Tutoring Services

The Joy School offers private tutoring for students ages 5-15. Tutoring is available for current and prospective students, as well as students from other schools. Our mission is to provide remedial instruction and academic support for students having difficulty in their current school placements, or those who simply need help maintaining their current skills. Our teachers are trained in hands-on, multi-sensory instruction methods for all subject areas, including reading, decoding, comprehension, spelling, writing, grammar, handwriting, math, visual perception, and phonological awareness. 

Each student is evaluated individually by the tutor to determine his or her specific academic needs. Our evaluation consists of a series of short exercises in which the child’s academic skills are assessed. Included in the evaluation are assessments of visual/spatial awareness, phonological awareness, and current reading, spelling, writing and math skills. Often, students will come with a test battery from other professionals. This information is very valuable and will be used for teaching decisions. However, quantitative data rarely gives information regarding where remedial instruction should begin. Rather, it gives information regarding how far behind a child is in quantitative terms, such as grade equivalencies or percentiles. 

Following the initial evaluation, a verbal consultation will be available for parents to review test scores and get recommendations for tutoring focus and frequency. The tutor will then be responsible for implementing an individualized plan for the student based on the evaluation as well as any other concerns addressed by parents or classroom teachers of the student. 

Frequency of meeting and areas of study are decided on an individual basis for each child by the tutor and parents. Scheduling of sessions will also be done on an individual basis.

Sessions are designed to last 50 minutes per subject area with an additional 10 minutes reserved for communicating with parents. During this time, the parent will be informed of the methods and activities being used during the tutoring sessions so that these may be reinforced at home. Homework will also be discussed at this time. Most materials and activities are provided by The Joy School. However, materials for home practice, such as geo-boards and workbooks are provided for an additional charge. 

To ensure optimal progress, homework may be assigned by the tutor. Just as learning to ride a bike cannot be accomplished in one-hour training sessions only once a week, academic skills also require practice on a regular basis throughout the week. In some instances, tutors will need to communicate with the current classroom teacher to ensure that the child is not overwhelmed with assignments.

Open communication and collaboration with other professionals is always encouraged. Often, classroom teachers or therapists may recognize areas of difficulty not seen by parents and will enable the tutor to better focus her efforts. Similarly, tutors can offer suggestions for modifications in the classroom, which may help the student to be more successful. 

Regular attendance is expected and necessary for tutoring to benefit any child. Students with excessive absences can lose their designated time if the tutor deems necessary.

Cancellations should be made through The Joy School office at 713-523-0660, or with the individual teacher, as early as possible. If a message is received in the office, or with the teacher,  by the scheduled appointment time, there will be no charge. However, no-shows will be charged $30.00 per missed appointment. 

 Tutoring services are $75.00 per hour. Parents will be billed monthly and fees are due at the time of billing. Payments may be mailed to The Joy School, One Chelsea Blvd., Houston, TX, 77006.

For detailed pricing information click here.