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
Headstones and History:
Black Lives Matter(ed)
You receive a name that no one has said for decades. Indeed, some names have gone unspoken for nearly 200 years. It is your job to learn about this life. Your original research will celebrate that individual and shed light on our history as well as our present. Many schools will give community service hours for this work, and such work is a compelling addition to any college application.
With Headstones and History: Black Lives Matter(ed), you will grow to understand the world that Georgetown’s African American community lived in from 1751 to the early 20th century; the world they created, and what happened to that community.
You will also discover how this person lived, by using tools provided by Ancestry.com, newspaper articles, the Registry of Free Negros and Emancipation Compensation Claims, among other documents. At the course’s end, your findings will be donated to the Mt. Zion / Female Union Band Historic Memorial Park, Inc. which owns the cemetery and will contribute to the plans to reimagine that sacred space. The tree you create on Ancestry.com will help future genealogists and can help descendants as they trace their ancestry.
In addition to guiding you through your research through weekly meetings, we will also take you on tours of Georgetown, introducing you to heroes who have yet to receive their due. You will visit the now nondescript sites of slave auction houses and slave pens. You will see the schools where the community’s children learned, one from as early as 1810. You will visit the homes of doctors, teachers, laborers, laundresses and musicians. We will take you back to when much of Georgetown was Black. It is an intriguing, painful, beautiful history. So, join us this summer. We are ready to give you a name.
Classes meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays from June 18 to July 16. Cost: $500
Sign Up for Headstones and History
"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 is happy to announce that a colleague of some years, Jen Dillon from Adept Prep, will join Eagle Eye on Monday afternoons and evenings. Jen has tutored for 15 years and has more than 10 years of test prep experience and, besides being terrific, she actually likes and is really good at math: she majored in pure math and has a masters in biostatistics from Harvard. The most important part, though, is Jen knows the tests and can teach.
To start things, Jen will throw out a lifeline for anyone taking AP Calculus, offering 4 free review sessions leading up to those exams beginning Monday, April 11.
Here's our plan to help you dominate the test:
April 11: The Derivative Rules (Chain Rule)
April 18: Integration Techniques
April 25: Related Rates, Volumes of Solids, and Student Requests
May 2: Student Requests
Sign Up for AP Calculus Review
Also for any student out there who is nervous about or even dreading the math final coming up later this spring, now is the time to begin to get ready to avoid unnecessary drama. Give us a ring. We got you!
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.
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.
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!
