Private tutors. Some things to consider when deciding if a private tutor is the right match for your child:

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1 Private tutors **LDAMC does not endorse or assume responsibility for any of the programs, services, or individuals listed in our professional resource lists. This listing is solely for the reader s information to help them begin the search for an appropriate service provider.** Information about Private Tutors: Private tutors are individuals who work with students on academic remediation. Tutors can serve as homework helpers or subject-specific helpers, depending on the experience and qualifications of the individual. While some tutors have a background in education, there is no regulating body or association for tutors. High school students, college students, neighbors, friends, grandparents are all possibilities. Some things to consider when deciding if a private tutor is the right match for your child: * Will the sessions be one- on-one? * What are the skills and experience of the tutor? * Does the tutor have a background/training in teaching? * Does the tutor have a background/training in special education? * Does your child need an experienced, certified teaching professional? * Does your child need a specific program? Some questions to ask when deciding on the right private tutor for your family: How do you accommodate students with different learning styles? What methods of instruction will you be using with my child? How will you develop goals for my child? How will you measure my child s achievement? How will you determine if my child is making progress? How many sessions per week will my child need? How long will the sessions last? Will my child be receiving one-on-one attention or will the professional be working with other children at the same time? What will be the cost per session? What is the payment schedule? What grade levels and subjects is this tutor comfortable teaching? Are you knowledgeable about IEPs, 504 Plans, and other special services?

2 Penelope Critchell Phone: Type of services offered: individual tutoring Description of services: Peni provides individual tutoring to students who need extra teaching to understand content, student who need support/structure for organization, and students who struggle with reading. Area of specialization: reading and all elementary subjects as well as literature, history and writing for 6-8 th grades Education/Experience: Peni Critchell has participated in the 1-year training program to receive the Learning Disability Tutor Certification from the Lab School of Washington. She has completed training in Lindamood Bell, Phonographix and Orton Gillingham methods. Location served: office in Washington DC Other information: For further information, please contact Peni Critchell.

3 Ann G. Dacy Phone: Type of services offered: tutoring/teaching Description of services: Ann Dacy works with children of all ages and has worked with the LD population for many years in schools. Area of specialization: reading and language arts, special education grades 1-8, guidance counseling Education/Experience: Ann Dacy has a MA in Counseling Psychology, 25 years of classroom experience as a teacher, and holds MD state certification in Elementary Education, Generic Special Education, Guidance Counseling, and Advanced Professional Certification. Ann has advanced specialized training in many reading programs, including SPELL- Links, Lindamood-Bell (Visualizing and Verbalizing, Seeing Stars, Phoneme Sequencing), Phono-graphics, and Orton-Gillingham. Location served: office in Bethesda, MD Other information: For further information, please contact Ann Dacy.

4 Cardinal Reading Strategies, LLC / Walter Dunson, Ph.D. Phone: drwed@cardinalreading.com Type of services offered: private tutoring in the area of reading, spelling, and writing Description of services: Cardinal Reading Strategies offers science-based reading instruction, spelling skills, word attack skills, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, reading fluency, writing skills, and grammar instruction. Area of specialization: Programs and methods include Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood- Bell Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading Spelling and Speech, Visualizing and Verbalizing Program for Concept Imagery for Comprehension and Thinking, seeing Starts Program for Sight Words, Reading, Phonemic Awareness and Spelling. Walter Dunson specializes in utilizing multi-sensory, science based reading instruction. He provides a systematic and forensic methodology to mastering the English language and a solid foundation for the acquisition of reading, writing and spelling skills. With this forensic approach, students can be shown the phonetic nature of the English language and proper structure of the written language. Education/Experience: Location served: office in Gaithersburg, MD; has distance-program available Other information: For further information, please visit Cardinal Reading Strategies, LLC at

5 Learning Essentials, LLC / Wendy Taylor, M. Ed. Phone: info@tutoringle.com Type of services offered: SSAT/PSAT/SAT tutoring, academic tutoring, academic coaching, diagnostic testing, and educational consulting Description of services: Learning Essentials, LLC provides individualized, one-on-one academic tutoring in reading, writing, and mathematics. Learning Essentials works with all types of learners in grades K-12, including regular education and students with learning needs and differences. Learning Essentials focuses on teaching students how to learn (not just specific academic skills) by teaching learning strategies including organization, study skills, test-taking, reading and writing strategies. Learning Essentials also provides SSAT/PSAT/SAT tutoring. Area of specialization: hands-on, research-based tutoring and academic coaching for grades K-adult with learning disabilities, ADHD, and executive functioning difficulties. Learning Essentials specializes in teaching students learning strategies. Learning strategies teach students how to learn and approach learning, thus developing a more confident student. Education/Experience: Wendy Taylor holds a Bachelor s degree in Social Science/Secondary Education and a Master s Degree in Special Education. She is a former special education teacher and has extensive experience working with students of all ages and abilities. She has had the wonderful opportunity to work as a therapeutic horseback riding instructor, a faculty member at Saint Petersburg College, a supervisor of pre-service teachers, a classroom instructor, and a tutor. Wendy is certified and/or trained in Wilson Reading System, Handwriting Without Tears, Strategic Instruction Model, Lindamood-Bell, and Hands on Equations. She is also a trained Educational diagnostician. Location served: office in Gaithersburg, MD; tutors will travel to locations throughout Montgomery County Other information: For further information, please visit Learning Essentials, LLC at

