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Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

What is e-Tutor?

e-Tutor was specifically designed to provide quality distance learning opportunities for K-12 students anywhere in the world. e-Tutor Virtual Learning offers a proven alternative to the traditional model of a teacher in a classroom with students. All students deserve the same high quality of instruction that students receive from a great educator. e-Tutor brings that high quality learning experience to the online world, combining superior tutors, engaging content, a fully customized online learning environment and a high level of service to support student success.

The online curriculum is developed by teachers from across the country, making for rich and varied lesson modules. The curriculum has been recognized by two authoritative accrediting agencies, the Commission of International and Transregional Accreditation (CITA) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA).

Who should use e-Tutor?

e-Tutor is best suited for children in grades K to 12 at all levels of achievement. A full library of lessons provides a curriculum that works equally well for comprehensive, gifted, remedial and supplemental instruction.

Learn more about e-Tutor features that are ideal for: gifted students, home school families, students away from school, and adult learners.

Specific information for: High School students, Junior High / Middle School students, and Elementary School students.

See our article "How Does e-Tutor Stack Up?".

What is the difference between Guided Study and Independent Study?

e-Tutor provides an instructional program for K-12 students in the areas of English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. We help students reach individual success and personal fulfillment. Subscribers have two outstanding choices for selecting the appropriate learning program to meet the unique learning needs of each student.

The Independent Study Program is ideal for students who can be responsible for their own learning or have a parent or another adult who will supervise their learning. Students may choose from a wide range of lesson modules at their level.

The Guided Study Program is provided for those who want the guidance and assistance of a professional tutor with added program offerings. Each student receives encouragement and personal attention from an assigned tutor who plans and adapts the student learning program.

Both programs include access to lesson modules, exceptional instructional services, parent and student logins and passwords, portfolio-report card and monthly newsletter.

Why is my child having difficulty learning or not reaching his/her potential? How can e-Tutor help?

The answer to that question varies from child to child, but we will have a better idea of why your child may be struggling or not reaching his/her potential after they have worked with the program for a few weeks.

Most children have difficulty learning because their academic skills are not at the level that they should be. Other children may have problems with concentration, confidence, behavior, motivation, or general test-taking skills.

e-Tutor's programs give your child the advantage of working with easier lessons (review) and those that are more challenging. The cross-aging of lessons gives the students a broad range of skill levels where confidence is gained and learning skills are developed. Regardless of why your child is having difficulty with learning, the e-Tutor lessons are designed to help your child achieve academic success.

Benefits

What's the difference between e-Tutor and other online learning programs?

We've learned that none of our competitors can offer the comprehensive, broad-based curriculum that e-Tutor offers and none of them can deliver the results that we can. No one else in the online learning business uses a curriculum that has been exclusively developed for Internet-based instruction. And no one else can match our system for Individualized Direct Instruction through the Guided Study Program, which combines intense, individualized instruction with opportunities to apply and master the skills at hand.

See a more in depth comparison of features.

What's the difference between e-Tutor Virtual Learning and tutoring offered by my child's school?

e-Tutor features an intense online learning environment with Individualized Direct Instruction. Our innovative system gives your child far more structured guidance than he or she will ever receive in a classroom full of children, in a small group, or even in stand alone online programs.

Many schools provide after-school tutoring or intervention programs for students that are having difficulty in school. Even though these programs are free to families, current research indicates that these programs are inefficient, time-consuming, and most importantly will not provide you with a permanent solution. In fact, results of studies now indicate that more children in these intervention programs are further below the average level than ever before. This is a clear indication that school-based intervention programs are not working for most children.

While school-based or small group tutoring may provide your child with short-term help with homework, the e-Tutor's intense Guided Study program in conjunction with the One-on-One approach to learning actually provides your child with a permanent solution and long-term skills that will last a lifetime.

How will e-Tutor use individualized instruction to help my child learn?

The e-Tutor Guided Study Program helps your child learn to work independently by systematically combining individual one-to-one instruction with independent application and mastery of skills just learned. Individualized instruction gives your child far more guidance then he or she can receive in a classroom full of children or even a small group.

How will e-Tutor help my child improve his/her concentration?

Children who are successful learners have excellent concentration and focus. Research indicates that these children can maintain their concentration for one hour or more, which gives them the ability to complete assignments quickly, efficiently and correctly.

e-Tutor's programs will help your child improve his or her concentration and attention span. e-Tutor is designed to increase your child's concentration span when used appropriately.

How will I know how my child is doing?

Your can view your child's progress by logging into e-Tutor with your unique login and password. It will include a list of assignments completed and results, skills worked on, strengths, homework assignments (if applicable) and comments. If you are using the Guided Study program, your child's tutor will communicate with you through email.

Curriculum

What's in the Language Arts Program?

