Sylvan provides individualized tutoring programs to help students improve their academic skills and develop a love of learning. Their goal is to enable students to become independent learners who can succeed in school with minimal parental assistance. Sylvan uses comprehensive tests to identify specific skill gaps and create personalized learning plans tailored to each student's needs. They employ small student-teacher ratios and focus on ensuring students master skills before moving on.

1. Thank you for your interest in Sylvan.
We know this is a very important decision for you and your family. To help with any lingering questions,
following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Sylvan and what we do. We would love the opportunity
to talk with you more as you consider your options. Please call us and one of our Education Experts
will be happy to talk with you.
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What is the goal of Sylvan?
Our goal is your goal. Whether your student for the next hour of instruction. Students progress
needs to get back on track with reading, ace a at their own pace, depending on what skills they
standardized test or just pass this year’s math class, have mastered.
Sylvan helps students develop academic skills and
abilities to become sure of themselves, strong, and Sylvan instructors teach no more than three
con dent. Sylvan gives them the inspiration they students at one time. Each student receives
need and builds a love of learning in each student. individual instruction from the teacher, who
Sylvan enables students to become independent is seated at a table with the students. This is
learners who can complete their homework with followed by the student’s independent practice
minimal parental assistance and can excel in of the skill. Should a student need extra help, the
school. teacher provides immediate assistance without
actually doing the work for the student. Three
to one is the optimal student to teacher ratio for
What is Sylvan’s “individualized approach” to
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developing independent learning skills without
instruction? the risk of developing dependency on the teacher
Sylvan starts with comprehensive educational to do the work. It prepares students to work on
tests to pinpoint skill gaps and to develop a their own with their homework and in their school
personalized learning plan. This is the Sylvan classrooms.
Skills Assessment®. As a result, no two learning
plans are identical. Your child’s plan is quite
speci c and includes short term and long
term goals, teaching materials, and special
considerations for each student’s instruction. The
lesson plan for each skill gap includes the passages
to be read with corresponding comprehension
questions, problems to be solved, and exercises to
be completed. After each hour of instruction, the
student’s education plan is reviewed and modi ed
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What makes Sylvan different from tutors? twenty ve years, we can predict the approximate
A local tutor may help a student pass a course, but length of a learning plan. Some programs are as
they do not get at the root cause of an academic short as 12 hours, and some students require more
problem. Most academic problems are the result hours of instruction to reach their goal.
of skills that were not mastered in previous years.
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The Sylvan Skills Assessment® reveals if there are
skill gaps at earlier levels and provides a targeted What are the qualifications of Sylvan instructors?
educational plan unique to each child to teach All Sylvan instructors are selected for their
and master those skills. Thus, Sylvan not only expertise and for their warmth, patience,
addresses the current academic dif culty, but and ability to af rm students. Each instructor
prevents the problem from extending into the receives additional training in Sylvan educational
future. philosophies and procedures. Most instruction is
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provided by part time faculty members, many of
whom have full time jobs in the local schools.
What programs does Sylvan offer?
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Sylvan offers programs for every child at every What learning materials are used for instruction?
grade and stage. We offer reading, math, writing,
study skills, homework, test-taking, college/ Instructional materials come from leading
university prep and more. educational publishers such as McGraw Hill,
Glencoe, D.C. Heath, Houghton Mif in,
Jamestown Publishers, Modern Curriculum Press,
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How does Sylvan measure progress in students? Macmillan, Curriculum Associates, and SRA.
Sylvan matches students’ individual learning styles
The answer to every question asked, every with the materials from which they can learn the
task assigned and every problem attempted is best.
recorded in the student’s educational plan. The
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student must meet objective criteria before a
skill is considered to have been mastered. For What are the hours of instruction at Sylvan?
example, in vocabulary a student must score Instruction at Sylvan is offered after school and on
three consecutive 100%s or ve 80%s. The weekends. Since our individualized approach to
next prescribed skill is only addressed when the instruction demands close attention by students,
preceding skill has been mastered. many families nd it convenient to attend two
As your child moves through their education plan, two-hour sessions per week. We will work with
ongoing assessments are administered to ensure whatever schedule ts your family’s needs.
students are on track and goals are being met.
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How long does it take for students to reach their
goals?
During the enrollment conference we give parents
an estimate of the length of time it will take to
reach the family’s goals based on our experience
and expertise and the professional judgment
of our Director of Education. Since Sylvan has
helped over a million students during the past
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How does Sylvan communicate with parents? Other families pay monthly. We will work with your
Each student is assigned a Progress Manager who family to come up with a payment option that ts
supervises the student’s academic progress and your needs.
maintains close communication with the family.
Parent conferences are held monthly or after every Can Sylvan provide enrichment programs for
12 hours of instruction, and telephone calls and students?
emails are welcomed at any time.
Sylvan works with students wanting to get ahead,
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as well as those needing help to catch up or keep
How does Sylvan work with the student’s school? up in school. Students enter Sylvan at a level
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Sylvan places a priority on working with schools. based on their performance on the Sylvan Skills
With the permission of the parents, Sylvan builds Assessment®. The Sylvan curriculum is skill-based,
strong communication with school teachers and not grade based, and students progress at their
guidance counselors. We contact schools upon own pace. So students can develop skills beyond
enrollment in Sylvan and will work together in their current grade in school. Popular Sylvan
partnership with your child’s teacher. enrichment programs are Advanced Reading,
Advanced Math, Academic Writing and Study
Skills. Sylvan can help students to get a step
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How much does Sylvan cost? ahead of their class and prepare them for the
exceptional level of academic performance needed
Sylvan is individualized and intense. Each hour
for admission to competitive colleges, universities,
of a student’s instruction requires approximately
graduate and professional schools.
another half-hour of lesson preparation,
monitoring and other professional services.
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This amount of professional time produces the What other services does Sylvan have to offer?
greatest gains in the shortest time possible for
For parents who want the convenience of home
Sylvan students. Sylvan has over twenty- ve
and the bene t of a personalized learning program
years of experience. Other services or tutors
created from our Sylvan Skills Assessment®, we
may say they cost less, but they do not put
offer Sylvan Online™. With Sylvan Online,
the same quality or personalization into your
your child still receives a customized program in
child’s learning needs as found with Sylvan.
reading or math, that is based on the academic
The cost is determined by an hourly rate and needs of your child. Best of all, your child will
the length of instruction necessary to meet your work online and in real time with a highly trained
family’s goals. and certi ed teacher, all from the comfort and
convenience of your home. All you need is an
Internet connection and a Windows-enabled PC
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Can families afford Sylvan? - we’ll supply the rest.
The cost of Sylvan is like the cost of orthodontia. If your child needs a little extra help getting
For most students, it is a once in a lifetime expense through homework assignments, we offer the
that produces lasting results. Once students exibility and convenience of Sylvan Homework
academic skills have been straightened out, they Help. Our new service provides expert homework
will most likely not need the same in-depth Sylvan assistance in the subject your child needs, using his
services again. or her school assignments. And we offer exible
drop-in scheduling – your child can come in as
Most families purchase the entire program
often as necessary for homework assistance. Call
designed to meet their student’s needs. We have
today to learn more about our subjects and times
loan programs to make your student’s Sylvan
for Homework Help.
experience affordable. We can provide a student
loan program for almost any family with affordable
monthly payments.
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