NYT Article: Tutors hold key to High SAT Scores for a High Fee

Parents Forum
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<p>Adam Fisher remembers walking home from elementary school thinking not about Mister Softee or Ms. Pac Man but about Ms. Grace, his third-grade teacher. Why, he wondered, had she explained a new math concept in such a roundabout way? If only she had laid it out like this, he recalls thinking, reworking the lesson in his head, then we would have understood it immediately. </p>

<p>This was not the first time Mr. Fisher had pondered the art of teaching and learning. In fact, he had been tutoring his classmates since the previous year, having discovered that he had a knack for explaining concepts so the other kids understood them. </p>

<p>A slender fellow with a goatee and a mass of curly hair, Mr. Fisher, 34, still tutors students. Only today his students are seeking higher test scores - and his tutorials cost $375 to $425 an hour. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/nyregion/01tutor.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/nyregion/01tutor.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Those NYC prices never fail to amaze me. I thought the tutor's remark about 'learning 3000-4000 SAT words, and then they have them for life' was indicative of the general tone of exaggeration. There have been a number of b.s. articles on this subject recently. I suppose this is what people want to hear.</p>

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<p>The sad part was the juxtaposition with a story below it -- about NYC schools that cannot keep good teachers. One fifth grade class had so much turnover in one year that the school could not even issue the students report cards. While the tutor (Harvard degree in physics, Julliard degree in cello) is making $100,000 a year boosting the scores of a few privileged kids, supposedly because he "loves" teaching and has always wanted to improve math instruction, beginning teachers make $31,000 and, fed up with the lack of classroom support, quit after a year or even in the middle of a year. Sad.</p>

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<p>aisforadmissions $10K, 3 day program is starting to look like a bargain! The wealthy have been buying their kids an edge in all sorts of ways forever. They just kept it quieter.</p>

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<p>Adam better be good! Oh no, that is NOT the right song, nor name. :)</p>

<p>PS Consumers create the demand. Can't blame companies to fill the orders and enjoy the ride. In a city known for trophy wifes and trophy children, what's wrong with having a trophy tutor?</p>

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<p>In NYC a teacher with a bachelors and no experience starts with $39,000. Having a degree in physics where they is alwas a shortage of teachers would get him to grad school for free (at NYU and a few other places) in some school districts. But why do all of this work when he makes a 6 figure income working less than 7 weeks a year (based on a 40 hour week at $375/hr)</p>

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<p>I imagine the company he works for takes a big cut out of his hourly rate, and he probably isn't able to work during school days (his 'clients' would be in class) so he might not be able to work the standard 40 hour, 49 or 50 weeks per year. </p>

<p>What intrigues me is that he seems to have figured out something that schools/educators have not, namely, how to master the material on a standardized test. It would be interesting to hear from his students to see if they feel they learned lifelong skills. I certainly don't blame him - he's a productive member of society living in a high cost city. I don't think the wealthy have ever been secretive about the advantages they give their children, since Andover and Exeter, etc. are easy enough to find. In my neck of the woods, tutors charge $75 an hour and are often the same teacher that a student has for that class. Sounds like a conflict of interest, doesn't it? It is mind boggling (to some of us) what people spend on tutors and prep classes and I just hope they aren't spending the grocery money on it. If you have an excess of money, why not spend it on a tutor? When you look at the cost of some multi-week prep classes, maybe $400 an hour isn't so bad if you can get what you need quicker. </p>

<p>In other words, I'm not outraged, more power to him, if we continue to shake our heads at the excesses people will go to, we'd affect world weather patterns and have more immediate problems to deal with.</p>

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<p>I liked the article.</p>

<p>It suggests (what I believe to be true).... that so called test prep is really remedial education. Properly done, it fixes the stupendously sloppy, cumulative job done by modern educational methods such as the whole language method of reading ["here's a james joyce book, teach yourself to read"], and the constructivist (math appreciation) approach to mathematics [any math program can be easily restated into counting on your fingers if you only have enough time]. </p>

<p>I don't know if his claims of success are true, but if they are, I'll bet you his methods are more old school than they are modern.</p>

<p>The criticisms regarding the need or demand for his services should be focused on the curriculum directors and teachers at the schools his clients attended. Professional educators ought to be observing his methods. Instead, he'll be derided for teaching clever "tricks" available only to the rich.</p>

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<p>I liked the tutor's attitude. He wasn't focusing on teaching tricks like many SAT prep courses do, but on lifelong learning. I've long maintained that students who do poorly on the SAT haven't been taught how to think. Students who can think can ace the SAT. Unfortunately, many teachers teach formulae, not understanding or thinking. This tutor's approach will ultimately be more beneficial to his students than a typical prep course - and they likely will not need a tutor for their next standardized test. </p>

