All Articles tagged high-school.

Does My Child Need An IEP?

September 6, 2020 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

This is a question that doesn’t always have a quick answer. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) provides specialized instruction so that a student can access the general education curriculum. Prior to beginning the IEP process a number of things need to be considered.

If your school follows a standards-based curriculum, how is your child progressing? Is your child meeting the standards for their grade level with minimal support during and after the school day? If so, it is likely that beginning the IEP process is not warranted.
Is your child accessing the general education instruction in their classroom with accommodations in place? Is he/she meeting standards with these accommodations in place? If so, then consideration of a 504 Plan is worthwhile.
If your child is struggling academically, have you and your child’s classroom teacher(s) identified the specific areas of concern? Have concrete instructional strategies and interventions that can be implemented in the classroom and at home over a set period of time been identified (Response to Intervention [RTI])? What was the outcome? Did your child make the progress expected? If so, continue to identify effective strategies and implement them at school and at home. If your child did not make progress toward or achieve their goals, despite excellent instruction and on-target strategies, it may be time to begin the IEP process.

The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Process

Prior to developing an IEP the student must be identified as having an educational disability. Parents are part of the team that addresses the question “does this student have an educational disability?” Other members of the team are usually comprised of a school-system psychologist, the child’s teacher(s), a special educator and often a school administrator. The team determines if they suspect the child has an educational disability and if further assessment is needed.

Generally, the team identifies questions that should be answered as part of the assessment process. Common questions might be:

What is the current level of STUDENT’S intellectual functioning?
What is the current level of STUDENT’S academic functioning?
How does STUDENT’S current level of intellectual and academic functioning impact their ability to access the general education curriculum without specialized instruction?

If the assessments and answers to these questions indicated that an educational disability is present, then the disability will be identified and the next step will be to develop an IEP. The IEP includes the current intellectual functioning and academic data. This information drives the identification of the goals and objectives which make up the heart of the document. The intensity of the support/intervention needed to meet the goals and objectives will determine the amount of service a student requires. This can range from 5 minutes a day to a full-day of specialized instruction.

Parents are often concerned about the stigma of their child receiving special education instruction. However, depending upon the structure of your child’s school and program, this intervention can be delivered seamlessly. As a special education teacher, administrator and consultant, I often ask parents, “If your child had significant allergies and they impacted their ability to do well in school, wouldn’t you intervene? If your child needed glasses, wouldn’t you provide them?” Almost everyone responds, “Absolutely.” This same response should be strongly considered if your child legitimately qualifies for special education support.

By Laurie Gross, Educational Consultant and Reading Specialist.

ACT Essay Section: It’s Manageable!

June 1, 2020 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In 2015, the ACT essay section was revised to include more challenging writing prompts. And yet, as a tutor for the ACT, I find the revised format provides more ways to simplify the writing process. Every essay that a student writes for the ACT requires taking a position on a topic, providing examples, and coming to a clear conclusion.

The most important strategy to impart is teaching students a format to write the argumentative essay in 5 paragraphs:

Introductory paragraph with a clear thesis
Example in support of one’s thesis
Example in support of one’s thesis
Example anticipating the opposition to one’s thesis
Clear and decisive conclusion.

The challenging part is getting students to invent excellent examples.

As a tutor, I ask my students to brainstorm examples from their own personal lives, and connect the point they argue to History, Philosophy, Politics, and Current Events. Some of these examples are great, others don’t make the connections necessary to support the thesis. Ah, but there’s hope!

The NEW ACT essay prompt provides the thesis and examples for the students. What’s great about this new format is that the guesswork of how to structure the essay and what kind of examples to give are now EMBEDDED INTO THE PROMPT. In other words, there is one less step for students to take.

Instead of inventing perspectives, students are given them and asked to respond to differing viewpoints.

Albeit while this may make the task of writing an ACT essay less organic and creative, the new essay format provides a framework simplifying the task of writing the argumentative essay considerably.

Just ask yourself, which task you’d rather respond to:

To argue both sides of a point and produce 3+ excellent examples including ones with which you do not agree.

To be given three opinions (perspectives), rewrite and examine these opinions, and choose one you support the most using the ideas for examples given by the prompt?

Prepping for this essay will be less arduous. With a strong outline and applied practice there’s no reason not to earn a strong score.

While there is more writing on the page, which perhaps makes the ACT essay task appear overwhelming, it’s really quite manageable. All of this information helps by laying the groundwork for the essay and outlining what is to come.

Want to practice?

By Grant Bergland, MFA and Private Tutor

Encouraging Summer Reading at Every Age

May 27, 2020 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Summer reading is a perennial rite of passage for school-age children. Some kids rush their parents to a local books store or online to Amazon the moment their school’s list is released; others would prefer for that piece of paper to stay crushed in the bottom of a backpack. But whether they like it or not, students of every age find themselves assigned at least one required book—if not three or five or seven—to keep them company in the warmer months.

Summer reading, however, can be much more than a requisite slog through a classic novel. School summer reading programs are a valuable part of academic enrichment, and with a little exploration and planning, going beyond your child’s school’s summer reading requirements can be a fun and exciting process–one that will give your child an academic edge come fall. Below, you’ll find three strategies for helping students elevate their summer reading experiences at any age.

