what we do
Our services
We teach and help students, so they can accomplish what they need to and then move on – more competent and confident. How do we do this? Our motto guides our work: Simplify, Strive, Succeed.
Test Prep for High & Middle School
Test prep for the ACT or SAT has become practically essential. But preparing for these tests and taking them are also pretty dreadful. Anxiety, self-doubt, boredom and frustration can make for a stressful junior year! We know all this, and we know the tests. We have helped students prepare for more than 20,000 hours (that’s almost 3 years’ worth of non-stop blabbing). The good news is that the ACT and SAT are repetitive and predictable. The other bit of good news is that we know what we are doing - 20,000 hours do tend to leave an impact. Our instruction focuses on what students need to know and how they need to take the test. These tests are not “one size fits all”; there are often multiple paths to the same answer. Our tutors strive to understand each student’s reasoning and adapt their approach accordingly.
Which test should I take?
- The first step is to decide which test to take: the ACT or SAT. There is absolutely some content overlap between the ACT and SAT, but the two tests emphasize different content, require substantially different pacing, and each employs distinct, idiosyncratic, little tricks to bedevil test takers. On top of that, the ACT has a science section - ugh! Mastery here requires rigorous repetition.
- So, we start with a practice SAT and a practice ACT. In our experience, there is simply no shortcut here: hybrid tests really do fail to capture critical differences between the tests and, in attempting to save time, provide flawed data.
- Improvement is based on mastering content and on consistent performance, stemming from learning the essentials, dispassionate analysis of mistakes and from practice.
We generally meet students once a week and provide up to an hour and a half of homework: we work largely from material provided by the SAT and ACT. Because each student is different and because what each one’s needs change over time, our tutors adjust their focus accordingly, working to solidify old material and techniques as they attack new ones.
SSAT and ISEE
Should my child take both the SSAT and the ISEE, or just one?
- Students should plan to take and prep for only ONE test. Most schools will take either, though the SSAT tends to be the standard test, largely because of inertia. Please consult school admissions requirements, and feel free to discuss with your child’s tutor.
How many test prep sessions should my child have?
- 4-8 one-hour weekly sessions are ideal, though it truly depends on your child. Four sessions allow for one session devoted to each section of the test. More sessions are recommended if your child struggles with a particular test section(s), experiences any test anxiety, and/or simply finds additional sessions helpful. Multiple regular sessions do increase comfort levels and abilities, though it is also important not to overload your child as this can lead to test burnout.
When should my child take his/her first practice test?
- Some students prefer to take a practice test before getting started with a tutor; others like to wait until they have had a couple of sessions. Trust your child on this one. It is wise to take at least one practice test before taking the official SSAT/ISEE. We offer full practice tests at no charge in our office on Saturday mornings. It is a great experience for students as it provides them with a “real deal” feel for the SSAT/ISEE without it actually being the real deal, and it gives your child’s tutor a good view of strengths and weak spots to work on.
HSPT
How many test prep sessions should my child have?
- 6 - 8 one-hour weekly sessions are ideal, though it truly depends on your child. Six sessions allow us to devote 60 minutes to each topic of the HSPT and to tackle any outstanding problems. More sessions are recommended if your child struggles with a particular test section(s), experiences test anxiety, and/or simply finds additional sessions helpful. Multiple sessions do increase students’ comfort levels and abilities, though it is also important not to overload your child, leading to test burnout.
When should my child take his/her first practice test?
- Some students prefer to take a practice test before getting started with a tutor; others like to wait until they have had a couple of sessions. Trust your child on this. It’s wise to take at least one practice test before taking the official HSPT. They provide students with a “real deal” feel for the HSPT, reveal continuing gaps in knowledge and show how performance has improved. We offer complimentary practice tests on Saturday mornings.
AP exams are held over 2 weeks in May, and each exam takes place on a specific day nationwide. The results come back in July. The exam score is generally not that important regarding admissions, though the course grade is. Some colleges will, however, give credit to students with high scores, allowing them to place out of introductory-level courses.
Eagle Eye provides tutoring for many AP Exams, including:
- Biology
- Calculus AB and BC
- Chemistry
- Comparative Gov’t & Politics
- Environmental Science
- European History
- Human Geography
- Literature & Language
- Physics (both kinds)
- Spanish (all kinds)
- US History
Tutoring & Organization Coaching
Eagle Eye Tutoring offers reading and writing coaching for students in grades 3 through 12. Using a mixture of Whole Language and Phonics instruction and practice, we teach and grow reading fluency as well as improve students’ ability to annotate. We also teach students how to organize and express their ideas more effectively in both expository and creative writing, organize ideas effectively, while respecting their voice.
