Should I hire a tutor at the beginning of the school year?

September 1, 2022

Well, it's that time of the year again. The New York City public schools will open on Thursday, September 8.

As you plan your child's school year routine, you may be wrestling with the pros and cons of hiring a tutor at this time.

In this post, we will discuss one of the reasons why it may be reasonable for a family to consider hiring a tutor in September.

In August, the results of the 2022 ELA and Math state exams were released for children in grades 3-8. These results were released in time for parents and schools to make plans for the upcoming school year. The New York State exams are an assessment of the mastery of grade specific skills as specified by the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards. These standards are a part of a very comprehensive curriculum. For each grade level, there is a series of standards that a child is expected to demonstrate profiency in. Proficiency is hereby defined as the ability to demonstrate knowledge of and the abiity to apply an acquired skill to solve complex and novel problems. The exams consist of several multi-step multiple choice and open ended questions. A score of 3-4 indicates that a student met the standards, while a score of a 1 or 2 indicates that the student did not meet the standards. If your child scored a 2 or below on either the ELA or Math state exam, you may wish to consider hiring a tutor now.

The ELA exam typically occurs in late April and the Math exam ususally is administered in early May. The school year begins in September, thus, this gives teachers roughly seven months to teach all of the skills that will be assssed for a particular grade level on a state exam. This means that teachers have to present and review the material rather quickly. This pace may be too overwhelming for some children. In such cases, additional support would be beneficial.

For over 10 years, My Visiting Tutor has successfully helped many New York City children acquire the skills needed to successfully meet the standards and pass the state exams. If you would like to discuss tutoring for your child, Click here to sign up.