Assessment
Every student who walks through the door of Patterson Tutoring has the opportunity to work with Mrs. Patterson. She uses her training, years of experience, and certifications not only to assess a student’s academic strengths and weaknesses, but also to get a sense of the student’s unique personality, work ethic, and learning style. Her ability to understand what motivates a student, what galvanizes learning, and what teaching style is appropriate for each child is one of the major components that sets her practice apart from those of other educators. As part of the assessment, Mrs. Patterson identifies content knowledge gaps using analytics such as standardized tests and benchmark assessments to pinpoint where students fall in relation to both US and international academic standards.
Curriculum Development
Upon understanding where the content knowledge gaps reside and which skills need to be sharpened, Mrs. Patterson configures a curriculum that is tailored to the unique needs of the student. She pulls from a variety of sources including curricula that has been developed in-house by Mrs. Patterson and her team, materials from different academic-support programs such as Lindamood Bell and Wilson Reading Systems, and also from a variety of accelerated textbooks and materials that are targeted for gifted education. Mrs. Patterson and her team are particularly well-known for the curriculum developed to accommodate both high-achieving and unchallenged students in the maths and sciences as well as in the sphere of academic writing.
Placement
Because the team at Patterson Tutoring is far-reaching in scope, spread throughout a variety of academic fields, and robust in talent, Mrs. Patterson has no problem finding the perfect match between student and tutor. The talented educators on staff include undergraduates from Ivy League colleges with impressive resumes and test scores; teachers aides and professors specializing in their respective fields; and academic specialists who focus on reading comprehension, speech therapy, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. From physicists working in think tanks to undergraduate students interning at NASA, Mrs. Patterson’s team is unique, well-vetted, and responsible for a large portion of the company’s success.
Academic Enrichment
While Mrs. Patterson designs curriculum to help students reach the academic standards of their grades, there is a strong emphasis on enrichment and a push to help students who have the grit, desire, and drive to move beyond what is expected. Many students working within the confines of the Patterson Tutoring program experience a realization that working beyond what is required is beneficial and that being challenged outside of the classroom is gratifying. There is a sense of self-advocacy taking place when a student shifts his or her focus from keeping up to getting ahead. The team at Patterson Tutoring takes particular pride in facilitating this process and helping students realize the endless possibilities when curiosity, a rigorous work ethic, and access to an accelerated curriculum collide.
Mentorship
When the need is identified, Mrs. Patterson encourages students to participate in a series of eight virtual interviews with undergraduates attending top schools who are passionate about their area of study. Upon completing the interviews moderated by Mrs. Patterson, students decide which undergraduate they found the most inspiring and begin a mentorship program that lasts all four years of high school and even into college if desired. Over the years, Mrs. Patterson has seen the sparks that fly and the potential that is reached when a student entering the ninth grade is understood by someone who has recently traveled his or her path and relates to his or her experiences. The team at Patterson Tutoring has seen unmotivated students find their purpose with the right match and ambitious students get a head start with the correct guidance. Patterson Tutoring’s mentorship program has been a long-standing staple and one of the major ingredients in helping students optimize academic success.