All Articles tagged Testing

Short-Term Tutoring and Targeted Skill Building

October 18, 2024 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Short-term tutoring is intended to build specific skills and ultimately lead to improved effectiveness and independence. The effort scope — frequency, duration and total instructional time — is driven by a family’s specific goals and benchmarking data.

At My Learning Springboard, our approach to short-term tutoring is quite different. We work in small teaching teams and closely partner with parents and any other professionals with whom a family might want involved.

Every family benefits from a minimum of three (3) educators: Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman, who are both Learning Specialists and the co-founders, as well as the tutor who meets in person or remotely with students per a family’s preference. This approach ensures collaboration, shared expertise, and privacy. Checks and balances are built into the process to be sure that the work is focused and targeted. All engagements are at will and incremental decision making is encouraged.

Key Questions To Inform Short-Term Tutoring Planning

What is currently observed at home and at school?
How is my student performing now?
What is the desired outcome?

Through discussion and close partnership, meaningful planning unfolds. Tutoring efforts range from a single session, to a multi-week engagement, to a longer-term engagement depending on the specific needs and situation.

Short-term tutoring efforts include but are not limited to the following areas:

Language Arts

Reading support targeting decoding, comprehension, and fluency.
Developing a 5-paragraph persuasive essay.
Effectively writing at the paragraph and multi-paragraph level in a way that demonstrates strong organization, varied sentence structure (sentence fluency), and word choice as well as the integration of text evidence and/or supporting details to demonstrate comprehension and/or make compelling arguments.
Effectively proofreading and editing for proper syntax (grammar), accurate spelling, and punctuation.
Incorporating dialogue and quotations with correct punctuation usage.
Studying grammar and applying techniques in order to achieve varied sentence structure. For example, what is a preposition and how does that help me to open with prepositional phrases? What is a noun, a verb and, specifically, a present participle, and how does that help me to start with a gerund? What is a conjunction and how do I combine sentences with correct comma usage? Let’s not rely entirely on tools like Grammarly without an underlying understanding of grammar rules!
Making use of student statements and personal statements for middle school, high school, and college admissions processes to teach the above described writing skills.
Effectively summarizing fiction text to include the title, author, setting (time and place), major characters, theme, rising action, climax, and resolution.
Effectively summarizing non-fiction text to include the source, author, date, main idea, and relevant details that justify the stated main idea.
Creating a structure to build vocabulary at any age.
Writing legibly in manuscript or cursive, which we still believe has an incredible value even in an age of keyboarding and dictation.

Mathematics

Automaticity of basic facts in all four (4) number operations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Multiplication with multi-digit numbers and decimals.
Long division with multi-digit numbers and decimals.
Effectively working with fractions, including common fractions, decimal fractions, and percentages.
Algebraic reasoning from an introductory level at the elementary grades and progressing through middle school.
Math problem solving at the elementary and middle school levels that emphasizes universal problem-solving strategies, such as “working backwards,” “making a diagram”, “looking for a pattern”, or “using logical reasoning”.
Reasoning through multi-step word problems that integrate various concepts and skills.

Technology

Developing typing skills with fingers on the home keys and eyes on the monitor
Effectively organizing an email inbox by using labels, filters, color coding, and archiving
Effectively using Google Calendar in conjunction with school-based portals and making use of advanced functionality, including sub calendars, color coding, and accepting and sending calendar invitations
Effectively organizing Google Drive using specific and intentional file names and subfolders, adding shortcuts, and moving files within a student’s “My Drive” main folder or from a student’s “Shared With Me” folder and into their “My Drive”
Effectively formatting and editing a Google Sheet using text wrapping, freezing rows and columns, inserting hard returns for visual tracking, and applying a spelling check within a Google Sheet and its worksheet tabs
Effectively formatting a Google Drive document using horizontal and vertical text alignment, page margins, tables, bullets and numbered lists, indenting features, and applying a spelling and grammar check
Managing sharing settings for Google Drive folders, subfolders, and individual documents and sheets

