Reading Tutors for Middle School & High School

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Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • ISO: Reading tutor. 8th grader w/IEP reading well below grade.

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    Sep 28, 2024

    We're looking for a tutor who can help with decoding, fluency and comprehension.

    My 8th grader has an IEP for a reading disability and receptive language in general. (And a stutter.) Stuck at a 4th grade reading level per STAR tests.

    Hoping to find a specialized tutor that can spend some time working to bring her up to level. IEP resources at the school at this level only help in getting homework done, not advancing skills...

    Sep 28, 2024

    No responses received.

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  • Middle School Reading and Writing Help

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    Apr 15, 2019

    Hi There,

    My 7th grader is behind in reading and writing.  He's always been a reluctant reader and has terrible handwriting, but also cannot write proper sentences for his grade level.  I am looking for a private tutor, or a good center that could help him, and a good summer program too.  I saw some older recommendations, but I am looking for more current recommendations.  Thank you!

    Apr 15, 2019

    Our daughter has gotten excellent tutoring in reading and writing from Ivy Sandz (ivy [at] ivysandz.com; 510-528-8773), on the Berkeley-Albany border.

    Based on your description, I'm wondering if your son has a learning issue (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia).  Our daughter has poor handwriting with a lot of variation in letter formation, poor spelling, slow reading, difficulty getting her thoughts on paper despite being very smart and verbally (orally) quite expressive. A neuropsych assessment turned up specific learning disorders in reading and writing.

    Apr 18, 2019

    Hi there,

    You may want to investigate learning differences for your child. If your child is in public school, you can request to have your child evaluated for learning challenges.  If they are identified, your son would be eligible to receive services through the school district for learning support. As an alternate, you could choose to have an independent neuropsychologist assessment that would thoroughly evaluate learning challenges, but those run around 6K.  

    If you are interested in having the school district assess for learning challenges, you could contact dredf.org to speak with an advocate for help navigating those requests. DREDF has template forms and can give you the procedural information you'd need if you want to pursue that route. 

    Good luck! (Mom of two learning challenged kids) 

    Apr 19, 2019

    Hi - A reading specialist / educational therapist could be very valuable.  You may also want to figure out what's going on, either through a school or private evaluation. Bad handwriting can be a sign of a learning difference. (We have our son type whenever possible. His handwriting is unreadable. And instead of pushing him to get better at something that his brain isn't wired for, we use the keyboard as his tool for written communication instead of handwriting. That really improved his self-esteem around writing. We do need to remind his teachers each year to allow him to keyboard, and they have been supportive.)

    Best of luck to you, Laura

    Apr 22, 2019

  • HS Student Needs Reading Comprehension Tutor

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    Aug 30, 2018

    Hi BPN Community - My daughter is a junior at BHS and continues to have trouble with reading comprehension, particularly with non-fiction texts. I recently looked at an 8 page essay she was reading and annotating, and she missed many of the important points, highlighting less relevant phrases, instead of the key thesis, summaries and evidences. I'm not sure how to help her develop the skills to identify important elements in a passage/essay and then analyze those elements critically. Does anyone have a student with similar issues? Do you have a tutor in the Berkeley/Albany/Oakland area you can recommend? Thanks!

    Aug 30, 2018

    Hi,

    Just a small tip.  Back in the day I used Cliff notes to help me frame my understanding of the material.  Id read the book and then read cliff for prioritizing points.  For me there were so many directions I could go.  Im sure there are more up to date materials, or maybe not.  Either way, it was a huge help

    We all get to Grandmas house one way or another.

    good luck!

    Sep 3, 2018

    You should look for a tutor versed in Linda-Mood-Bell's Visualizing & Verbalizing strategies. There is a LMB Center in Berkeley you could look into to find out more.

    Good Luck!
     

    Sep 3, 2018

    Our Ed Therapist is super. She sees kids from elementary school through high school. Her name is Shari Simburg. Phone: 510.649.7712. Email shari.simburg [at] gmail.com

    She helped my middle school daughter with areas my daughter struggles with: reading comprehension, summarizing what she is reading, "reading between the lines," and homework challenges. She is in Berkeley and usually works out of the North Berkeley Library.

    Good luck. 

    Sep 3, 2018

    Hi,  My son's tutor is Linda Mood Bell trained and she is great!!   My son hates, hates any sort of writing but he likes working with Peggy.   She works with kids of all ages.  My son is 15 and has been with her since he was 9.  He mostly goes now because it helps him get his homework done.  She's done wonders with him.  Just read something he wrote for his English class and was so impressed with how good it was.   Her name is Peggy Connell.  She's in Berkeley, close to Berkeley High.  Her number is 415-786-3879.    Good luck!

    Sep 3, 2018

     Our educational therapist, Shari Simburg has been tutoring my son who has had some attentional and organizational challenges since fifth grade and he is now in tenth grade and doing very welll both socially and academically. She helps him with reading comprehension, writing strategies, grammar and executive functioning. I highly recommend Shari as she is very warm and has a wonderful matter with kids and teens. You can email Shari at shar.simburg [at] gmail.com or call her at 510-649-7712. In past years she came to our house in Albany, but currently my son sees her at the North Berkeley Library. 

    Sep 10, 2018

    My son had Jane Ashley, who is highly trained and experienced in helping kids with processing issues. She was terrific, transforming him from anon reader to a reader with great comprehension. her phone is 601-9780 and I am sure you can Google her. She is close to berkeley Bowl. She is super with resistant kids (like my son was!).

    Sep 17, 2018

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Reading tutor for high school student

May 2014

I am looking for a reading tutor with experience to help my daughter with certain areas of reading where she has weaknesses, including reading comprehension and some decoding and fluency. Most tutors I have spoken with tutor younger children or they are booked for the summer. Also, we are looking for someone preferably in Oakland or Alameda. We would consider someone in Berkeley but I do not want to drive more than 30 minutes since we live in Alameda. Does anyone have a suggestion?

I just posted a review for Heather Sweeney, But I have to say she would be perfect for you. She actually comes to you house, so you don't have to worry about the driving, and I know she has come to Alameda before. It IS hard to find someone appropriate for High Schoolers, and I have great respect for Heather's ability to reach these kids. Good luck!

here is my review: Heather Sweeney has been working with D for two years now, and she is fantastic. I called her when my hardworking daughter with ADHD hit a bump in AP US History in her Junior year of High School. At first she said she had no room, but after hearing our story she showed, not for the last time, her level of compassion by saying,'' I want to help her''. She comes to our house, charges very reasonable rates, and has helped D with study and note taking skills, writing, test prep and much more. She is funny, patient, smart and caring. D sees her as a friend and looks forward to their sessions. Also enjoyable are the ''tribal dinners'' when many of Heather's students have a pot luck together and have a chance to share stories. My daughter made it into her dream college and we owe much of this to Heather. Contact info: hthrsweeney [at] gmail.com Robyn