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How to Opt Out of STAR Testing

June 3rd, 2019

Yes you can opt your child out of STAR Testing

STAR Testing is a set of standardized test that California uses to assess to mathematical, language arts, and scientific proficiency of students grades 2-11. However, California is one of a few states that by law allow all parents to opt out of state-mandated standardized testing of any kind. There are also California regulations governing what educators can say to families concerning these standardized tests.

So, the Question is HOW?

It is generally pretty straight forward. You will want to check with your school specifically, as each district is different, but generally all that is required is a letter to the school’s principal or superintendent letting them know that your student will not be participating in the standardized testing taking place; in this case STAR Testing – and the letter can opt out of any parts of a test or standardized tests entirely. A letter may be required annually to remind the school that your student will not participate. Because of California law, this should be all that is involved, but check with your principal to confirm.

Why to Opt Out

You can opt out for any reason by law, but there may be some reasons to stay. The STAR Test is a general assessment of basic skills most students at a given level are likely to have in Math, English, and Science. It is good to know if your student meets these basic expectations, and in what areas they may be lacking. Because the tests are standardized, they are likely to actually have easier material than what your student is currently learning. So, if they find parts of the test difficult, it would be a red flag and good to know.

What if Testing has already started?

It’s possible to opt out at any stage of testing: before, during, or after. If you decide to opt out during testing, the scores your student has already achieved will be processed and still reported to you, while no further testing will be conducted, and your student will not have to participate in the testing times.

What will my student do instead?

It’s likely your school is experienced with parents wanting to opt out of all or a specific standardized test. What will usually be the case is the school will have some kind of educational activity set aside that those students who are opted out will be able to participate in while their peers are testing. This will vary depending on school and grade level.

Does opting out cost money?

No, and don’t pay if any is requested. According to California Education Code section 60615, it is law in California that parents can decide they don’t want their children to participate in state testing for any reason and outlines a parents’ rights to submit such a request to their school. Section 852 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations further states that these requests can be filed annually. However, your state itself may be subjected to federal fines if they don’t meet the criteria that 95% of currently enrolled students in their state must participate.

Call us with any questions

These are the basics of how to opt out of STAR Testing and some reasons for or against, as well as a summary of any complications that may arise. However, at Study Hut Tutoring we have experience helping families decide what the best decision is for them, and we’d love to her about your unique situation. Don’t hesitate to give us a call and we’ll do our best to find the solution that’s right for you.

Transitioning Schools: Summer Workshop

May 6th, 2019

Transitioning from 8th grade to high school is one of the biggest hurdles in the life of an elementary student. Incoming freshmen face many challenges, not normally seen in 8th grade. As freshmen, they find themselves tasked with tackling harder concepts, with more note taking, more work, and more responsibilities and expectations, all the while trying to adjust to the new social aspects of high school. 

Here at Study Hut, we understand this transition extremely well and offer an answer to help incoming freshmen start the new school year off strong and confident, rather than unsure and anxious. 

Study Hut Tutoring proudly offers Summer Transitional Workshops for 8th graders transitioning into their freshman year. The workshops are 6 weeks, 8 weeks or 10 weeks long during the summer before their freshmen year. The workshop is completely curtailed to the individual student. Our sincerest goal is to make sure each student has the skills necessary to excel and succeed in their new high school environment. 

During the workshop, we mentor your student on proper study skills, the correct way to take notes on subjects, how to prepare for harder concepts and how to effectively handle the increase in workload. We teach these skills to your transitioning 8th grader by using the concepts they may have had difficulty with during their 8th-grade year as the guide. By applying Study Hut’s techniques on proper study skills and note-taking during the summer workshop, your student will master the concepts and subjects they once had problems with. We also analyze which new subjects and concepts your 8th grader will be introduced to as freshmen. We then build the workshop around introducing the new concepts they’ll encounter and then learning and applying the proper study skills to those subjects and concepts to set them the path of success.

The transition from 8th grade to high school can set the tone for your child’s entire high school career; we at Study Hut Tutoring strive to make the transition a time of growth, focus, and success.

