During your first session, a tutor will get to know your student—their strengths, challenges, learning style, and goals. They'll assess current skill levels in key areas and ask about any formal diagnoses, IEPs, or 504 plans to understand what accommodations and strategies are already in place. This foundation helps the tutor design a personalized plan that builds on what works and addresses specific gaps.

In a classroom, teachers must balance the needs of many students with varying abilities and paces. With personalized 1-on-1 instruction, tutors can slow down when a concept needs more time, skip material your student has mastered, and use multi-sensory or alternative teaching methods tailored to how your student learns best. This flexibility means less frustration, faster progress, and the chance for students to actually understand concepts rather than just keep up.

Absolutely. Tutors can reinforce the strategies and accommodations outlined in your student's IEP or 504 plan, and they can help fill gaps between what's happening in the classroom and what your student needs to succeed. Many families find that tutoring accelerates progress on IEP goals and gives students extra practice with strategies their school is implementing. It's helpful to share your student's plan with their tutor so everyone is working toward the same objectives.

Students often struggle with reading fluency and comprehension, math fact recall and problem-solving, attention and organization, writing mechanics and expression, and confidence after repeated academic struggles. Many also face frustration from comparing themselves to peers or feeling "behind," which can impact motivation. Personalized tutoring addresses these challenges head-on by building skills in a low-pressure environment and celebrating incremental progress, which helps restore confidence and a positive relationship with learning.

Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who have expertise in learning differences and can match you with someone familiar with your student's specific needs—whether that's dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, or other challenges. When you reach out, share details about your student's diagnosis, current grade level, and biggest academic struggles. This helps ensure a strong match with a tutor who knows effective strategies and can hit the ground running.

Progress looks different for every student, but common measures include improved reading fluency and comprehension, faster and more accurate math skills, better organization and time management, increased independence with assignments, and growing confidence. Your tutor will track specific goals—like reading X words per minute or solving multi-step problems with fewer errors—and share regular updates. Many families also notice improvements in their student's attitude toward school and willingness to tackle challenging work.

Brooklyn has robust special education services through its 103 school districts, and many students benefit from combining school support (like special education services or 504 accommodations) with private tutoring for targeted skill-building. Your student's school can provide information about evaluations, IEPs, and in-school support, while tutoring fills gaps and accelerates progress outside the classroom. Working together—school, tutor, and family—creates the strongest support system for students with learning differences.