aMost people quite sensibly associate tutoring with the school year. As a tutor, I usually defend the right of children and teenagers to have summers filled with camp, first jobs, and long lazy days. However, there are certain situations where it makes sense to continue with or start a tutoring program in the summer. Good candidates for this kind of study include students who have fallen badly behind and need to catch up, students who are preparing for an important exam that will take place early in the fall, and the occasional student who has a strong, internal desire to go beyond the curriculum offered by his or her school. Students who fall into one of these three categories can benefit from the additional instruction even more than they would benefit from more traditional summer activities.
One large group of students who should be actively studying during the summer are those who failed a Regents Exam in June and plan to re-take the test in August. One option is summer school. Unfortunately, the quality of summer school is highly variable- sometimes the teacher is excellent, the class is small, and the experience is tranformative. Other times, the teacher is lackluster, the students are surly, and no learning takes place. It can be difficult to predict the quality of any given class before it starts (although you may be able to make an educated guess about the quality of the class if you are able to find out who the teacher will be beforehand).
Another option for summertime Regents preparation is private tutoring. At New York Academics, we offer tutoring for the integrated algebra, geometry, algebra II/trigonometry, English, physics, living environment (biology), chemistry, Earth science, American history, and Spanish Regents exams. Private tutoring is an especially good way to approach a difficult subject because the instruction is geared precisely toward one student. Of course, the cost can be prohibitive for some families. One alternative that is worth looking into is small group instruction. For example, New York Academics can accommodate groups ranging from two to six students, and a greatly reduced cost for each family.
In New York City, the SHSAT (Specialized High School Admissions Test) is given about two months after school starts in the fall. Since this test is extremely high stakes, it is common for students to begin studying for it during the summer before 8th grade. One-one-one tutoring, group lessons, and independent studying are all viable options for preparing for the SHSAT. (New York Academics offers resources for all three types of study.) The choice of how to prepare depends on the student's level of achievement and commitment, as well as his or her favored learning style and the family's financial situation. The summer is a particularly good time to study for the SHSAT because many of the students who want to go to a specialized high school are heavily involved in extracurricular activities and determined to get top grades. Adding serious study for the SHSAT to that mix can simply be too stressful, even for accomplished, able students who are strong candidates for a specialized high school.
Another high stakes test that many students study for over the summer is the ISEE, or independent school admissions test. The reasons for studying for the ISEE during the summer are essentially the same as the reasons for studying for the SHSAT during the summer. In fact, because the two tests have quite a few similarities and are often taken by the same students, studying for the two tests can actually be combined.
There are relatively few students who are so internally motivated that they want to study over the summer for no reason beyond curiosity and love of learning, but they certainly do exist. Academic camps, community college classes, independent study, and one-on-one tutoring all may be good options for these students. When we work with this type of student, we design a program to cater to the student's particular interests while making sure that we are not simply teaching them what they will learn next year in school. Instead, we delve into topics that are not normally part of high school curriculums so that the work is truly broadening, rather than simply accelerated.