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Our Winter Tuition Sale has started and continues through February 12th.  Call now to get further details and see how we can help your student improve one grade level within 36 hours!

How Healthy Are Your Child’s Math Skills?

How Healthy Are Your Child’s Math Skills?

Sylvan Learning Located In Cleveland, Youngstown and Cincinnati Offers Free Math Check Ups For 1^st-12^th Graders To Measure Preparedness For New School Year

With school back in session, many students and families are now focusing on homework and grades—paying special attention to crucial subjects like math. Developing strong math skills during the school years is critical, since success in math during middle and high school is increasingly tied to accomplishment in college and beyond, and basic math skills are now a requirement for almost every career opportunity that exists today. To help students gain a better understanding of their math skills, Sylvan Learning, a leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, is offering a free math assessment, "Math Check Up,” from now through October for students entering first through twelfth grades.

Based on the Ohio academic achievement standards and the Ohio math curriculum, Math Check Up is a 30 minute skills locator that measures a child's math proficiency and skill level in math. The assessment provides parents with a free analysis of their child’s preparedness in math and some actionable steps aimed at helping their child achieve lasting math success in school.

“Mastering the fundamentals in math at an early age is critical for student success in algebra, trigonometry, and other advanced mathematics,” says Randy Rohde, Executive Director of Sylvan Learning. “Most students often struggle with some portion of math and algebra and parents are always searching for answers to help their kids. With these assessments, our aim is to help families take the first step in measuring their child’s math proficiency at the beginning of the school year.”

An understanding of the importance of math in their lives puts students well on their way to academic success, so it’s critical that parents play an active role in boosting their child’s understanding of math, and in cultivating an interest in numbers. According to the Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009, a little more than a third of American 4^th and 8^th grade students performed at the ‘proficient’ level in mathematics for their grade levels. And there was “no significant change in the performance of the nation’s 4^th graders in mathematics from 2007 to 2009.” This marks the first instance of stagnation in the almost 20 years since the national test was first administered in 1990. While education officials evaluate big-picture mathematics policy and instructional issues for our nation as a whole, parents can act now to become vocal mathematics champions for their children.

The free math check-ups are available through October. Parents can call (888) YES-SYLVAN to register their child for the assessment.

“My son took Sylvan’s free Math Check Up recently and it’s amazing how much we learned after the assessment! We now have a solid understanding of where he needs the most help at the beginning of the school year and are looking forward to working with his teachers to make sure he can improve his math skills.” said Mrs. Hooper. “ The assessment is indeed very valuable and timely.”

For more information on math resources offered by Sylvan Learning, please visit www.sylvanlearning.com or call (888) YES-SYLVAN

Get a Jump on Success This School Year

Unlimited Learning at Sylvan

We’re excited to announce a very special promotion for January! For this month only, parents can purchase unlimited tutoring from now until the end of June.

Unlimited tutoring includes:

• Unlimited Tutoring in any Sylvan Subject
• Unlimited Homework Support
• Unlimited Use of BookAdventure.org
• Unlimited Skills Assessments
• School Conferences
• Parent Conferences
• Unlimited Sibling Skills Assessments
• Unlimited Practice SAT or ACT Tests
• Unlimited Test Prep (SAT, ACT or ASVAB)
• Unlimited Early Learning Academy
• Unlimited College Prep (College Writing and Advanced Reading)

Choose the payment option that works for you:

• Financing
• Prepayment
• Four Monthly Installments

This is a great time of the year to get students into Sylvan and a great opportunity to help students finish the year strong! We have never done this before and are very much looking forward to seeing students more often in the center. Call us today to get started!
1-800-EDUCATE

Surviving the Teen Years - pt 1

Does thinking about the first day of school hatch butterflies in your stomach wondering how to navigate around a large and new school, if friendships will be developed, and whether homework will become overwhelming? If you are asking yourself these questions as a parent, imagine the uncertainty your child feels as he or she begins the journey to middle or high school.

Middle and high school are times of great change, numerous “firsts” and transitions. Thankfully, you and your tween or teen don’t have to cope with the impending changes all at once, and certainly not during the first few weeks of the new school year.

As your child prepares for heading back into the classroom, what is important during this vital transitional period?

Parental Involvement
Ask parents who has the most influence over decisions and behaviors of their children and most will reply, “Their peers.” Yet, research confirms that when teens are asked who has the most input over their actions, they overwhelmingly reply, “My parents.”

Despite the eye-rolling and often demonstrated (and completely natural) push for independence, middle and high school students need you - their parents. Who better can provide the guidance, direction, love, and support to guide them into adulthood?

Yet, a National Middle School Association study confirms that parental involvement too often declines during the crucial secondary school years. Among children in kindergarten through Grade 5, 69 percent of parents were highly involved in school. Among children in grades 9 through 12, however, only 39 percent were involved in their children’s school activities.