Organizational and Study Skills

Developing tactics for improved time management, goal setting, and self assessment.
Organizational coaching leading up to midterms, final exams, or surrounding specific project efforts.
Making use of a specific research project to teach students how to determine reputable sources, aggregate information across sources, and strategically use these sources to defend their thesis statement? How can a student more effectively take advantage of office hours and in-school resources to support their drafting process?
Taking advantage of an upcoming assessment to scaffold what it means to study for this subject matter. How should a student backmap their studying from an expected test date? How should a student make use of class notes, previous quizzes and homework assignments, and other classroom resources to effectively study? How can a student more effectively self-advocate and take advantage of office hours and in-school resources in preparation for an assessment?
Preparing for standardized tests, including the ISEE, SSAT, ACT, or SAT among other tests.
College essay coaching and related project management and organizational skill building.

Enrichment Teaching, Internships, and Career Readiness

Independent study with a faculty mentor in any discipline, including but not limited to STEM, creative writing, humanities, or the arts
Researching internship opportunities at the high school or college level while developing specific skills related to drafting cover letters and resumes as well as interview preparation
Creating and enhancing LinkedIn profiles for professional endeavors

These links below provide more information about our differentiated approach and value proposition with regard to short-term tutoring:

To learn more about short-term tutoring for your student, please contact us to schedule a planning meeting so that we can better understand your needs and priorities and further discuss an approach that will work best for your family.

By Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman, Board Certified Educational Planners and Learning Specialists

Navigating Test-Optional Policies

March 30, 2024 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Over the last several school years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of colleges and independent schools adopting test-optional policies. Moreover, some schools adopted a test-blind policy, which is different from a test-optional policy. The intention is good, but the practical navigation is complicated and often more stressful because we’re living in a gray zone. And notably many independent schools and colleges have already started to reverse their test-optional policy.

In theory, doing away with standardized testing seems like a welcome change, but — in effect — it has upended the application cycle and resulted in a HUGE increase of applications and stiffer competition for spots. Moreover, many private schools have just developed their own assessments and placement tests in lieu of standardized testing, and many colleges have required testing later in the process in order to secure certain majors or to opt into more advanced coursework during a student’s first year. Therefore, the majority of competitive applicants continue to submit standardized test scores in an effort to exceed admissions standards and differentiate themselves from their equally competitive peers while keeping all doors open and avoiding unwelcome surprises later in the application process.

While families should consider a number of factors in deciding whether their child should take a standardized test or which test is the best fit, in the vast majority of instances, we recommend that families pursue testing, even in the current climate with test-optional policies in place. Choosing to test makes sense for a number of reasons:

Test scores are a useful data point.

We believe that there are no “false positives” with test scores. A strong score on a given test section, or across the board, indicates that the student has achieved facility with the skills tested, whether they be math, reading, or a subject area such as those assessed by the AP exams. Because tests are generally timed, a strong score also illustrates the student’s ability to perform under pressure. This is helpful data that, combined with the other pieces of information in a student’s application package, helps admissions officers envision how that applicant will fit in at their school. This data can be advantageous and differentiate applicants in a test-optional environment. Moreover, strong test scores help to demonstrate academic mastery in a climate where there is some concern about grade inflation.

Testing sharpens students’ time management techniques.

It is true that, in many situations, a timed closed-book test is not the best way to measure a student’s abilities. However, it is equally true that timed closed-book tests remain popular on the middle school, high school, and college levels. Good test preparation helps students learn to stay focused and to use their time wisely. These techniques can help them perform better and reduce stress as they take exams and various classroom assessments.

Test preparation is a vehicle for skills enrichment.

The SAT asks students to read seminal historic documents. The ACT asks students to think analytically about charts, graphs, and scientific experiment design. The ISEE and SSAT asks students to expand their working vocabularies and enhance their math skills and problem solving strategies. As students undertake test preparation for a specific assessment, the work they do helps them excel in their broader academic pursuits. A test-optional policy helps to reduce the pressure around high stakes testing, but the preparation itself is leveraged well beyond the official testing.

