Frequently Asked Questions

When you choose Sarmiere EC, you join an organization of dedicated educators that are here to support your child and you from day one until graduation. Be it middle school, high school, college, graduate school, or beyond, we are here every step of the way. If academic issues arise at any point, we are here to help solve them. If you are ever in need of academic advice or guidance, we are here to provide it. When it’s time to prepare for college, we will be sure your child has the skills, the test scores, and the applications that will make him stand out. If the transition to college is difficult, we will provide the planning and guidance your child needs to make this transition smoother and get the most from his college experience. Sarmiere EC is here to ensure that every student with whom we work experiences a happy and successful academic journey and achieves their peak potential as a student and person.

Sarmiere EC offers a variety of educational services that allow us to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of students. “From K through college” we like to say. Whether a student is behind in reading or math in elementary school or struggling with the difficult transition to high school or college, we have the experience and knowledge to help.

• Academic Coaching designed to help students develop into confident, self-regulated learners
• Content Tutoring with a dual focus on developing self-regulation and metacognition as well as effectively teaching key concepts and material from class
• Test Prep for major standardized tests including the SAT and ACT (and others).
• College Admissions Counseling structured to help students prepare and submit competitive and impactful college applications and essays
• Life and Parent Coaching – Guiding teens into adulthood and supporting parents along the way.

We start every family off with a free initial consultation with the owner or the director. During this meeting, you have the opportunity to explain your needs in detail, giving us a clear idea of exactly why you’re reaching out regarding our services. Based on this information, we develop a learning plan and outline a set of service options available to meet your educational goals. Unlike many other organizations, we develop a unique learning plan for each individual student. Just give us a call or send an email to get started.

Our rates vary depending on the services you choose to utilize and how often you meet with an teacher/coach.  Generally, our rates fall between $95/hour and $135/hour.  

The fact that we often turn away potential teachers that have experience working with other well known educational organizations says it all. Our hiring standards are the highest in the industry, resulting in the strongest staff of teachers, coaches, and counselors available. Furthermore, every teacher must take a series of extensive, formal assessments as well as undergo rigorous training along with a period of shadowing lead instructors prior to working with students. We are extremely proud of our excellent staff of teachers.

Since our approach to each student is unique, the length of time students spend with Sarmiere EC varies considerably. The time required to reach your academic goals also depends on which services are chosen and how they are utilized. After the free initial consultation, we will be better able to give you an idea of both what supports we recommend and how much time it may take to reach your goals.

From a broader perspective, we are a trusted partner that parents and students can turn to for guidance and support throughout their academic careers. Relationships that begin in middle school with math support may transition to academic coaching later on, then to test prep and college counseling as graduation nears, and then on to content support for that tough college chemistry course. We are here for our students and families every step of the way.

Meetings are typically scheduled for 60 minutes, though there are times when meetings can be scheduled for more or less time. Typically, we start students off with 2 meetings per week; however, students sometimes require more intensive help resulting in more frequent meetings. As an example, secondary students that join Sarmiere EC in the middle of a semester with a low C or lower in one or more classes may require 3 meetings per week at first in order to get caught up. As students progress and improve, the weekly frequency of meetings is reduced until, ultimately, no further meetings are needed. 

Our services are available 7 days/week assuming a teacher is available to meet. Most families choose to take advantage of our services Sundays through Thursdays in the afternoons/evenings.

All of our meetings occur virtually.  Provided through Google and utilizing live audio AND live video, your child can meet face to face with one of our teachers in real time and without the commute! 

Yes. We offer a money back guarantee after the first session if you feel that meeting online was not a good fit.  We are proud to say that since Sarmiere EC’s this has never been requested by a family.  