6 LearningWise Strategies, LLC / Bonnie Massimino, M. Ed., BCET Phone: info@learningwise.org Type of services offered: remediation/intervention services, educational consulting for families and schools, IEP development, evaluation review, educational diagnostic assessment/evaluation services Description of services: LearningWise Strategies specializes in the learning process as a whole for individuals with mild learning differences to severe learning disabilities and/or attention difficulties. Services for each client are highly individualized and might include consultation services, tutoring, educational therapy services, organizational coaching, and cognitive learning enhancement programs. Short-term subject-specific remediation ( tutoring ) is offered to clients where additional support with the content or homework for a specific class is needed (such as Algebra). Standardized test preparation services (such as SAT or ACT) are also available. Subjectspecific remediation fills in some gaps in academic knowledge and helps the student learn material currently being taught in school and prepare for upcoming tests. Educational therapy services, which are more individualized, are also available. Area of specialization: learning disabilities, attentional disorders, executive functioning and organizational skills, reading, mathematics, writing, study skills, test preparation, and cognitive skill building. Education/Experience: Bonnie Massimino is a Board Certified Educational Therapist with over 18 years of experience in the field of education. She holds a Bachelor s degree in psychology and a Master s degree in Reading Education, as well as current Maryland Advanced Professional Certification in Special Education and as a Reading Specialist. Location served: office in Olney, MD, and some off-site visits in Montgomery County Other information: LearningWise Strategies, LLC provides financial-aid considerations to families on a financial need basis and special discounts for members of LDAMC. For further information, please visit LearningWise Strategies at

7 Geneen Massey Phone: Type of services offered: private tutoring, academic/organizational coaching, adult/vocational resources Description of services: Geneen provides systematic, multisensory reading instruction for students of all aged challenged by spelling and reading English. Area of specialization: dyslexic students and ESOL/ELL students Geneen provides inst5ruction best suited to students for whom traditional reading instruction has failed to produce results despite the adequate intelligence of the student. The Wilson Reading System provides a systematic, multisensory approach to develop decoding, encoding, and comprehension skills. Education/Experience: Geneen has 13 years of experience teaching, including journalism, Honors English, Reading Development, Language arts for ELL, and Writing for Advanced ELL. Geneen is certified in the Wilson Reading System. Geneen holds a BA in English/Secondary Education and an MAT in English for Speakers of Other Language. Location served: office in Hyattsville, MD Other information: For further information, please visit

8 Sandra Medlin Phone: Type of services offered: tutoring, student and parent counseling in LD related issues Description of services: Sandra Medlin provides private reading tutoring to students in grades K-6. She uses a variety of techniques based on individual needs, including Reading Recovery, Early Literacy, Wilson Language, and Soar to Success. Sandra Medlin also provides parent counseling/consultation in LD-related issues. Area of specialization: elementary reading Education/Experience: Sandra Medlin holds a Master s degree and has 35 years of experience as a special education resource room teacher. She is a certified special education teacher, grades K-12. Location served: office located in Bethesda, MD

9 Strategize, LLC /Beverley DiTusa, CAT, CALT Phone: Type of services offered: tutoring/intervention services and academic coaching Description of services: Strategize specializes in multi-sensory strategies, working with students with all different learning styles including dyslexia, language based LD, Asperger s, ADHD, executive dysfunction. SAT and ACT prep, diagnostic teaching, individualized teaching in reading, written language, math and academic/organizational coaching. Strategize serves students in 1 st 12 th grades. Area of specialization: Beverley specializes in working with students with all different learning styles including dyslexia, language based learning disabilities, Asperger s, ADHD, and executive dysfunction. Education/Experience: Beverley DiTusa is a Certified Academic Language Therapist with over 20 years of experience in the field of education as a learning specialist in private practice and in schools. Beverley is Orton-Gillingham trained. Location served: Olney, Silver Spring, Bethesda

10 Sarah Summerlin Phone: Type of services offered: private tutoring in all areas of language arts: reading, spelling, writing, speaking, and listening Description of services: Sarah provides systematic, multisensory reading instruction for students of all aged challenged by spelling and reading English. Area of specialization: students with dyslexia Sarah provides specializes in tutoring students with dyslexia. She has worked with students with dyslexia form ages Education/Experience: Sarah has a Bachelor s degree in elementary education (emphasis on special education), and a Master s degree in special education with an emphasis on learning disabilities. She is certified as an advanced level Orton-Gillingham provider and is a Certified Academic Language Therapist with ALTA. Location served: based in Silver Spring, MD