Test scores can clear the path to advanced classes.

In the case of Advanced Placement tests (and previously the SAT subject tests, which were abruptly “retired” by the College Board in January 2021), a high enough score in high school can vault a new college student over the introductory courses and straight into higher-level work. In a test-optional environment, and with distance learning changing the nature of course-based assessment, these strong data points help to further differentiate a candidate.

Test scores keep students’ options open.

After a student takes the ACT or SAT, the scores are generally considered current for at least three years. If a student who took the test in high school later wants to transfer colleges, they only need to focus on keeping their grades up and applying to new colleges. However, if they never took the ACT or SAT, they might have to add test preparation to their already busy schedule. It’s difficult to predict if a future college consideration may have (or maintain) a test-optional policy.

We recommend students begin preparing for their tests well ahead of time, although we recognize that many juniors are getting a later start again this year. That’s okay, we believe any time can be the right time to start becoming a stronger tester. Ideally, we work with students over a longer period of time so that test preparation does not feel like cramming. We find that extended periods of time for preparation help students to significantly reduce test anxiety, master content, and internalize strategies.

As a general process, our students applying to grades 5 through 12 (ISEE/SSAT) and college (ACT, SAT, and/or APs) begin by taking a practice test that serves as a benchmark a year or more in advance of actually taking an official test. Based on this performance, we recommend a plan to maximize preparation time. For the ISEE, SSAT, ACT, and SAT, we most often have an English teacher and a math teacher working with a student as the math, reading, and verbal reasoning sections require specialized expertise. Often they require different efforts, too. With all the changes surrounding test-optional policies, it’s more confusing than ever for parents and students to navigate. We can help.

Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman, Board Certified Educational Planners and Learning Specialists

Understanding the Value of Tutoring with My Learning Springboard

February 27, 2024 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Differentiated Instruction

With expertise differentiating for a wide range of learners, our private tutoring and test preparation work with families is designed to meet the needs of neurotypical and neurodiverse learners. Our faculty includes Learning Specialists, Classroom Teachers, Professors, and Subject-Matter Experts with varied backgrounds and cross-training. Moreover, our private tutoring and test preparation services are designed to give families top priority with our Leadership Team through in-person appointments, phone or video conferences, and e-mail.

From Remediation to Acceleration

From “Back To Basics” instruction to “Accelerated and Enrichment Teaching”, our skillful faculty provides direct instruction in person or remotely depending on a family’s preference and geographic location. All tutoring and test preparation efforts benefit from a team-based approach internally in addition to collaboration with outside professionals at a family’s preference. This internal, team-based approach leverages our deep knowledge of curriculum and instructional design, specialized instruction, and educational psychology to consistently create successful outcomes. And all work provides a vehicle for the authentic development of executive function skills provided the intention is set with explicit instruction.

To address skill gaps and/or accelerate instruction, private tutoring is the most effective solution. Meeting once weekly or twice weekly is most typical. High-dosage tutoring is generally defined as intensive 1:1 tutoring at least 3x per week, or for about 50 hours over a semester.

For students with reading and writing challenges needing Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, or PAF curricula in addition to other scaffolded instruction in math and other subject areas, we have this expertise. And for our students who don’t necessarily need this specific instruction, they benefit from our specialized training, too.

Benefits of Tutoring with My Learning Springboard

Direct partnering with Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman, the only Board Certified Educational Planners in NYC at the K-12 Level (located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan), and both of whom are Learning Specialists with expertise in Curriculum and Instructional Design.

Notably, Board Certification through AICEP is the highest level of credentialing in the Educational Consulting space. It requires a significant commitment to continuing education and professional development, demonstrated educational leadership, and regular school visits and engagement with school professionals. Re-certification occurs every 5 years, and Brad and Faya were just re-certified this month.

Moreover, Brad is a Literacy Specialist and Elementary Math and Science Specialist; Faya is a Literacy Specialist. In partnership with our faculty, we create a teaching team for each family, and we leverage our deep knowledge of various school settings (including mainstream, specialized, and therapeutic) and curricula in order to offer a unique perspective for strategic planning purposes.