According to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the reason for this decline in parental involvement, just as teens are entering middle and high school, is two-fold. First, maturing children have a growing need to develop a sense of self and independence that is separate from their families. The PTA reports, “Teenagers begin to weigh choices and consequences, make more decisions on their own, learn from their mistakes, and establish their own set of values to guide their decisions and actions. They begin refusing help from their parents.”

Second, parents’ roles begin changing, in order for children to develop self-identity. While parents continue to offer encouragement and guidance, they begin stepping back a little in all aspects of their children’s lives in order to show their respect for their children’s growing independence. The PTA recommends, “Parents must begin to let adolescents make their own choices - good and bad - and have teenagers take responsibility for their actions and decisions.”

What Parents Can Do
Talk with your tweens and teens in ways that encourage information sharing about school activities and their personal concerns while reinforcing your support – emotionally and academically.

Discussion questions for parents and teens include:
• Discuss what worries you most about the middle/high school transition years. Ask your teen what are his or her biggest concerns?
• Parents, what is the best way to know how things are really going at school? Discuss with your child how best to strike a balance between involvement and independence in the teen years.
• High school parents, talk to your teens about what they want in a university. How much stress does he or she feel during the admissions process?

Summer is the Perfect Time to Prepare for the ACT/SAT

Two of the most important college entrance requirements are a student's academic record and performance on the SAT or ACT achievement test. Increasing a student's SAT or ACT score can increase the likelihood of acceptance into a student’s first choice of college and help bring opportunity for increased scholarship money to the school. Also, successfully graduating from a college or university can help increase earnings by more than four to ten times than a student without a college degree. Therefore, a vital first step in helping students realize their dreams is to help them effectively prepare for the SAT or ACT.

“Interesting and targeted summer programs and test prep can help your teen better prepare for the competitive college admissions process,” explains Rusty Greiff, vice president of Sylvan Learning College Prep. “Summer is a perfect time to ‘get ahead’ through SAT/ACT test prep classes as well core subjects that will help your teen reach his or her full potential.”

College admissions today are more competitive than at any time. New tools, such as the common application, encourage students to apply to more schools. This increases the competition, making it more difficult for students to gain acceptance into the colleges and universities that were once seen as safe bets.

What does this mean for students?

“A well-rounded application, including strong SAT and ACT scores, is critical,” adds Greiff. “Getting into the right college requires a great deal of time, effort and careful planning – as early as Freshman year of high school – for students and their families.”

Report Card Anxiety

Parents around the country will soon be receiving their children's report cards. The following tips, devised by the education professionals at Sylvan Learning Center, are designed to help parents provide their children with positive and constructive responses during what is often a challenging time.

1. Communicate with your child throughout the six or nine-week report period. Don't wait until the report cards are issued -- it's too late then.

2. Clearly communicate your expectations to your child. Also, determine if your expectations are realistic considering the student's ability level.

3. Establish academic goals together with your child. These should be both short and long range and must be appropriate to the age of the child.

4. Meet with your child's teachers. Explore what resources the school offers students such as tutors, homework centers, pre-school day classes or online subject support.

5. Discuss problem areas with your child's teacher. Any skill deficiencies that are causing performance problems must be correctly identified and addressed.

6. Establish a study plan with your child. He/she needs to develop regular study habits and to spend an adequate amount of time daily on homework and studying for tests.

7. Recognize and praise your child's successes. For example, with an elementary school age child, you might talk about how pleased you are about better behavior in class.

8. Get help immediately if you see a problem. Don't fall prey to your child's promise to do better. He may not be able to correct certain issues without help from the adults in his life.

9. Stay in touch with your child's school counselor. The link between home and school is vital. The counselor can request periodic progress reports between grading periods and set up conferences with teachers, parents and students when necessary.

10. Think about what motivates your child. Positive motivators include offering rewards, such as money, video games, CD's, a driver's license or driving privileges, for improved grades. Consequences include grounding your child, restricting phone/Internet time and taking away other privileges such as use of the family car.

11. Reward your child for a good report card. Rather than giving money, spend extra time with your child, go for a walk together, take a family excursion or go to a favorite restaurant.

12. Be sure to keep report cards in perspective. Remember that this is just one measure at one particular time of how your child is doing.

13. Follow these simple STUDY rules:

S - Stay on top of your child's study schedule. Be aware of assignments and whether your student is using time effectively to tackle homework.

T - Team with your child, the teacher and counselor. Work together to develop a meaningful contract that clearly outlines expectations and sets desired goals.

U - Use a daily assignment planner and project calendar.

D - Define your child's deficiencies and identify the skills that are needed to address the performance problems.

Y - You are your child's greatest advocate. Be a partner to help your student achieve his/her highest academic potential.