Bridges Reading & Writing Institute

BENEFITS OF JOINING THE BRWI FAMILY

Screening. You can trust our screening process. In addition to a standard oral interview, each of our teachers are required to participate in mock tutoring sessions where the candidates must show us how they would address reading and writing problems and relate to a student's need. Also, the candidates are required to prepare a portfolio of their most successful teaching practices detailing their planning process as well as their personal reflections on the lesson's strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we conduct a full background, reference, credential and criminal check prior to hiring our teachers. You have the peace of mind to know that your child is receiving the highest caliber of instruction from genuinely caring and qualified teachers.

Initial Assessment. Before instructional sessions begin, we conduct an initial assessment of your child's reading and writing skills. We review all records of standardized test scores such as the California Achievement Test (CAT-6) or Stanford 9 Test as well as report cards from the previous two years. We record any consistent patterns or deviant variations in student testing and grades to better determine whether your child really does have a weakness in a given area or whether it was simply a “bad test year or school year.” For the majority of students, the standardized tests administered at their school and their report cards are sufficient to make a complete and accurate assessment. Many tutoring companies overwhelm a student with assessment tests and charge you high fees just to take the assessment tests. At BRWI, we believe that for the majority of students, those assessments are absolutely unnecessary. In fact, in an article dated August 11, 2004 on SmartMoney.com, the President of the National Tutoring Association stated that tests are “absolutely unnecessary” because parents can get that information from their children's school offices. Many parents, in fact, already receive results from similar state achievement tests in the mail. We believe in a more personal approach by talking to and getting to know each student personally. You will be amazed how much you can find simply by asking the student. However, if it is necessary, and the student does not have sufficient records of their recent standardized test scores, the student will take a full diagnostic exam. Each of these assessment tools will help us determine your child's strengths and weaknesses.

Student Individualized Program. After the initial assessment, we prepare a student individualized program (the “SIP”) that sets definitive goals and a realistic timeline to complete the program. A copy of the SIP will be given to the parent. If appropriate, BRWI will also send the SIP to the student's English teacher to help coordinate efforts.

Mid-term Assessments. We set up parent-teacher conferences every three to five months to give you and your child the opportunity to voice your observations and to allow your BRWI Instructor to provide tangible evidence of your child's progress. During these mid-term assessments, you can evaluate your child's SIP, taking note of which skills and strategies the BRWI Instructor has taught and see first hand how much your child has mastered. In addition, your child may retake another assessment if the SIP needs to be updated

Coordination with School Teachers. BRWI maintains its core proposition that we partner with families by initiating dialogue with your child's current school teacher. As a way of alleviating your concerns and the burden of the teacher, BRWI will take the first step of emailing or calling the teacher to make her aware that your child is receiving academic support. The teacher then has the option of filling out a professional assessment form or having a phone conference with BRWI to discuss your child's needs. From that point on, any time your child is having problems in school, BRWI will communicate with the teacher and improvise on the weekly lesson plans in order to address the issue at hand.

Demonstration of Results. BRWI earns and maintains the trust of our families by continually demonstrating the student's improvement and accomplishments. Our results are be characterized as unquestionable, consistent and tangible. BRWI will demonstrate unquestionable and consistent results by providing draft comparisons for writing, progress reports, mid-term assessments, higher grades and test scores in school, a noticeable increase in the student's enjoyment of reading and writing, and a marked growth in student confidence. BRWI will provide tangible results by delivering writing portfolios (which will include multiple drafts and a final draft to show the improvement in writing ability), recording completed book lists, sending progress reports, and publishing student writings on our website and in other publications.

Recognition and Special Attention. To give your child a sense of belonging to BRWI, we give each student a designated wall space in which they will showcase their family picture, personal autobiography and any other final papers he is proud to have written. Each week, your child can add something new to his space. Along with our wall frames, we will also have a quarterly newsletter which will introduce several BRWI families. In the newsletter, students will write an autobiographical incident which captures a moment or memory that is significant to their family. For our students who get published in the local newspapers, children's magazines or other sources for children's work, we will put their name up on our Young Publisher's Plaque which will be located in the parent lounge.

Parent Lounge. We understand that you need to make the most of your time during your child's tutoring session. BRWI parents are given free access to our parent lounges where you can get some work done or simply kick your feet up and relax. You can find a quiet work area and use any of our computers with high-speed internet access. During your child's session, you can pay your bills online, catch up on your emails or surf the internet. No matter what you decide to do, BRWI's desire is for you to feel at home in our parent lounge. Our parent lounges include other amenities such as televisions with an entertainment system and comfortable couches to lounge and read a good book or browse a magazine from our library. We also keep our parent lounges well stocked with food, snacks, coffee and drinks. In conjunction with our commitment to build family partnerships with each of our families at BRWI, we also have a growing library of resources on parenting and education. Whether you want to learn how to better help your child learn to read and write or how to deal with various parenting issues, we provide numerous books and resources to improve your family life.

Final Assessment. Our core principal of partnering with families is not forfeited once our services are terminated. We believe that once you are part of the BRWI family, you are always a part of our family. Therefore, upon the termination of our services, BRWI will deliver a final assessment that is similar to the mid-term assessments. In this final assessment, we will detail the reading and writing skills mastered and the skills in which your child will need more reinforcement. We will also provide you with a list of resources and suggestions as to how you can help to reinforce those weaker skills. Additionally, we will give you copies of all the notes and observations recorded on the SIP so that you can have the records for future use.