Tutoring Program Information

The LDT program will not only help your child improve his/her SAT/ACT score, but will also fill in any gaps missing in his/her education in math and writing.  Our program will also show your child how to read critically- all lifelong skills.  We create a tutoring plan tailored to your child’s specific learning style/needs, considering his/her strengths weaknesses, goals, and the amount of time your child has available to complete homework.

Parents should know that the LDT program is very structured. Laura emails progress reports to parents after each lesson, assigns studying assignments, and quizzes students to assess progress.  We provide a very structured program that improves students’ performance and study skills in school.

Homework and Practice Tests

• LDT tutors give up to four diagnostic practice tests throughout the 18-hour tutorial and use actual College Board and ACT tests.

• All students take a diagnostic before their first meeting with their tutor. We offer proctored diagnostics on weekend mornings. During school vacation we offer proctored diagnostics on weekdays.

• Our office staff scores diagnostics for students, typically within 24 -48 hours.

• Students perform better in the morning when they have not been in school all day. Because of this, it is better to schedule tutoring appointments after school, on weekdays, so that they have weekend time to complete their homework.

• Students complete 3+ hours of homework per week. This number will fluctuate depending on the particular lessons being covered and/or their schedule.

• Students' junior year schedules are often very rigorous. That said, we recommend that your child take something off of his/her plate during his/her SAT tutorial. This is one of the reasons why we recommend weekday appointments. If your child has activities every weekday evening, we strongly recommend that he/she miss one night per week of that activity to attend tutoring sessions.

• LDT tutors will send you weekly summaries letting you know how your child performed on his/her homework. If your child misses part of his/her homework, please know that his/her score improvement may be affected

Factors that Affect Score Improvement

• Amount of time your child spends completing homework and studying

• Desire to improve his/her score

• Willingness to embrace new strategies

• Hours spent in tutorial.

• At some point in the tutorial, your child may take a diagnostic test and score lower in a category (math, reading, or grammar) than he/she did in the past. This happens to almost every student during his/her tutorial. Our most successful students have been those who could stay positive and still work hard through these times.

• Because there may be factors beyond our control that will affect your child’s test scores, LDT cannot guarantee a particular outcome.

If Your Child is an Athlete...

We recommend planning your child's SAT or ACT around his/her sports schedule. We usually ask football players and girl's tennis players to wait until December or January to take their first SAT/ACT, since it is difficult for them to balance practice, school, and test prep. 

Summer Vacation Time for the August & October SAT/September & October ACT

LDT tutors will always schedule your child's appointments around your vacation time. If possible, however, it is better for your child to be away from tutoring in the beginning of his/her program (June or even early July).  Breaking the continuity of the tutorial at a time that is close to the testing date is not advised.  Tutoring for the early fall tests typically can start in late June or early July.