BROOKINGS Each student is unique, explained Michelle McGuckin, center director and owner of Sylvan Learning Brookings at 317 Fifth Ave. downtown. We tutor a child so that we can find their particular individual key learning needs; we help them learn those needs so that they can be successful in school.
We offer an assessment when the student first enters the program; that way we can pinpoint those key learning needs. Each student works with a unique, individualized learning plan based on their individual needs.
The programs ratio in one teacher to three students. Each student works on their own individualized plan: For example, one on reading, one on math, one on homework support.
Sylvan works with students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade: Pre-K, helping them get ready, making sure theyre ready to start off kindergarten strong, explained McGuckin. High school has homework support; an ACT preparation program; math, English, reading. We have a great writing program. So we really can benefit a wide variety of students.
The center, open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, is staffed by four or five teachers; two teachers are on the floor at all times.
Following the initial individualized assessment of a student, McGuckin meets with them and their parents to develop a plan: What are your family goals? What are you looking at? What is the assessment telling us? Usually it will give us an estimated length of stay, with an estimated amount of hours they need to come.
Then well set a schedule with that family. Are they coming two hours a week? Are they coming four hours a week? What is an option that works best for them?
How long a child stays then just depends on their growth rate. Some kids are grades behind; some kids might just need a little refresher. It just depends on every student.
The great thing is that after that individual assessment and throughout their program, we continue to do progress assessments. That way were always monitoring their growth and aware of where they are.
Sylvan is a great tool for the summer, the director said. We love it when kids come in for the summer, even if theyre not what I would call behind. Because coming in and maybe doing a reading program over the summer can really prevent a lot of summer learning loss.
Its a fun learning environment, so its a really good opportunity for your kids to continue learning in that positive environment. We love seeing how kids are coming into school feeling just so confident.
Mission: A successful education
Our goal is to improve, obviously, a students skills in school so they can be successful in school, McGuckin explained. And we really want them to become confident learners.
How to measure success? Individual assessment as the student prepares to enter the program; individual progress assessments as they go through their program. And since the majority of what students do is on their iPads, add to their ongoing assessments, real-time feedback shows what a student is doing when they master a skill. Were seeing when they move on to the next skill. All of that is tracked in our program. And we provide that feedback to the parents.
Usually a student will be done with Sylvan once theyve reached their grade; sometimes we like to aim a little bit above, just so that theyre really confident in school. But obviously that depends on what the parent wants.
To us success would be a student who might have been struggling in school and we get them to the point where theyre excelling and they are a confident learner and they are completely supported by the school system and they are able to have a successful education.
To that end, McGuckin explained that Sylvan partners early on with the local school system. At the time of a students initial assessment, Sylvan provides the parent a school contact form. If a parent desires, they can fill in the form and we will reach out to that students teacher.
Great partnership with school system
The director noted that Sylvan has a great partnership with teachers: Theyll communicate to us things that theyre seeing in the classroom, how we can support them; our goals are the same. Everyone that works at Sylvan is a teacher.
What do we need to do to help that student become a better learner and a confident student and a confident person in general.
That teacher and us, we come up with ways to support that student. Well support whatever is going on in the classroom and our center. As a company, Sylvan Learning is about 45 years old. McGuckin has been involved with Sylvan Learning Brookings for about five years. It had been up and running for some time here in Brookings when she purchased it. She added that the center in Sioux Falls has been operating for about 20 years.
Its a great location, McGuckin said of her business address. I love it. Theres the (Brookings Public) Library and the (South Dakota) Childrens Museum.
A South Dakota native, she moved away, went to college and lived in (New) Jersey for many years. She has a background in accounting. Her husband, Bill McGuckin, and she came back to South Dakota to raise their bunch of kids and settled in the Sioux Falls area, where hes a businessman.
The couple can relate to Sylvan Learning firsthand, since they have a daughter who was tutored in the program.
You get to see a lot of really awesome, positive stories about kids who struggled and now theyre doing amazing, she explained. Its great.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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