Developing, implementing, and/or managing targeted plans for remediation, acceleration, and test preparation as well as executive function coaching.

Brad and Faya’s collaboration and instructional coaching with faculty members for all private tutoring and test preparation programs.

Unlimited availability for parents, guardians, or caregivers with Brad and Faya, during normal business hours, regarding instructional matters related to tutoring or test preparation programs (scheduling for calls and meetings is required).

Access for families to our integrated services and instruction with our highly-credentialed, skillful, and multidisciplinary faculty in order to meet the diverse needs of each student or siblings within a family.

Teacher access to our Virtual Library of professional resources and curated curricula material.

Collaboration with parents, school faculty, and related service providers per a family’s preference.

Flexibility with in-person or remote instruction as well as teacher choice for each family.

All tutoring and test preparation programs intentionally integrate executive function skill building.

Support with referrals to related service professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, OTs, etc.

Review of school report cards and progress reports as they become available quarterly or semesterly for strategic planning purposes.

Initial support with accommodations approval processes and planning (more complex planning efforts and appeals processes require separate, ad hoc consultation).

20% reduction on ad hoc consultation (1-10 hours) while engaged in tutoring and test preparation services, which may be related to planning for parent-teacher conferences, navigating interactions and requests with school administration or classroom teachers, crisis management (e.g. disciplinary action, medical leaves), and strategizing for upcoming processes, such as school transitions or college planning.

Privacy, discretion and confidentiality within our boutique, multidisciplinary educational consulting firm.

Scheduling A Planning Meeting

Whatever your need or wonder may be, please don’t hesitate to contact us. An initial planning meeting is usually the best way to get started. These meetings can be 30, 45, or 60 minutes by Zoom, by phone, or in person per a family’s preference. A single planning meeting allows us to talk more substantively about your family’s specific needs, priorities, and goals so that we can determine possible next steps. We’re committed to developing unique solutions for unique learners!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Warm regards,
Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman,
Co-Founders and Learning Concierges, My Learning Springboard

High-Dosage Tutoring

November 27, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Following several years of significant operational disruptions, schools are focused on stabilizing routines and expectations and reconciling underdeveloped skills given the overwhelming data on pandemic learning loss experienced to some degree for the majority of learners in both private and public schools. In a recent research brief from July 2023, NWEA estimates that the average student needs 4.1 additional months of reading instruction and 4.5 additional months of math instruction in order to catch up to pre-pandemic levels. Nationally, the average 8th grader is one full year below grade level.

The antidote to skill gaps is high-dosage tutoring, which is generally defined as intensive 1:1 tutoring at least 3x per week, or for about 50 hours over a semester. We’ve seen an increase in the requests for high-dosage tutoring over the past 18 months, and this trend has continued this fall.

Our conversations with parents and school faculty in addition to our own observations confirm the following concerns across the curriculum:

Writing skills across all grade levels, and for all writing purposes (e.g narrative, informational, and persuasive), needs improvement. Subcategories of writing work include:
- Prewriting strategies
- Basic and advanced grammar and syntax
- Sentence fluency and varying sentence structures
- Transition words and phrases
- Sequencing and chunking ideas to create effective, multi-paragraph pieces
- Incorporating quotations and citing references
- Systematically editing and proofreading
- Incorporating stronger vocabulary
- Improving close reading skills, including note taking, annotating, and properly outlining, is a common need for students in the upper elementary, middle, and high school divisions.
Decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension work with students in elementary and middle school, which includes effectively summarizing texts and determining / justifying the main idea of a non-fiction text.
Automaticity of basic math facts (all four operations).
Work with fractions is complex and spans common fractions, decimal fractions and percentages. We see a lot of skill gaps here.
Executive function skill building is needed, particularly as it relates to work prioritization, goal setting, time management, minimizing distractions, and developing enhanced metacognition so that a student learns to set themself up for optimal performance under particular circumstances.