<p>Here's a specific example of what I'm talking about. The math rate problems are continually coming up on CC. "Sally walks to the library at x speed and returns at y speed. It takes her z time total. What is the distance to the library?" Folks here are frequently offer formulae to solve those problems. But if a student understands the problem, no formula is needed. Logic tells you the necessary mathematical operations.</p>

<p>Here's another example. A typical physics book has a plethora (alert - SAT vocab work - but I do use it in everyday conversation) of formulae relating distance, velocity and accelleration. Many students methodically memorize each formula. However, the student who understands the relationships and knows some very basic calculus never has to memorize a single formula. True understanding of the principles will enable the student not only to solve odd-ball test questions, but also to apply the principles to real-life situations.</p>

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<p>You know, a high priced SAT tutor was recommended to me. I was told that she was "fantastic" and had made an enormous difference in SAT scores.</p>

<p>I paid the $185 for a "Consultation" with her for my daughter and I. Within five minutes, I couldn't believe some of the erroneous information she was giving - for example, she told my daughter that she should have taken the "SAT II European History" test right after the AP class. When I asked if she didn't mean the "SAT II World History" test, she insisted that no, there was an "SAT II Euro"test. Then she explained how memorizing her lists of words would raise my daughter's scores by at least 50 points and how she would help daughter "score high" on the new writing test because of her "special" grammar prep. Then she handed us her "brochure." That was the show stopper for me: nearly every page of that brochure had either at least one glaring gramatical error or a factual error about the SAT. </p>

<p>And, she was charging a $3,000 minimum for private SAT tutoring.</p>

<p>I'm not saying all tutors are bad or worthless. My daughter did end up working with a private tutor on math, who was enormously helpful. He used the "Xiggi method" of going over the actual college board tests with her and he also made learning basic math concepts fun for her at the same time. No special hidden "secrets to acing the test." He did, I believe, make a difference for my daughter (and he was significantly cheaper than the other tutor).</p>

<p>But --- and this is what matters ---- make sure you know what you are buying if you go the private tutor route. Examine all materials carefully. Trust your judgment about whether the tutor and your child will have complementary personalities. In short, do your due dilligence.</p>

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<p>I signed my S up for one of those test prep multiple weekend sessions for about $600. He took the pre-test. We got a call from the nationally known service that said don't bother coming back he had scored too high for them to be of help. I said okay, how about a refund, they said no. After a little "determined" discussion, they did offer to send a private test tutor for a couple of visits. They were right, no real help. He got exactly the same score on the pretest as he did on the real thing. So if moving from a 1500 to a 1600 (old SAT system) or a 33 to 36 on the ACT is the goal, I doubt there is much a tutor can do.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Here's a specific example of what I'm talking about. The math rate problems are continually coming up on CC. "Sally walks to the library at x speed and returns at y speed. It takes her z time total. What is the distance to the library?" Folks here are frequently offer formulae to solve those problems. But if a student understands the problem, no formula is needed. Logic tells you the necessary mathematical operations.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>EllenF, I am particularly familliar with this problem and its repeated occurrence on the SAT forum. I also adressed this problem specifically in the thread about SAT Tips that is on top of this page. There are two elements to this type of problem: finding the correct answer AND spending as little time as possible. </p>

<p>Please note that this type of problem is typically one of the LAST problems showing up on a test, and carries a difficulty of 5. This means that the overwhelming majority of test-takers MISS the question. Having seen a number of students struggle with the question, I know how most of them give up after getting lost in trying to develop an answer based on the rather simple formula of d = r*t. In my "explanation" for this problem, I explain that this problem can be solved easily and quickly. However, this problem can only be solved by LOGIC and REASONING if you have a PRIOR understanding of the problem. Simply stated, you have to have some knowledge before you can apply your own reasoning. There is a difference between reasoning and intuition. Joe Blogg uses intuition and ensures that this question remains at the level 5.</p>

<p>As far as people offering the formula ... Please check this older post. You will recognize a few of the usual suspects:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=36812&highlight=distance%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=36812&highlight=distance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Lastly, I am afraid that the SAT has very little to do with acquiring skills that will serve anyone for life. The test of 2005 is still very similar to the test of 1926 and is still being equated to the test of 1941. Are we assuming that we still need to know what the average aspiring college student knew in 1926? </p>