Middle School Math

May 6th, 2019

At Study Hut, we believe that developing a strong mathematical prowess begins in middle school math, which is why we strive to provide junior high students with a strong foundation in Algebra and Geometry. Since opening in 2006, we have helped hundreds of middle school students find success in the complex and intricate subject of mathematics. Study Hut regularly tutors students from the surrounding middle schools every week, and math is often the first priority and focus of the sessions. With one-on-one tutoring, students who come to any of our Study Hut locations find a friendly, focused environment where they are free to ask questions and complete their work. The Study Hut approach to tutoring middle school math involves breaking down the material into its simplest parts and then constructing the larger concepts using those “building blocks”. Before a student even starts their homework or test review, we believe he/she must first firmly grasp the reasoning behind the new material. Through the application of logic and “common sense”, we encourage the student to begin thinking proactively, and the results are always positive. In fact, it’s not unusual to see a student’s math grade increase by one letter grade in just one month at Study Hut.

Middle School Math

At Study Hut, we pride ourselves in our unparalleled service to both the students we tutor and the parents of those students, and it’s part of the reason we received the South Bay Small Business of the Year Award in 2016. Our work is tailored specifically to the student, focusing on exact areas of their individual struggles. We take pride in our middle school student’s achievements. We all know very well how challenging middle school can be, socially and academically. We help students with the transition of middle school classes by being there for them, especially in the mathematics department.

 

Study Hut Tutors: Where are they now?

March 21st, 2019

Hey Hut Fam,

It has been awhile since I said that! My name is Laura and I worked at the Redondo Beach Study Hut for three years after I graduated college. Not to get all emotional and cheesy, but it is kind of crazy to think that if I never worked at Study Hut, I probably would not be chasing my dreams while living in Europe today.

Like many fresh college graduates, I finished undergrad without a clear plan, which can be really intimidating when it seems like everyone around you does. I majored in History and minored in English, so I was toying between the stereotypical projected careers for those majors: do I go to law school or do I become a teacher? While debating these two options, working at Study Hut almost fell into my lap as I was recommended by a good friend who worked there.  To be honest, I went into the job thinking I would only work there for a couple months, but ended up falling in love with tutoring and “Hut Life” culture, and ended up rising to second in command as the assistant manager. Study Hut’s work environment that somehow blends being laid-back with working hard was the perfect fit for my personality, and honestly that “energy” is something I have yet to find anywhere else.

Study Hut truly is a job where the more you put in, the more you get back. When I was first hired, I was cautioned that it might be difficult for me to keep a full working schedule since I could not tutor high level math and science courses, which are obviously the most requested appointments. However, after just a couple months, I became consistently one of the most booked tutors because I was able to cultivate such positive relationships with my students. The “team” dynamic you build with your students becomes something you look forward to every week, and their victories to an extent feel like yours. Over time, seeing that “Aha!” moment when you help your student finally understand a concept that has been troubling him or her for weeks becomes something you look forward to. Watching your students succeed on any level, whether it’s an A on a test or getting into their dream colleges, is a level of job satisfaction that is hard to describe if you have not personally experienced it.

Study Hut Tutors, where are they now?

After about a 18 months of tutoring, I began pursuing my teaching credential, which was surprisingly easy to balance with Study Hut’s flexible hours. To be completely honest, I used every excuse I could to delay earning my credential because I loved working at Study Hut so much and did not feel ready to settle into a permanent teaching career at a nearby high school. I also knew that Study Hut’s great relationships with local schools and my participation in tutoring AVID in the Palos Verdes school district would be extremely helpful when my permanent teaching job search began. Long story short, I got such cold feet about starting a local teaching career that I started thinking about other options…really really far away options.

With love and encouragement from my Study Hut boss/bff Justin, I chased after one of my life-long dreams to work abroad and applied to a program to teach English in Budapest, Hungary. In a matter of weeks, I landed a job teaching at one of the best high schools in Budapest and was on a one-way flight before I really had time to reconsider.

I taught in Budapest for two years and fell in love with my new life, career, and city. Along the way, I was also able to travel to places in Europe I never imagined I would be able to visit, including cities I did not even know existed. Since international moves and career changes are now apparently my thing, I recently moved to Warsaw, Poland to accept a job working in marketing for a tech company that produces fitness club management software. This new job is definitely outside of my comfort zone compared to tutoring and teaching, but I am learning so much and finding new ways to utilize the English skills I taught my former students every day. I have no idea if this is going to be my permanent career or city, but I do know that I’m happy figuring it out one day at a time as I’m making this new country my home.

