Tutors, Testing, and the Tenth Grade Year

When I was being homeschooled the first month of the fall semester was my favorite time of the year. My books were new, the leaves were changing, and I couldn’t wait to tackle the list of books assigned for that semester! It might not feel like fall quite yet, but chances are your family is back to school after your summer break—ready to tackle another year of learning!

The tenth grade year is when college preparation really picks up the pace. Since junior year is taken up with scholarship applications, college visits, and test-taking, tenth grade has the advantage of being productive without the pressure. Now is the time to make a plan for tutoring, testing, and college preparation so the last two years of high school can be as stress-free as possible!

Tutoring

Not everyone has a child who needs additional guidance in a subject, but it’s something I always recommend. In my own homeschool experience, once I and my siblings got to high school my mom-the primary educator in our family-utilized a homeschool tutorial (kind of like a co-op, but with paid professional tutors) to support us and provide tutoring and accountability for some of the more advanced high school subjects.

Tutoring doesn’t always have to be formal, but it is almost always helpful. Sometimes the change of pace, environment, or teacher is enough to help a child grasp formerly elusive concepts. You could even “barter” tutoring between homeschool families, where one student is strong in English and another in math! There are many ways to get help for your student without shelling out a lot of money in the process.

Testing

Next month is the PSAT! If you’ve been receiving our emails for a while, you’ll have heard about this test, and how it might make sense for your student if he or she is a strong test taker. While taking the PSAT this year won’t “count” for your tenth grader (he won’t be eligible for National Merit qualification), it is excellent practice for next year, when it does!

This is also the time to register for your students first SAT and ACT. Since every college accepts both tests, I recommend that your student take a practice test for both and then focus all test prep efforts on the one that one test. If you would like some help check out my test prep program here.  Colleges are looking at the highest possible scores your student achieves, so multiple testing dates will not look bad on his transcript.

For advice on tutoring and testing, or for help creating a strategic plan for college, email [email protected]!