<p>The SAT Reasoning test does one thing: it tests how well you do on the SAT. The only relevance the SAT has to knowledge and achievement is that it uses english and math as its basis for testing. People have and are still arguing about the scope of the test. Is it an intelligence test? Is it an aptitude test? Is it an achievement test? Sadly enough, ETS does not seem to make up its mind on this issue. While having become a de-facto standard in college admission, the SAT does not measure very much, except how current students stack up against the norm established by 50,000,000 prior students. It does not measure how much students know; it measures how well they answer the questions on the SAT. This is why trying to develop a preparation curriculum for the SAT does not WORK. You cannot STUDY for it unless you are prepared to cover 50 or 100 times more material that is needed. This does not mean that you cannot prepare for it! It is simply an entirely different matter. And it is not about tricks or secrets!</p>

<p>Now, onto one my pet peeves: the 3,000 or 4,000 words that "could" help you in life. Let's look at what we -routinely- tell students in the process of applying to colleges? </p>

<ol>
<li>Should you use SAT words (aka the ridiculous list of ten to thirteen letters' words) in your application essay? </li>
<li>Should you throw in a few SAT words during your interview to give a good impression?</li>
<li>Should you speak to your friends a la SAT?</li>
</ol>

<p>Yes or no?</p>

<p>While it is wonderful to be able to use plethora on a daily basis, it has to come naturally and not be forced. To avoid sounding forced, a person needs to be able to incorporate a few more "smart" words, use them in the appropriate context, and pronounce them correctly. On this, I wish that people knew of ridiculous it is to use a smart word such as "amphitheater" but pronounce it with the P sound as in AMPItheater. Yeah, just like we talk on the telePone and go to a Parmacy to buy aspirine -or should I say apothecary! </p>

<p>Oh well, vocabulary power users can always count on the ubiquitous "myriad" to separate them from the mere mortals. :)</p>

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<p>Xiggi, I certainly hope you're spending your summer making $400/hr!</p>

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<p>Nah, like the commercial, I prefer to be in the priceless range. </p>

<p>/wink</p>

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<p>Maybe this guy really isn't in it for the money, but if thats the case, then I wonder if this guy does any volunteer work with his services for clients who can't afford the fees he charges.</p>

<p>If the company really can help students out in that matter, they should be able to sacrifice some time in the interest of pro bono community service. Its a tax write-off.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
While it is wonderful to be able to use plethora on a daily basis, it has to come naturally and not be forced.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>please properly credit El Guapo when you quote him. :)</p>

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<p>"On this, I wish that people knew of ridiculous it is to use a smart word such as "amphitheater" but pronounce it with the P sound as in AMPItheater. Yeah, just like we talk on the telePone and go to a Parmacy to buy aspirine -or should I say apothecary!"</p>

<p>You did mean "aspherin", write?</p>

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<p>


I think this nugget should get an INSTANT COWARD award. Xiggi IS priceless!</p>

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<p>My D, a product of the public school system, certainly not rich, took the SAT at the beginning of her junior yr with no prep and scored a 1400. She refused the study classes (cheap - $35) offered by our district, and instead got the book, and took practice tests. 1550. Her take on the test, was that merely knowing how to think wouldn't do it - in class she could take an opposing view, and could argue her point. But the practice tests helped show her how the drafters thought - what they wanted for an answer. Merely knowing how to think wasn't good enough, in her opinion. You had to know how to think their way. And she says to this day, that she could argur successfully for the answers that they marked wrong. As a teacher, I have always told my students that success on tests comes down to one thing only - know your test maker. I remember the prof in college that tested over every incouous, insignificant fact. We complained, etc., but eventually spent all our energy on those things, and aced the class! Other profs gave essays over things we had never discussed or read, in order to see how we could apply what we learned to those situations. So, the same goes for the SAT's. Whatever method you find to "know" your test maker, it will raise your score.</p>

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<p>If you can spare the money, and can pick a good tutor, it certainly can be worthwhile. But I can tell you that finding a good tutor is not easy. Carolyn's experience is all too common. I work with a math tutor who is worth every bit of his exhorbitant price. And he is booked to the whazoo. Used him for my son last year, and I am sure he is solely responsible for the 200+ points increase, projected from 2 years worth of PSATs, and my son is not an easy one to teach. Particularly math which he has come close to flunking a few times in his life, he so despises it and has trouble focusing on problem solving in the subject. </p>

<p>Congrats to your D, Evitajr, for having the discipline to study on her own. That, of course, is the best way, but I know few kids able and willing to do a good job on their own. My S had trouble even with a top rated tutor.</p>