As a result of academic doubt, we’ve seen a return to admissions testing requirements at most NYC day schools and some highly selective boarding schools in addition to many colleges. Despite the continued use of “test-optional” language at various schools, this testing is NOT really optional for everyone. It remains a filter. We know that media buzz can sometimes be confusing and misleading, and this is absolutely true as it relates to test-optional policies for the majority of our students. We continue to help our students achieve success with school and college admissions because we continue to take the harder, more steady road exceeding expectations everywhere we can. Submitting strong test scores continues to be a way to demonstrate academic mastery in a climate where there is considerable doubt. Moreover, “holistic reviews” by admissions committees take each student’s specific context into consideration, so “being competitive” is relative to each student’s situation and environment.

Of note, the average baseline performance we’re seeing for admissions testing is lower than the average performance we saw prior to the pandemic. This data is reinforced by the lower scores we’ve seen at large on private school achievement test data, such as CTPs or MAP testing. Therefore, students engaged in ISEE, SSAT, ACT or SAT work have the specific advantage of auditing prerequisite skills and systematically closing any gaps before moving onto accelerated instruction.

With most planning and establishing new routines, it’s important to not let perfect be the enemy of good. Plans can always be tweaked or recalibrated as more information becomes available. With that in mind, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s academic performance, or if you have an interest in pursuing a private school or college admissions process, please contact us to schedule an appointment for further discussion without delay!

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

To Superscore or Not To Superscore?

September 11, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

The ACT differs from the SAT in many ways and is becoming more unique as the SAT transitions to digital only in 2023. The ACT has a different format, a different approach to the questions, and a palette of accommodations options. However, in addition to all of these differences, the ACT test also allows a student to calculate a superscore.

What is a superscore?

Superscoring allows a student to combine the highest scores from separate ACT test trials to create a single superscore.

To see how super scoring works, consider the following two ACT test scores:

February Official Test Scores:

English 35

Math 31

Reading 32

Science 35

Here the composite (which is the average of the 4 scores) 33.25 which rounds down to 33.

April Official Test Scores:

English 32

Math 35

Reading 36

Science 32

And here the composite is 33.75 which rounds up to a 34.

Above, we see the student earning a similar composite score overall (33 or 34) despite very different scores on the individual tests.

Let’s consider a superscore of these two tests.

SUPERSCORE

English 35

Math 35

Reading 36

Science 35

Composite (average of the 4 scores) 35.25 which rounds up to 35!

The superscore above combines the 35 in English and Science on the February official test with the Math and reading scores from the April official test, which results in a higher composite score. This higher composite score is a superscore!

Superscoring is a wonderful trend in testing because it allows a student to share their best individual section scores and highest possible composite score with colleges to improve their chances of admission into increasingly competitive schools.

The ACT nonprofit organization has recently published data on superscores that can be seen by following this link. This research, titled Impact of Superscoring on Subgroup Differences by Dr. Krista Mattern, PhD and Justine Radunzel, PhD, carefully examines the correlation between superscores and grades earned during the first year of college. In addition, the ACT website asserts that “research shows ACT superscores are better at predicting success in college than other scoring methods.^[1]”

In other words, high school students who re-take the ACT and do well are statistically more likely to succeed in college.

Some feel taking the ACT multiple times may be seen by colleges as a “fishing expedition” where a student is simply trying to combine as many high scores as possible. In response to this valid concern, we recommend taking the test at least two times officially and no more than three times officially.

It is very rare to earn a perfect ACT score on one’s first testing attempt. However, retesting and superscoring the ACT can make it easier to earn a top score while demonstrating many other positive traits. The ACT is a specific area where it is possible to really shine and illustrate one’s intellectual ability and content mastery beyond the classroom. Also, re-taking the test shows grit because it demonstrates how students are committed to improvement, which is an advantageous quality for an admissions officer to notice!

By Grant Bergland, Private Tutor and Learning Specialist, Brad Hoffman, Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist, and Faya Hoffman, Board Certified Educational Planner and Learning Specialist.

^[1] https://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents/high-school-success/testing-advice-for-the-act/superscore-faqs.html