How To Know If Tutoring Is Working
 by: Heather Eagar

Whenever you or your child work with a tutor, the question can come to mind: “Is this really working?” There are only a few individuals in the equation who can answer the question, and they are those who are immediately affected by the tutoring.

While there is no simple formula to determine whether tutoring was 100% successful (because the goals associated with tutoring can often vary) there are a few simple guidelines that you can look at to see if it may be effective. Let’s look at what they are …

Grades Are Improving

Whether you or your child is the person receiving the tutoring, a good indicator of whether it is working or not is grades. For instance, if your child started the tutoring experience as a C student and now has received multiple Bs and even As on assignments and tests, this is a great sign that tutoring is working. This is especially true for students who did not seek tutoring to improve their grades. For those who simply wanted to maintain their level of understanding, or gain greater insight without the request of an improved grade, this side effect is proof that tutoring is making a difference.

Feeling More Confident as a Student

Another great indicator that tutoring may be working out well is the feeling that you are a better student. In the case of your child being tutored, you may see a decline in anxiety in relation to test taking, giving reports, or completing other major projects that once created a high level of stress. In your own experiences with a tutor, you may recognize some of these same feelings in yourself. For instance, if you always had a fear of participating in a classroom discussion due to a lack of confidence in the specific subject area, you may notice that this fear has slowly reduced. Or you may feel more comfortable communicating with your instructor regarding specific issues in class that maybe you were once too afraid to discuss out of fear that your instructor would think the material was over your head. At some point, of course, it may have been. So a good way to tell that tutoring is working is the fact that the material is now on your level.

Looking Forward to More Tutoring

Probably the greatest sign that tutoring is working is the fact that the student is excited about more tutoring. It may be that you want to connect with the tutor to tell about improvement in class or a test that was passed. Or you may simply want to learn more. Whatever the reason, if the student is eagerly awaiting the next tutoring session, there is a great chance the tutoring is working out well. The tutoring experience is one that many students overlook out of embarrassment or denial that they need assistance. However, if you truly take the initiative to ask for this level of help when you need it, you will likely receive the benefit of knowing it’s working by the improvements you see in your schoolwork.