improve measurably.

The Quantitative Reasoning section consists of tricky problems testing higher-order thinking. Students who have high math grades, and who like puzzles, brain-teasers, and logic problems do well on this part. We have special practices to teach them to analyze these IQ-style questions.

Reading Comprehension contains seven or eight passages, one from each of the subjects usually taught at school. Most students can read and answer questions efficiently on some of the subjects, but not others - especially the long ones. We have a whole array of practices at different levels as well as a system to teach students to comprehend all of the passages.

Mathematics Achievement is a more straightforward math section, but still requires the ability to figure out some word problems. Students will have had most of the math that is on the ISEE, but not all of it, so we have to teach to close that gap. Again, we individualize the instruction to give students what they need.

Writing/Essay: Students respond to a set question that requires a thoughtful analysis. We teach students to write the standard three-to-five paragraph paper.

Test-taking Skills: In addition to teaching students to take the different parts of the test, we teach ways to deal with common test-taking problems: time management, guessing, using bubble sheets, and test anxiety.

(15 lessons)

Clever people who already read for business and pleasure sign up for this course. In our cyber world they know they need to learn more.

• Speed drills that work
• Is every sentence really an equation?
• Comprehension markers for non-fiction
• Comprehension markers for fiction
• Do you have to read everything?
• Predicting what the author will say
• How to read a book in an hour

Sound like this course might help you? Try rating your reading speed and skills on the following two charts:

Speed chart: Find the speed that correlates to your own reading speed

180-250 wpm	Readers say each word with their lips
250-350 wpm	Readers say words in their heads
400-500 wpm	Words go from the eyes directly to the brain
500+ wpm	Words run together to become color and sound motion pictures

Skills Chart: Assess your skill level in these critical areas

Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor	Vocabulary development
Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor	Memory skills
Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor	Background knowledge for the type of reading you need/want to do
Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor	Near vision

For more on this topic, read my article on Improving the Skills of Adult Readers

Level 1: Kindergarten Express

The best education is early childhood education. It does more to ensure a child's success throughout school than any other educational investment. We teach the most important language skills for kindergarten:

• Phonemic awareness and the ABC’s
• Letter sounds, and practice writing them
• Saying rhymes, and listening to develop story sense

Level 2: The Beginning Reader

Phonics instruction: We teach consonants, blends, short vowels, long vowels, and one-syllable words in a systematic, clear way. Students love it.

Oral reading: We read non-fiction stories composed of words that follow regular, decodable spelling patterns 80% of the time. This novel teaching process builds fluency, concentration skills, and spelling mastery.

Silent Reading comprehension: We read books and answer questions. These practices complement oral reading exercises, building confidence and independent reading habits.

Language skills: We learn to spell the words from the stories, write sentences.

Level 3: Now We Are Reading

Phonics instruction: We learn advanced sound combinations, and begin to sound out two-and-three syllable words.

Oral reading: We read slightly more difficult non-fiction stories, in which 60% of the words follow regular sound patterns. We analyze and discuss the content in more depth.

Play reading: These VERY popular exercises encourage good reading expression, reinforce sentence structure, and add to the student’s knowledge base.

Silent reading: We read and discuss longer and more varied stories, literary works, and a variety of non-fiction selections. We begin teaching study skills with mind-mapping practices.

Language skills: We continue to learn to spell words from the stories, and write paragraphs as well as sentences.

See the article on When Do Children Learn to Read?

Grades K--3
(12-20 lessons)

Basic math instruction and skills, geared to the student’s academic needs

Among the topics we teach:

• Number concepts, measurement, time,
• Shapes, fractions
• Activity-related instruction using games,
  races, and a variety of competitions
• Computer drills on math facts
• Word problems

Grades 4-12
(12-20 lessons)

• Pre-algebra, algebra (requires basic skills mastery)
• Computer drills on math facts
• Word problems
• GCSE test materials
• Math Marvel Tricks*

*Quick! What’s 75 x 75?  Got it? 
You would if you’d taken Math Marvel Tricks! 
These fun, easy-to-learn tricks will help you ace math.