The Language Arts lessons will help your child improve dramatically in the areas of Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Writing, Spelling and Study Skills. Language Arts lessons are divided into four subjects:

How is writing taught in the e-Tutor program?

If your child uses e-Tutor consistently over a year, they will make "leaps and bounds" in the areas of writing and composition. We provide writing assignments with every lesson. The writing assignments include substantial practice with sentences, paragraphs, essays, punctuation, capitalization and grammar.

Can you give me some information about your Math Program?

The Mathematics lessons will increase your child's computational and problem-solving skills for long-term success and will also prepare your child for immediate math challenges in daily living. The math curriculum includes:

Is e-Tutor available year-round?

e-Tutor is available to students with Internet access 24/7 year-round. Our most successful students are those that continue to attend during their summer break or off-track periods so that they do not forget what they have learned previously.

How are e-Tutor lessons assigned?

e-Tutor lessons are grouped at Primary (about K-3), Intermediate (about 4-5), Middle/Junior High (about 6-8) and High School. This cross-aging of lessons has been very successful for e-Tutor students as they can work at their own pace. Some lessons may be easier and can be used for review and some will be more challenging.

Educational Guidelines

What will it take for my child to be a successful learner?

Educational studies consistently show that the most successful students are those that are strong in six general areas:

Strong Academic Skills
Strong Concentration
High level of Confidence
High level of Motivation
High Standardized Test Scores
Strong Study Skills

First and foremost, children who are successful learners have strong academic skills in reading, mathematics and writing. Strong academic skills are so important that e-Tutor makes this their primary goal for your child. e-Tutor will help your child improve in reading, math and writing and we accomplish this with the e-Tutor Guided Study Program when used appropriately. This method of leaning combines individual one-to-one online instruction with independent application and mastery of the skills just learned.

How many lessons should my student do each day?

Students should do no more than four lessons each day. Each lesson should take from an hour to an hour and a half to complete. We recommend one lesson in each of the four major curricular areas. One lesson a day is sufficient for those who use e-Tutor for supplemental work. At the Primary and Intermediate levels, students and parents can choose the area of greatest need. However, all areas support one another.

There is much reading and writing in the program and users will have excellent reading and writing skills if the program is used consistently. Parents should check the Activity and Extended Learning completed each day. These are included with every lesson. They are frequently off-line projects and so e-Tutor relies on parents to check on these. They can be a springboard for discussion, "what did you learn by completing this," "How could you have done this differently," etc.

How long should my student study each day?

Lessons take from one to one and a half hours to complete. Students are expected to spend approximately four to five hours studying each day. If there is time remaining after the lessons are finished, the student can read, write an answer to the problem statement for each lesson, write sentences using the vocabulary words or work on a creative offline project. We suggest that the student keep track of his hours of study each day on a piece of paper or a calendar.

For academic success, how important is it to continue enrollment over the summer months?

Summer enrollment is by far the biggest factor in your child's overall success in our programs. Our research indicates that students who continue their sessions during the summer improve at a much faster rate than those who withdraw for summer vacation. In fact, the two summer months may amount to as much as 4 to 6 months of actual grade level improvement and much more retention in the fall.

We have compared students who stay and students who leave for the summer and have concluded that a leave of absence during the summer has a negative impact on your child's progress. Remember, if you need to take a break or a vacation, your child can access the lessons anywhere in the world.

What if my child is behind in both Reading and Writing?

Students using the e-Tutor programs work at a pace that is consistent with their skill level. Lessons are cross-aged which give the student an opportunity to work on lessons that are more challenging and others that are easier. This methodology builds confidence. We have found that students will push themselves when they are learning about a topic that interests them.

How important is consistent participation?

We have analyzed our students' participation, and we see a direct link between regular participation and success in the e-Tutor program and in achievements beyond our program. We understand that parents and children today are very busy. However, if your child has signed up for either e-Tutor Program, regularly scheduled sessions must be a high priority. If students are continually changing their learning times, they will not develop the structure necessary for academic improvement. Our greatest success comes from students who have a regular time to study each day and keep track of their learning schedule over a long period of time.

How important are after-school activities?

Our research indicates that too many after-school activities will directly affect your child's learning performance if your child is attempting to "catch up". e-Tutor is the greatest proponent of sports and other after-school activities for children; they build self-esteem, confidence, and teamwork. However, sports and other after-school activities should not take precedence over your child's education if he/she is behind or in danger of poor grades. Being behind in learning is a serious problem and "catching up" is serious business. If your child is involved in sports or other after-school activities, we encourage you to keep them to a minimum while your child is "catching up."

We have told parents that a child who is behind in learning should be involved in only one extra-curricular activity. This will reduce your child's stress level, give him/her time to complete academic work confidently and competently and allow him/her to attend to the business of learning.