Elementary-Age Students

Children in elementary school are only just getting acquainted with the rules and conventions of academic reading and writing. Through their first book reports, essays, and other writing assignments, they’re coming to see that writing in school comes with some very specific requirements, and they’re beginning to learn how they themselves fit into the big world of reading and writing. Some students may find this foray into maturity intimidating; for others, it may simply be exciting. Either way, finding their own writing skills and voice is one of the biggest challenges facing this age group, and it’s a perfect theme to address through summer reading.

A number of children’s publications feature stories and articles written by children, and now’s the time to introduce your kids to such writing. Highlights Magazine, Time for Kids, and Sports Illustrated For Kids are just a few of the many publications that routinely feature content created by children (in addition, the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series welcomes stories by kids). Even if your children never choose to submit their own work to these publications—which they very well might!—seeing kids’ writing featured and celebrated will give them a sense of involvement in the writing world, and an understanding of how writing might fit into their own lives. Plus, it tends to be easy to get kids interested in the subjects that other kids choose to write about—and the more minutes they spend reading this summer, the better off they’ll be in the fall.

Middle School Readers

By the time students enter sixth or seventh grade, they’ve been through the mill of school-assigned novels and probably sucked down a fair few fictional reads of their own choosing. While younger children often enjoy reading about protagonists whose lives resemble their own, middle schoolers might crave a bit more adventure and a bit less familiarity. They’re growing more curious and informed about the adult world, and are eager to begin breaking free of their own small childhood worlds. That’s why middle school is a great time to introduce students to engaging nonfiction summer reading.

Because research-based academic work will become more important as kids move up through the grades in school, getting more acquainted with factual readings now can be great academic preparation. And with the abundant free time that summer offers, students are also able to explore subjects that intrigue them more deeply—by checking supplementary texts out of the library, visiting museums, or trying out activities for themselves (maybe, for example, they’ll read a book about a champion bicyclist and decide to spend more time biking themselves). Letting kids’ existing interests dictate their reading is often a good way to go, but exposing them to new subjects is just as important. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has an award for great nonfiction for young adults, and their lists of past and present winners are a great resource for finding books that might suit your child. It’s also valuable to remember that summer reading can be about texts that serve many different purposes—for some students, a cookbook or a guide to building tree houses will encourage reading much more than a traditional biography or book of essays ever could.

Teenagers

Teenagers are routinely introduced to classic adult fiction in their high school English classrooms, and it’s likely that their required summer reading will contain much of the same. For this age group, novels written for adults are often the stuff of work rather than play, but many teenagers are also reaching the point at which they are eager to appreciate books that aren’t specifically geared toward the Young Adult demographic. For these precocious readers, summer reading is a great opportunity to become acquainted with the broad world of contemporary literary fiction. With the abundance of exciting, well-written fiction being published these days, there are plenty of opportunities to introduce your teenager to novels that are both entertaining and thought-provoking—novels that will help draw them into a lifetime of happy, engaged reading.

Of course, passing along novels that you’ve enjoyed is always a good rule of thumb, but if you’re looking for suggestions, turn again to the trusty YALSA and their innovative Alex Awards. The Alex Awards are presented annually to new books written for adults that “have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.” Last year’s winners include critical darlings such as Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, and all of the winners are sure to engage teenagers in contemporary literary trends and conversations—and prepare them for the literary rigors of college along the way. In case your own teenager is on the less precocious side, YALSA also publishes outstanding lists of “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers,” which are a great starting place for finding accessible, often plot-driven books for teenage readers who might rather not read.

For every age group, the resources are practically limitless—all it takes is a bit of initiative and know-how to help your children make their summer reading a truly transformative experience.

By Hannah Sheldon-Dean, Private Tutor

How to Avoid the Summer Slide

May 10, 2020 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Summer is fast approaching and many parents have already planned activities and camps for their children, or they’re in the process of planning or recalibrating. We know that summer is the ultimate freedom, the time for exploration and play, the time to finally unwind from the busy school year. So how do you maintain your child’s academic skills while enjoying the freedom and playfulness of summer vacation? A critical part of summer planning relates to academics and keeping students’ skills not only intact, but also progressing. Each year, we observe that some of our own students slide back several weeks or months when summer vacation does not include any academic practice. While many students can recover fairly quickly during the fall, this summer slide is an unnecessary setback that can negatively impact a student’s confidence and make going back to school more difficult.

When you stop and think about it, the contrast between the structure of the school year and the liberation of summer is profound. During the school year, students are asked to sustain attention for long periods of time, to read critically, to write reflectively, to problem solve, and to synthesize information. The summer is typically the yin to the school year yang.

But a balance can be achieved to keep those learning muscles strong while still allowing for some rest and recovery. We view learning as a marathon, not a sprint, and the current school year schedule makes that tricky. With proper planning and collaboration, parents can help their children to maintain a successful position without creating a household battle.