In retrospect, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to finish my application to teach in Hungary if Justin had not been my cheerleader along the way. I will never forget how supportive all of Study Hut’s management team was about my decision to leave, which definitely speaks to the culture of how Study Hut treats its employees. As a tutor, Study Hut will bend over backwards to help you grow within the company, but if and when your career pivots in a new direction, you will receive the same degree of unwavering support.

Working at Study Hut gave me so much than exposing me to my love and natural talent for teaching: it taught me how to work in a collaborative environment, how to multitask between my managerial and tutoring responsibilities, and how to channel my creative side in a business setting. Even when my schedule was stacked with back-to-back appointments of ACT Tutoring and College Application writing, I still genuinely loved going to work every day. Apart from seeing work as “fun,” I developed great friendships with colleagues and students alike, many of whom I still keep in contact with all the way from Poland.

So if you’re looking for the perfect post graduate job while you figure the rest of your life out, don’t sleep on Study Hut. Also, Justin, if this whole Poland thing doesn’t work out plz give me my job back.

College Test Prep at Study Hut Consulting

March 21st, 2019

Young people feel pressure in two dimensions: quality and time. Students, particularly AP students, feel that they must be the best within a finite amount of time called childhood. Try though we must to alleviate their burdens, there are a few cases in life where the pressure is real. Einstein’s theory of relativity predicted just such a union between the dimensions of pressure: college test prep. 

College prep at study hut consulting

Totally joking about Einstein’s theory (we offer AP Physics prep on his actual theory). But our team of nerds at Study Hut Consulting has a serious answer to the conundrum of the SAT and ACT. To master quality, we respond with one-on-one tutoring that’s tailored to each student’s strengths and weaknesses. To defeat time, we answer with experience. Our homemade courses are administered via online portal and workbook, achieving the constant feedback of online grading and the realism of paper tests. Each student progresses through our course in a unique order with unique emphasis, and completes many practice tests and problems along the way. As Bill Murray taught us in Groundhog Day, the easiest way to get a problem right is to have done it before. 

Speaking of past experiences — as a student, I participated in Princeton Review’s SAT course. Having already scored very highly on their practice test, I was placed into the small, elite group that was likely to score perfect on the real deal. I was one of the lucky ones. But why should only those students with high first-time scores receive good tutoring? At Study Hut Consulting, we give every student one-on-one VIP treatment, regardless of their first attempt. We believe in the process. A student starting at 900 and one beginning at 1300 can both achieve hundreds of points of improvement in our college test prep. As tutors, we have the power to make both of those kids’ dreams come true. That’s why we do business.

But don’t take our word for it. We encourage our kids to do their due diligence, and we’d love for you to do the same. Stop on by for a free practice test and free consultation. You can reach us at (310) 379-1400 or practice those fill-in-the-blanks skills on our Contact Form, below. I’ll sign off this post with a College Test Prep Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

To guess on questions I cannot answer;

Courage to answer the ones I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Study Hut Tutors: Where are they now?

March 21st, 2019

Hey Hut Fam,

It has been awhile since I said that! My name is Laura and I worked at the Redondo Beach Study Hut for three years after I graduated college. Not to get all emotional and cheesy, but it is kind of crazy to think that if I never worked at Study Hut, I probably would not be chasing my dreams while living in Europe today.

 

Like many fresh college graduates, I finished undergrad without a clear plan, which can be really intimidating when it seems like everyone around you does. I majored in History and minored in English, so I was toying between the stereotypical projected careers for those majors: do I go to law school or do I become a teacher? While debating these two options, working at Study Hut almost fell into my lap as I was recommended by a good friend who worked there.  To be honest, I went into the job thinking I would only work there for a couple months, but ended up falling in love with tutoring and “Hut Life” culture, and ended up rising to second in command as the assistant manager. Study Hut’s work environment that somehow blends being laid-back with working hard was the perfect fit for my personality, and honestly that “energy” is something I have yet to find anywhere else.

 

Study Hut truly is a job where the more you put in, the more you get back. When I was first hired, I was cautioned that it might be difficult for me to keep a full working schedule since I could not tutor high level math and science courses, which are obviously the most requested appointments. However, after just a couple months, I became consistently one of the most booked tutors because I was able to cultivate such positive relationships with my students. The “team” dynamic you build with your students becomes something you look forward to every week, and their victories to an extent feel like yours. Over time, seeing that “Aha!” moment when you help your student finally understand a concept that has been troubling him or her for weeks becomes something you look forward to. Watching your students succeed on any level, whether it’s an A on a test or getting into their dream colleges, is a level of job satisfaction that is hard to describe if you have not personally experienced it.