How important is my child's current attitude about using e-Tutor?

The vast majority of our students really enjoy working with the e-Tutor lessons. Our parents even enjoy learning from the Study Guides. Even students who have a negative attitude at the beginning of their enrollment quickly change their minds after working through a few of the many lessons at their level.

Keeping your child positive during this process is very important. After you begin your enrollment, sit down with your child and tell them how proud you are that he/she is working hard to do well in their learning. It's important to help your child understand that working with e-Tutor for a year or more will help him/her have a great life with many more opportunities. Keep on praising your child's efforts and showing him/her your pride in his/her continuing achievements. Lastly, give yourself a "pat on the back" for helping your child achieve academic success.

Policies

How will my child's tutor be selected? (guided study only)

Based on your child's instructional needs, we will chose a tutor whose expertise most closely matches the grade level and subject. Then we'll try to match days and times that they are available with days and times you would like a tutor.

How many tutoring sessions will my child have with the online tutor? (guided study only)

We recommend one session each week during the tutor's office hours. Students and/or parents can contact the tutor any time during the week via email.

When do the tutors hold their office hours? (guided study only)

Your online tutor holds office hours at the Knowledge HQ Center in Chicago, IL. Times vary depending on the tutor. Office hours may be scheduled Monday to Thursday at 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30. Some tutors have sessions scheduled at 6:30 and on Saturdays.

What are the graduation requirements for e-Tutor?

A minimum of twenty-four (24) credits is required for graduation from e-Tutor. Prior approval must be obtained for all courses taken outside of the e-Tutor Program to assure they meet our academic standards and curricular expectations.

Every incoming student starting April 15, 2005 must meet the following basic requirements:

Language Arts - 4 credits
Mathematics - 4 credits
Science - 4 credits
Social Studies including World and U.S. History - 3 credits
Foreign Language - 2 credits
Economics and Politics - 1 credit
Evidence of Art, Music or Industrial Technology - 1 credit
Evidence of Physical Education - 1 credit

No student shall receive a certificate of graduation without evidence from parents of completion of Activities and Extended Learning. Students wishing to graduate must petition e-Tutor administration early in May of their third (junior) year when they anticipate having met all graduation requirements.

Required Subjects and Credits needed from each Curricular Area. (These are minimum standards. Students are encouraged to take more.)

Language Arts	4 credits	Social Studies	3 credits
9th Grade	Listening/Reading	9th Grade	Geography/Sociology
10th Grade	Writing	10th Grade	World History
11th Grade	Literature	11th Grade	U.S. History
12th Grade	Literature

Mathematics	4 credits	Politics/Economics	1 credit
9th Grade	Computation / Estimation / Measurement	12th Grade	Politics/Economics
10th Grade	Data Analysis / Ratio-Percentages
11th Grade	Algebra	Foreign Language	2 credits
12th Grade	Geometry	Student/Parent may choose from the list offered through Rosetta Stone

Science	4 credits	Art, Music / Industrial Tech.	1 credit
9th Grade	Botany/Ecology	Student/Parent may choose from the list offered.
10th Grade	Biology
11th Grade	Chemistry	Physical Education	1 credit
12th Grade	Physics / Astronomy	Parent must provide evidence of participation in physical activities weekly.

How do I / does my child get a diploma?

You / your child needs to be enrolled for the entire twelfth grade in order to get a diploma from e-Tutor. If you / your child is transferring in, a transcript will be necessary to determine which courses need to be taken. Students should notify and petition e-Tutor in May of their Junior year of their desire to graduate the following year.

How do I get a transcript of my student's learning?

You can request transcripts by emailing e-Tutor or calling 877-687-7200. The first transcript is free. There is a fee ($25) for additional transcripts. Transcripts are emailed to the parent. It takes approximately two weeks to receive a transcript.

What if we decide in a week or two that this is not for us?

In the event a Subscriber wishes to cancel a subscription and qualifies for a refund, KNOWLEDGE HQ will refund a prorated portion of the amount paid to KNOWLEDGE HQ with respect to such subscription for the payment period in which the cancellation occurs. The amount will be prorated based on the number of days or months in the payment period that elapsed prior to the cancellation date, less the applicable cancellation penalty. A cancellation that occurs during the first fifteen (15) days of a subscription will be subject to a cancellation penalty equal to 20% of the subscription fee for the remaining term of the subscription. Cancellation after the fifteen (15) days of a subscription will be subject to a cancellation penalty equal to 10% of the subscription fee for the remaining length of the subscription. KNOWLEDGE HQ will provide written notification to the subscriber of the initial date of the applicable subscription and the effective date of its cancellation and written confirmation of the payment, if any, of the applicable refund to the Customer.

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