• Parent-adolescent conflicts that continue to go unresolved
• Teens and young adults who are floundering and unsure what path(s) to take through high school, college, and beyond
• Parents concerned that their teens are sharing less and less with them, causing them to feel “in the dark.”
• Teens and young adults who feel that their parents “don’t understand” them or are not someone with whom they feel comfortable sharing their deeper thoughts and emotions
• Teens and young adults struggling socially with peers
• Feelings of insecurity and lack of confidence
• Unhealthy social media and technology use
• Academic and other school struggles that lead to conflict at home
• Divorced parents struggling to co-parent in a healthy manner

The best time to begin focusing on the development of effective academic skills and habits is during late elementary school or early middle school. It is during this time that these skills really become more and more important. In addition, there typically are reduced academic pressures (as well as other pressures) during this time, allowing for the development of strong academic skills and habits without high levels of stress and anxiety. Ideally, students should enter their freshman year in high school having already developed a strong set of academic skills and habits, allowing for a smooth transition to this critical time in their educational careers. Of course, additional support during high school may be needed as the rigors of school and learning increase. What’s most important is to avoid a “crisis scenario” in which students have poorly developed skills and habits, poor motivation and confidence, and high school grades looming that will impact their future college and career opportunities. Unfortunately, we see this all too often. So many families tell us they wish they’d begun working with us sooner. This can be avoided by being proactive and getting started sooner rather than later.

Yes. A significant number of our tutoring and academic coaching students have one or more diagnosed learning differences: ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, processing speed issues, executive functioning issues, auditory and verbal processing disorders, and others. Students with learning differences can learn to be just as successful as any other student; however, they often need to spend more time than other students learning and developing a strong set of academic habits and skills.

Yes. In fact, it is often with these students that academic coaching can yield the greatest results.  Also, many of our test prep students are shooting for top scores in the hope of attending highly competitive universities.

Developing a strong set of academic habits and skills takes time, and the more intense students’ academic challenges are the more often they need support. Students who begin coaching earlier in their academic journey – late elementary or early middle school – can often benefit from meeting just once/week. Students who begin coaching late in middle school often typically need to meet twice/week. Students who begin coaching in 9th grade or later typically need a minimum of two sessions/week to start. Ultimately, the goal is to teach students how to succeed on their own and to wean them off of coaching over time, but this does not happen overnight.

Most coaching sessions are 1 hour. Younger students sometimes meet for less time.

There are two key factors that determine how long a student will need academic coaching support: how far behind the student is and how motivated the student is. Motivated students who are open to changing/developing their academic habits and skills progress the most quickly. These students can begin to transition out of regular academic coaching within a few weeks to a few months. Students whose motivation is poor (often mixed with a lack of maturity) often need academic coaching support in some form or another for several years.

Sometimes, what students and parents need most is a breather from one another. We understand this, and academic coaching often begins with parents taking a step back from things and let us take over for awhile. However, until students mature into independent, responsible young adults who no longer rely on their parents for structure and accountability, the role of parents in the academic success of their student remains integral. Prior to students becoming independent young adults there are three key contributors to their academic success: the school, the student, and the parents. Sarmiere EC forms a fourth level of overarching support encompassing all three of these pieces. We can step in and take on the responsibilities of any one (or more) of these pieces in the short-term. In the long term, however, if students are going to develop into self-regulated learners that no longer need additional academic support from Sarmiere EC, then all three pieces of this “academic pyramid” need to be strong. The more that parents can set appropriate expectations and provide effective structure and accountability at home, the sooner that academic coaching support will no longer be needed. Over time, students will become more and more independent from their parents and more self-reliant; this also happens between students and their academic coach at Sarmiere EC. Of course, this is our ultimately goal: an independent, confident, self-regulated learner. We understand, however, that sometimes, for a variety of reasons, significant support by parents at home is not feasible. When this is the case, Sarmiere EC is here and able to provide additional support until the time comes that students have matured and developed enough as students that the parental role is no longer integral to success in school.

Whenever possible, we utilize the work students have been assigned from school, which is the vast majority of the time. Only during rare situations in which the work assigned at school is insufficient will we supplement students’ assignments.

During the school year, the majority of Sarmiere EC’s academic coaching is done one-on-one. Students have different classes with different teachers and different assignments; additionally, students often vary widely in terms of their academic strengths and weaknesses. So, it is typically most effective to meet one-on-one. Groups of two will sometimes occur due to parent/student request, but this is rare. We offer group coaching to schools.  

