Tutoring

Hiring a tutor is an important step in helping your child make meaningful progress. The tutor will draw up an agreement to outline their remediation plan for your student. These agreements often will answer most of the information below.  If not, we have provided a list of questions to consider asking before hiring a tutor.

You do not need a dyslexia diagnosis to begin tutoring.

  • Please describe your background and training. This may include Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Wilson Reading System (WRS) or Certified Barton Tutor. There is no regulation about who can call themselves an Educational Therapist or Reading Specialist. It does take someone with specialized skills to teach students with dyslexia to read.
  • How long have you been tutoring?
  • Do you specialize in children with dyslexia?
  • Do you use a structured literacy system? Which one? Are you certified in that system? How long have you used it? If they don’t know what Orton Gillingham (OG) or structured literacy means, do NOT hire them.
  • How do you determine the ‘starting point?’ A screening will determine phonological awareness and phonic skills.
  • Do you help with homework or do you concentrate only on teaching?
  • Will you expect me to work with my child at home between sessions?
  • How long does instruction need to continue? How often? What progress can I expect? This will depend on the age of the student, severity of dyslexia, co-existing conditions and student participation.
  • How often will you provide feedback on my child’s progress and in what format?
  • Will you interact with my child’s school? Are you willing to consult with teachers?
  • A tutor who uses many different programs including OG, but is not teaching any of them to fidelity.
  • Any type of general tutoring, including homework help.
  • Somebody who tells you that they can cure your student(s) of dyslexia.
  • Somebody who guarantees a certain level of improvement over a certain time.
  • A tutor who asks for a large sum of money upfront.
  • They tell you that they know how the brain works with steadfast certitude.
  • A tutor who is re-teaching classroom work. A structured literacy program does not match the pace of typical classroom instruction.

Most national tutoring centers do not offer specialized tutoring for dyslexic students. Lindamood Bell Learning Centers are an exception.

  • How do you schedule your sessions? Do you offer standing appointments or scheduled week-to-week?
  • Are the available times compatible with your family’s schedule?
  • Where will instruction occur?
  • What is the policy for missed sessions?
  • How many sessions per week do you recommend? Students with dyslexia should attend at least two 50-minute sessions a week. Most programs hold at least two to three sessions a week .
  • Do you have references? Can you give me the contact information of parents of students you currently tutor?
  • Could we schedule a free consultation so that my child and I can meet you and see your office?
  • Are instructional materials included in the session fee?
  • What is the fee for phone calls and conferences at school or with you?
  • When is payment required and how often?
  • What is your session/hourly fee? What happens if my child has to miss a session? In Minnesota, tutoring session fees average between $30-$80 per session. This depends on experience, business model, and credentials. Also, this fee may be higher in the Twin Cities.
  • First, we need to set realistic expectations. Teaching students with dyslexia to read and write does not happen fast. After a long day of school, some students are resistant to extra work. But, once they realize it’s effective, they’re more likely to be willing participants.
  • Ask for the scope and sequence of the program so you know what skills your child will be working on.
  • Progress reports from the tutor will outline skill mastery. Most programs have progress checks. Ask how and how often they will communicate this information.
  • Standardized tools provide information on decoding, accuracy and fluency. The school may offer progress monitoring through AIMSWEB or DIBELS DEEP. The ideal cadence for progress monitoring is three times per year.
  • Standardized test scores should improve.
  • Progress vs. Meaningful Progress: Why Knowing the Difference Makes All the Difference

The sooner a child with dyslexia receives appropriate instruction, the better the outcome.

Children who can’t read at grade level by third grade are four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than those who are proficient in reading.  -Robert Balfanz, John Hopkins University study, 2011

Students not proficient in reading by the beginning of third grade have only a 17% chance of catching up.  -NICHD study

Many schools don’t provide the instruction that students with dyslexia need. Structured Literacy is the best instruction for most children with dyslexia. This method approaches reading systematically to teach the sounds and symbols of language. Based on work by Samuel Orton and Dr. Anna Gillingham, it’s known as the Orton-Gillingham method.

  • Explicit. All students start at the beginning. Tutors don’t assume any previous knowledge or skills.
  • Systematic and cumulative. Lessons are taught in order and each builds on previous learning.
  • Multi-sensory. Lessons engage all senses; auditory, visual and kinesthetic.

Student-paced and taught to mastery. Students do not move on until they’ve mastered the content.

Reading Corps offers direct tutoring services to students at partner schools during the school day. The tutors are trained in several strategies to support students in grades K-3.

One strategy is an intervention called Word Construction. It follows a phonics sequence that teaches words in isolation and in connected text. This intervention is a good fit for students with dyslexia.

Ask your student’s teacher if their school has Reading Corps.

The Dyslexia Centers for Children of Upper Wisconsin opened a campus in Superior, WI. The campus provides one-to-one structured language instruction. Tutoring is open to anyone and provided at no cost, regardless of the state of residency. Accredited tutor training for adults is also provided at no cost. The center is currently accepting applications for new tutors and students.

These are some of the most well-known Structured Literacy-based systems.

Barton Reading & Spelling System

Designed for one-on-one tutoring. The training comes on DVD, along with lesson plans and unlimited support.
Bright Solutions for Dyslexia

Orton-Gillingham

Orton Gillingham Academy

Slingerland

Designed for young children in first, second, and third grade.
The Slingerland Institute

Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA)

Edmar Educational Services

Wilson Reading System

Wilson Language Training Corporation

The Sonday System

Winsor Learning