 

After about a 18 months of tutoring, I began pursuing my teaching credential, which was surprisingly easy to balance with Study Hut’s flexible hours. To be completely honest, I used every excuse I could to delay earning my credential because I loved working at Study Hut so much and did not feel ready to settle into a permanent teaching career at a nearby high school. I also knew that Study Hut’s great relationships with local schools and my participation in tutoring AVID in the Palos Verdes school district would be extremely helpful when my permanent teaching job search began. Long story short, I got such cold feet about starting a local teaching career that I started thinking about other options…really really far away options.

 

With love and encouragement from my Study Hut boss/bff Justin, I chased after one of my life-long dreams to work abroad and applied to a program to teach English in Budapest, Hungary. In a matter of weeks, I landed a job teaching at one of the best high schools in Budapest and was on a one-way flight before I really had time to reconsider.

 

I taught in Budapest for two years and fell in love with my new life, career, and city. Along the way, I was also able to travel to places in Europe I never imagined I would be able to visit, including cities I did not even know existed. Since international moves and career changes are now apparently my thing, I recently moved to Warsaw, Poland to accept a job working in marketing for a tech company that produces fitness club management software. This new job is definitely outside of my comfort zone compared to tutoring and teaching, but I am learning so much and finding new ways to utilize the English skills I taught my former students every day. I have no idea if this is going to be my permanent career or city, but I do know that I’m happy figuring it out one day at a time as I’m making this new country my home.

 

In retrospect, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to finish my application to teach in Hungary if Justin had not been my cheerleader along the way. I will never forget how supportive all of Study Hut’s management team was about my decision to leave, which definitely speaks to the culture of how Study Hut treats its employees. As a tutor, Study Hut will bend over backwards to help you grow within the company, but if and when your career pivots in a new direction, you will receive the same degree of unwavering support.

 

Working at Study Hut gave me so much than exposing me to my love and natural talent for teaching: it taught me how to work in a collaborative environment, how to multitask between my managerial and tutoring responsibilities, and how to channel my creative side in a business setting. Even when my schedule was stacked with back-to-back appointments of ACT Tutoring and College Application writing, I still genuinely loved going to work every day. Apart from seeing work as “fun,” I developed great friendships with colleagues and students alike, many of whom I still keep in contact with all the way from Poland.

 

So if you’re looking for the perfect post graduate job while you figure the rest of your life out, don’t sleep on Study Hut. Also, Justin, if this whole Poland thing doesn’t work out plz give me my job back.

Manhattan Beach History Tutor

March 10th, 2019

Are you looking for an experienced and qualified Manhattan Beach
History Tutor? Study Hut Manhattan Beach is the best and most unique
place to go. Not only do we provide exclusive one-on-one tutoring in a
variety of subjects, but on top of that, we can definitely help your
child get on a good track in his or her History class.

Manhattan Beach History Tutor

Achieving good grades in a History class usually has a lot to do with
planning, study skills, and constant organization, because of the
magnitude of information students are required to master. Thus, we
place a huge emphasis on these areas of focus and will make sure your
child is never in a place where they are not prepared. Study Hut
students make and study tools like flashcards, outlines, or timelines.
Our Manhattan Beach History tutors aren’t just successful with
students because they know the material involved. Our tutors excel in
teaching and helping the student feel independently confident about
their own abilities.

Whether your child is struggling or just wants to bump up his or her
grade a little bit, our Manhattan Beach History tutors are available
to help. We’re here to guide note taking, help make flashcards, explain
difficult concepts, make quizzes, and anything else you might want
help with. The first step in improving a grade is admitting that you
need help, and Study Hut Manhattan Beach is as welcoming and friendly
a place as ever, so we are excited to hear from you about how we can
meet your needs and raise those grades!