No coaching session is the same as another; however, a typical session starts with checking and managing organization. This is followed by a planner check. Next, there is a thorough academic analysis for each class combined with planning for assignments and assessments. Once this check-in process is complete, students and coaches begin diving more deeply into planning for, managing, and completing assignments. As assignments are discussed and work is completed, coaches teach and model proven and effective skills and habits.

We offer tutoring for virtually all subjects from middle school through college.

Yes. A significant number of our tutoring students have one or more diagnosed learning differences: ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, processing speed issues, executive functioning issues, auditory and verbal processing disorders, and others. Students with learning differences can learn to be just as successful as any other student; however, they simply often need to spend more time than other students learning material and developing a strong set of academic habits and skills.

Yes. Tutoring is often extremely helpful for these students.

Typically, students start off tutoring twice/week for 90 minutes, though this can vary. Some students may not need to meet twice/week; this is usually students who are already doing well in a class but want to do better. Other students may need to meet more than once/week; this is usually students who have a low C or lower and/or there’s limited time left in the semester to catch up. Every student is different and we develop a unique learning plan for each student.

Most tutoring sessions are 90 minutes. Younger students sometimes meet for one hour.

Whenever possible, we utilize the work students have been assigned from school, which is the vast majority of the time. Only during rare situations in which the work assigned at school is insufficient will we supplement students’ assignments.

Typically with tutoring the parents’ roles remain relatively unchanged unless we see a need to recommend otherwise.  

Whenever possible, we utilize the work students have been assigned from school, which is the vast majority of the time. Only during rare situations in which the work assigned at school is insufficient will we supplement students’ assignments.

Most of Sarmiere EC’s tutoring services are one-on-one. Students needs often vary quite drastically from one student to another, making one-on-one tutoring the most effective approach. We do, however, offer small group tutoring in some cases; this usually occurs when there are multiple students taking the same class together who would like to work as a group. 

No tutoring session is the same as another; however, a typical session starts with briefly checking and managing organization for class. This is followed by a quick planner check. Next, there is an academic analysis combined with planning for assignments and assessments. Once this brief check-in process is complete, students and coaches begin diving more deeply into covering material and planning for, managing, and completing assignments. As assignments are discussed and work is completed, tutors teach and model proven and effective skills and habits.

The best way to answer this question is to take both tests and do a comparison. Based on a student’s scores and our test analysis, we can recommend the test that is best for each student. If students already have a set of recent scores, we can use those as well. Factors to consider include test scores, sectional scores, processing speed and pacing, reading level, math/science skills, and student confidence/preference. 

The majority of students doing test prep with Sarmiere EC work one-on-one with a test prep instructor.  One-on-one test prep typically leads to the best results for a student. 

Sarmiere EC has helped thousands of students earn top scores on the ACT/SAT. Our results are proven. Furthermore, over the years Sarmiere EC has developed its own proprietary test prep materials that are the most comprehensive and effective materials available. No other organization has a more comprehensive and effective approach to test prep.

Test prep time can vary considerably from student to student. Even a handful of sessions can yield results. However, for those students who really want to maximize their prep and get the best possible score they can, the process of maximizing scores can take 4-6 months. During the consultation, we can help you determine the best approach for you and your student.

We recommend that students do test prep one-on-one.  One-on-one test prep consistently yields the best results.  

One way to answer this question is to look at the percentile score rather than the score itself. For example, a student who scored in the 80th percentile performed as well or better than 80% of all of the students who took that particular test. Whether or not you feel this is a good score or not depends on your expectations. Truthfully, “good” is relative; a good score for one student may not be considered a good score for another student. What’s most important is that students earn a score that allows them to reach their academic goals.

Lots of students think they are bad test takers when the truth is that they often just need to be more prepared for tests. Quality test prep with an expert instructor can help all students improve.

The answer to this question will depend on the goals of the student. Generally, students are advised to apply to 8-10 schools at the most. It is important for the student to research the colleges and visit when possible to assess whether the institution may be a good fit. Students should create a 3-column list including a few “safety” schools, a few “target” schools, and a few “reach” schools.

The best way to determine a school that is a good fit is to work closely with one of our college counselors.  School visits are also very helpful: students can assess campus size and atmosphere, location, degree opportunities, activities of interest, etc.