Review: Sylvan Learning Center Assessment

With almost two decades of homeschooling under our belts, our family has experienced a variety of learning issues.  Most of them we have been able to diagnose and resolve ourselves.

When I marked a recent French test, though, I realized I needed expert help.  Occasionally we all find ourselves in situations where our love, patience, and efforts are not enough, and then we usually don’t know where to turn.

However, long ago the 12-year-old daughter of a dear friend of mine learned to read at a Sylvan Learning Center, and when I put down that French test, I picked up the phone and called Sylvan.

Of course, it wasn’t only the French.  It was also the math.  The reading.  The spelling.  The extreme creativity and extreme distractibility.  In fact, it was everything.

Did this child of mine need academic help?  Did she have dyslexia or was she just too global a thinker to notice the individual letters in a word?  Was it something like ADD or ADHD?  Or was it just a childish and lazy attitude?  I suspected it was a bit of each, but I knew I needed help to be able to sort it all out and give her the education she needs.

So, despite my daughter’s passionate objections, we went to our first appointment and the Sylvan lady was a dream—sweet, funny, totally empathetic, and patient.  My daughter did not want to be there and found the assessment stressful, but she perked up at the thought of a $5 gift certificate to a pet store, especially when she found out she had already earned a quarter of it.

The next week I went in to discuss the results.

• Some of them confirmed what I knew—math is below grade level…but not as much as I thought.
• Others were a surprise—reading is well above grade level.
• And others I had never even considered—being timed and tested cause her unhealthy amounts of stress.

The Sylvan lady told me what I could best work on at home and gave me practical tips for doing so.  She shared her experiences with children who had similar issues and told me what red flag signs she had noticed.  She recommended psychoeducational testing, which we are beginning at home rather than professionally because of the cost.  And, of course, she also told me what Sylvan could do for my child and how they would do it in an effective, stress-free way.

Due to other circumstances, we have not been able to sign our daughter up for Sylvan classes yet, but the assessment was such an eye opener that we have been able to make a significant difference in her learning just by focusing on the Sylvan lady’s other tips.  And, when we eventually do sign up for Sylvan classes, I suspect that she will be able to move ahead quickly.

If one of your children is having difficulties learning, it may be worth your while to explore the Sylvan Learning Center website.

Disclosure:  I have not been compensated for this review in any way and am expressing my own honest opinion.  I was given a free assessment as part of a local promotion, as was everyone else who applied at that time.