Tutor Time

By Janelle Rettig

Does your child struggle in school? He’s not alone. Over 52% of New Jersey’s 3rd through 6th graders scored below a “Meet Expectations” on the Mathematics section of the Spring 2016 PARCC; about 48% did not meet expectations on the English portion of the test. Research shows that one way a child’s school performance can improve is through tutoring. One study showed that those that students who received tutoring through Reading Partners, a program that helps low-income children with reading, scored two to three percentile points higher on assessments than students in the control group. Another study showed that students’ scores in math improved by three quarters of a year’s worth of progress after using Math Whizz, an online tutoring program, for just 50 minutes per week. So, what are some warning signs that your child might need a tutor? Besides watching her grades, contact her teacher. Your child’s teacher may notice trends in your child’s performance. A quick e-mail to the teacher every so often might alert you to any troubles before the progress report arrives. In addition, your child’s behavior might prove important clues. Spending extra time on homework or continuously asking for help could indicate that your child has difficulty in certain areas, and if your child avoids school or expresses dislike for a certain subject she might do so because of academic struggles.