Eagle Eye Tutoring offers academic support in most grade school and high school subjects. We basically loved school and were pretty good at it, so we welcome the opportunity to help students see the value of what they are learning (and maybe even the beauty, too!) and improve their performance. Some students need help understanding the material. Other students need to learn how to prepare more effectively. By finding the cause of the struggle, our tutors get results. We provide long-term tutoring as well as last minute review sessions.
Eagle Eye offers tutoring in:
History
- US History
- World History
- European History
- NSL
Languages
- Russian
- Spanish
Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Elementary School Math
- Algebra 1
- Geometry
- Calculus
- Algebra 2
- Precalculus
- Statistics
Science
- Biology
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Environmental Science
Eagle Eye provides help with organizational and executive functioning skills. We work with students to help them organize, plan and prioritize.
Classes
Master tutor Garrett Lowe, PhD will review the most important math topics and get you focused on test prep. The subjects covered are those with the highest likelihood of appearing on the tests, based on our review of the past five years' tests. Garrett will integrate slides into the session, and Eagle Eye will provide you with an ACT Cheat Sheet. Remember, more than half the battle is to have these formulas, math facts, and topics in your head - bright and shiny and sharp and ready to use.
Get ready for the ACT! This Zoom class with Eagle Eye master tutor Garrett Lowe, Ph.D. will focus on punctuation, pronouns, and style. During the session, Garrett will integrate slides with specific examples of how these rules are applied to the ACT. This will be a great time to make sure that you completely understand how everything, particularly the punctuation (especially the commas!!), works.
Headstones and History:
Black Lives Matter(ed)
Tucked away behind some apartment buildings on a dead-end street is a cemetery that holds hidden information about the story of Black Georgetown. For nearly 300 years, African Americans were an important force in Georgetown. They were physicians, chefs, real estate tycoons, draymen, business owners, artisans, coachmen, and laborers. Their community in Georgetown was a cocoon where they raised families, played, laughed, grieved, and loved – even as they helped escaping slaves, became the first African American voters in US history, and fueled Georgetown’s growth with their labor and wit. Their contributions and stories have largely been ignored, forgotten, covered up. It is time to fix that, and it starts in the Mt. Zion Cemetery.
Some 8000 African Americans from Georgetown and the surrounding region were buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery from the early 19th to the mid 20th century. Those interred show the economic diversity of the community. Using their names and dates of death, we will use genealogical research and primary documents to learn about their lives and to celebrate them. No one has conducted this critical research from this perspective. Our students will be discovering and making history at the same time: they will be Citizen Historians, participating in ambitious and exhilarating crowdsourced research.
During a weekly Zoom session and walking tours led by avocational genealogists and historians, Garrett Lowe of Eagle Eye Tutoring, Inc. and Tom Duckenfield of TDB Communications, Inc., students will learn how to use evaluate and genealogical data. Our results will be donated to the Mount Zion - Female Union Band Society Foundation, which is in the process of transforming this forgotten corner of Georgetown into a memorial park to honor the memories and celebrate the lives of the interred.
"We have been developing the concept of using the cemetery property to provide research and inspiration for young people, because it’s important to uncover the truth in order to have a better understanding of the present. The virtual/in-person Headstones & History - hybrid class has allowed us to maintain safety protocols and hopefully create a standard for how historic Black cemeteries can be utilized to bring history to life and provide context to the classroom."
-Lisa Fager, Executive Director
Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Memorial Park, Inc.
Eagle Eye's Garrett Lowe, who has over 20,000 hours of experience preparing students for standardized tests, will explain how to most effectively use the week before the SAT. He will also give you a lot of tips for test day from the best snacks to what to do when the proctor is not playing by the rules. Having last-minute nerves? Garrett will answer any SAT-related questions you might have. With Garrett's guidance, you can use this final week to optimize your SAT preparation!
Join Garrett Lowe Ph.D. for a weekly complimentary review session for the AP US History Test beginning Sunday, April 11. Using slides, videos, and original documents, Garrett will focus on comparison, causation, continuity, and changes. History is a blast, a heartbreak, and an inspiration. To help you crush exam day, Eagle Eye will provide a study sheet with all themes and their supporting events.