So how do you do it? Each situation, each learner’s response to instruction, and each teacher is unique. For summer success, especially this year, we encourage parents to develop a strategic plan in partnership with their school, child, and, possibly, private tutor. From camp to virtual field trips to kitchen-lab science, there are tremendous enrichment and experiential learning opportunities available.

During the summer, students also need to practice sustaining attention, synthesizing information, and problem-solving in more structured ways to avoid cognitive atrophy and allow for a fairly seamless transition back to school. Here are 5 tips for planning summer learning. The most important thing is to set yourself up for success. Choose from the suggestions below, commit to a schedule and hold strong. Follow your child’s lead, but insist on a minimum of 15 minutes for each activity to maintain stamina. But most importantly, have fun!

1) Talk to your child’s teacher by early June. Prepare a friendly email or request a brief conference asking for recommendations of skills or concepts to work on during the summer. You might refer back to report card comments to confirm if certain skills were mastered. Also, confirm if there is any required schoolwork for the summer. Many schools ask students to read a certain number of books, to write book reports, or to complete math practice work over the summer. Book lists or summer packets may be available.

2) Talk with your kids about their learning goals. Once you’ve gathered more information from the school, share it with your children and talk with them about their summer interests. Review your family calendar and share the options for summer activities. Make your kids part of the process.

3) Read daily. It takes discipline, but all students need to read daily for a minimum of 20 minutes. Students also need to be engaged in conversations about the text. It is incredibly complex to develop proficiency with summarizing, identifying the main idea, determining an author’s message, or explaining the theme. Students need tremendous practice and modeling. For independent reading, should have “just right” books at an appropriately challenging reading level. Many families have the most success when this reading time is scheduled first thing in the morning or as an afternoon “siesta” period.

4) Practice writing and typing (even drawing helps). There are lots of ways to practice writing over the summer that are meaningful and fun. Our students often like to keep journals for writing friendly letters to their parents, family members, or tutors about their reading, and they love getting a written response in return. Students also like to write stories and publish their own books. A great site to use is www.blurb.com, and summer journaling with a tutor can be managed locally or from a distance via online collaborative tools. Typing is also a real-life skill that every student should master at an early age. Software is available to help students develop proficient typing skills.

5) Practice math. Set aside at least 3-4 times a week for math practice. Math practice should include problem-solving, mastering basic facts, and building number sense. Workbooks, games, and websites are readily available in addition to customized private programs and math camps. IXL.com has practice activities for every grade level aligned with state standards.

We wish everyone a wonderful and well-deserved summer vacation and a smooth transition back to school in the fall.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed.
Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist
My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Common Application Essay Coaching

April 8, 2020 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

“When I was still small enough to fit in the sun-drenched space between the armoire and the couch, I sat cross-legged and spun the world.”

“There I was, hanging from the precipice, muscles trembling, fingers aching, sweat dripping onto my spotter twenty feet below.”

“On one hot night in a dark room at the heart of Boston, I became friends with 19,580 people in one single moment.”

What things do these sentences have in common? They all feel like the beginning of a story. They all are specific enough that readers start picturing a scene. They all make us want to keep reading.

And they could all serve as the opening line of a Common Application essay.

As with other parts of the college application process, the prospect of writing the Common Application essay can be fraught with misconceptions: applicants worry that they will need to compose a formulaic piece under enormous pressure. It’s true that it is a high-stakes essay, with a hard and fast deadline, that tends to ascribe to a few broad conventions. But writing it doesn’t have to be so stressful. And as demonstrated by the lines above — from essays published by Hamilton, Johns Hopkins, and Tufts, respectively, as exemplars from admitted students — Common Application writers can produce essays that are vivid, memorable, and a pleasure to read.

We find that the factor that determines whether writers have a positive experience in creating their Common Application essays—and whether writers ultimately are happy with the piece they submit—is time. Applicants need time to get to know the genre, whose pieces tend to mix narrative and reflection. Applicants need time to try out a few different ideas and to compose several drafts, understanding that repeatedly revisiting the piece is a part of the writing process. In a departure from the text-based and research-based essays that dominate high school writing, the Common App essay asks students to draw upon their own lives for material. Applicants need time to generate ideas and to consider how their experiences and passions can help them share a bit of themselves with readers.

Each year, the Common Application itself “resets” in early August, so we advise rising seniors to wait until then to fill out its typable forms; similarly, colleges tend to post their individual supplemental essay prompts in August or early September. But the Common Application has already released its essay prompts for the upcoming application cycle, making spring an ideal time to begin the writing process—particularly this year. In a season when everyone’s plans have been upended, starting the Common Application essay injects a bit of normalcy. It allows students some control while challenging themselves creatively, with no pressing deadlines. It is one of the concrete steps that they can take in shaping their future, an opportunity to reflect on where they’ve been—such as a nook on a living-room floor, a treacherous rock wall, or a thumping concert arena—where they are, and where they will go.

If you’re ready to get started with your common application essay work, we can help to support your process with writing coaching and supplemental college counseling. Please contact us to further discuss your planning.

By Elizabeth Walters, MFA and Private Tutor, and Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed. and CEP