IN-PERSON TUTORING AND COACHING · SOUTH BAY
Teach them how, then let them do it.
For students in grades 5–12 carrying demanding classes and full schedules. We teach them to plan a week, work through hard material, write clearly, and explain their thinking without someone sitting next to them.
Tell us what's going on ↗ Explore our approach →
In person · Grades 5–12 · Groups $50 per student per 90-minute class · One-to-one $90 an hour
WHAT WE CAN WORK ON
01 Get organized — Executive function
02 Read and write — English & writing
04 Investigate and test — Science
07 Prepare and perform — Test prep
TEST PREP COVERS
High school entrance exams — HSPT, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, and TACHS
PSAT — PSAT 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT
A CLOSER LOOK
Small lessons that change how students work.
Sometimes the most useful part of a session is a question a student has never been taught to ask. What does the assignment ask of you? Which step is confusing? Does this evidence actually prove your claim?
We teach every skill the same way: I do, we do, you do. The coach works a problem out loud, the student tries one alongside them, and then the student does one on their own while the coach watches.
FROM THE CLASSROOM
A tool for reading closely
Your school chooses your next class. Which announcement feels different?
"You have been selected." / "You have been assigned."
What changed in your reaction? What word(s) changed your reaction? Why?
A student names the feeling, explains the word choice, then applies the same methodology in a text they are reading. That's a tool they can bring to the next passage, novel, and classroom.
SUBJECTS AND SKILLS
What is your student working on?
Start with a subject. We'll build a plan around the actual assignments, habits, and goals.
Executive function ↗
Planning, starting work, organizing materials, and following through.
English & writing ↗
Reading closely, finding ideas, building paragraphs, and revising essays.
Math ↗
Understanding the problem, choosing a method, and proving each step.
Science ↗
Working with concepts, experiments, data, and scientific explanations.
History ↗
Making sense of sources, causes, evidence, and arguments.
Debate ↗
Building a claim, testing evidence, listening, and responding clearly.
Test prep ↗
Learning the format, pacing each section, and practicing under real test conditions.
Can they do it without us?
Every session is built around one question. We teach the skill, we practice it together, and then we step back and watch. If your student can do it alone, we move on. If not, we try again a different way. We know we have succeeded when your student no longer needs us.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND BLACKFORD
Built by teachers. Run by teachers.
Blackford Learning Group was started by classroom teachers who wanted to work with students one at a time, without the constraints of a thirty-student room. Every coach on our team has taught in a real classroom, and most still do.
We are small on purpose. We take on only as many students as we can know well, and we match each one with the coach who fits their subject, their age, and their temperament.
START HERE
Tell us what your student is up against.
Thirty minutes, by video or in person, free. We will listen, explain what we would do, and tell you honestly if we are not the right fit.