Denver's 9 school districts serve over 116,000 students with varying levels of special education support. While classroom teachers manage large groups with an average of 14.4 students per teacher, personalized tutoring fills critical gaps by providing focused, one-on-one attention on specific IEP goals, reinforcing classroom concepts, and building confidence in areas where students struggle. Tutors can also work directly with IEP teams to ensure tutoring aligns with school-based interventions.

Students with disabilities often struggle with attention and focus, processing complex information at classroom pace, retaining multi-step instructions, managing frustration with academic tasks, and building confidence after repeated struggles. Many also face social-emotional challenges like anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulty with peer relationships. Personalized tutoring addresses these challenges by breaking skills into smaller steps, providing immediate feedback, celebrating progress, and creating a low-pressure environment where students can ask questions without embarrassment.

During an initial session, tutors connect with the student to understand their learning style, strengths, challenges, and specific IEP goals. They review relevant school records, assess current skill levels, and build rapport in a judgment-free setting. This foundation allows tutors to create a personalized plan that targets priority areas while building on what the student does well—ensuring tutoring is directly aligned with meaningful progress.

Yes. Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who understand IEP development and can target specific goals in reading, math, writing, executive functioning, speech/language, or other areas outlined in your child's plan. Tutors can also communicate with your child's school team to ensure tutoring reinforces classroom instruction and contributes to measurable progress on IEP objectives. This coordination helps maximize the impact of both school and tutoring support.

Tutors working with students who have special needs typically hold special education certification, experience with specific disabilities (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.), training in evidence-based interventions, and expertise in differentiated instruction. Many have backgrounds in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, or related fields. Varsity Tutors matches you with tutors whose qualifications and experience align with your child's specific needs and learning profile.

Progress in special education tutoring is tracked through concrete measures: improved performance on IEP goal assessments, increased accuracy and speed in targeted skills, better organization and time management, reduced anxiety during academic tasks, and stronger confidence and self-advocacy. Tutors provide regular updates on what your child is learning, areas of growth, and next steps—so you have clear visibility into how tutoring is supporting your child's development and school success.

Special education tutors support students across core academics—reading, writing, and math—as well as executive functioning skills like organization, planning, and task initiation. Many also help with study strategies, test-taking skills, social-emotional learning, and self-advocacy. Tutors can focus on foundational skills for younger students or help high schoolers prepare for transition planning and post-secondary goals. The specific focus depends on your child's IEP priorities and individual needs.