Algebra 1 Tutoring in Manhattan Beach

March 10th, 2019

Is your child struggling in his or her Algebra 1 class? Regardless of what grade they are in, Algebra 1 can present unique and new challenges for any student. Because it is the first math curriculum to go in depth with linear equations, solving for variables, translating word problems into solvable math equations, and other new concepts, it is common for students to feel challenged in ways they haven’t been before in a math class. Luckily, our team of tutors at Study Hut Manhattan Beach are experienced and skilled in the subject, and can help your child get back on track and excel, no matter their current grasp of the subject or proficiency in math.

Algebra 1

Study Hut Manhattan Beach is a welcoming, friendly, and effective solution to any and all concepts your child may be struggling to understand. We can help with test prep, organizational skills, and any 1-on-1 advice and guidance a student might need to succeed academically. This is usually accomplished by guiding a student through a homework assignment, asking questions to make sure each new concept is readily understood, and providing practice problems to insure that understanding is solidified.
Algebra 1 is the most fundamental building block for all other math that comes after it. From learning how to manipulate variables, to learning how they are used to represent real world quantities and ideas, there is no other math subject so important to grasp, especially if your child is interested in pursuing higher level mathematics later on. Our staff at Study Hut Manhattan Beach would be happy to address your questions and concerns, and get you set up with regular sessions. You absolutely won’t regret the time your child gets to hone his or her skills with our established tutors, whether its a complete overhaul, or just review.

Semester 2: How to Stay on Top

January 28th, 2019

Welcome to Semester 2! Now that Semester 1 finals are over and your 1st-semester grades are locked in, you’re now looking forward to a fresh start and a continued momentum into Semester 2. While Semester 2 is a continuation of Semester 1, there are a few things you need to keep in mind for Semester 2.
Semester 2: How to Stay on Top
Now that you have spent half of the school year in each of your classes, your teachers now expect that you are accustomed to the pace and course load of the class. They will now begin ramping up the speed and difficulty of the courses. While this increase may be slight, if you multiply this increase across each and every one of your classes, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed, and trying to play catch up.

One way to prevent 2nd-semester overload is to stay as organized as possible. If you do not stay organized with all your papers, handouts, worksheets and homework, you could soon find yourself buried in clutter, without knowing which way is up. Being unorganized will make your transition into the 2nd semester harder than it needs to be. You should have a place to put all of your individual files for each class and you should review them weekly to remove the papers and downloaded files that are redundant and unnecessary for upcoming tests, midterms and finals.

Additionally, you should dedicate time each week (if not daily) to review what you learn in each class and prepare for quizzes and tests. You’ll thank yourself come test time when you have everything organized and time blocked out specifically for studying already planned out. You will spend less time studying, reviewing and you will be more prepared for any and all tests and quizzes.

In addition to staying organized, it is equally as important to reach out when you need help with your courses in Semester 2. Consider Semester 1 as time spent building a foundation of a pyramid. In your classes your teachers are teaching you foundational concepts and testing you on them. When you do not do well on the test, you can go back and work on that part of the foundation. While you are catching up, your teacher teaches concepts that may not be related to what you are struggling with, giving you time to learn the new concepts, while correcting the old.

That is gone in Semester 2. Semester 1 is horizontal learning, Semester 2 is vertical. You are now building the steps of the pyramid, each new concept now builds on top of many different foundational concepts and the process continues from there, at an increasing speed until the end of the year.

If you find yourself struggling to learn a concept, you may find yourself already having to build on top of that very concept the next day. Now your problem has been compounded and you are now struggling with two concepts. If it is not corrected quickly, your learning pyramid can crumble. This is why it is so important for you to reach out to your teachers, fellow classmates and especially tutors to help you when you feel yourself falling behind.

If you are organized and proactive when you need help with your courses, you can be successful in your second semester.

El Segundo Algebra Tutor

January 20th, 2019

Who you are: A parent looking for an El Segundo algebra tutor.

Who we are: A tutoring center offering one-on-one sessions that utilize students’ strengths and gives them the academic and organizational skills they need to succeed in class — aka Study Hut El Segundo!

El Segundo algebra tutor

Q: Why Study Hut?

A: Many of those big tutoring companies think that a one size curriculum fits all, but we don’t! Our El Segundo algebra tutors offer tutoring that is individually tailored to suit each of our student’s needs. We emphasize empowering students with the specific tools they need to excel in algebra or in any class they need extra support in.

Plus, we work out of the comfort of our relaxed, cozy office conveniently located in downtown El Segundo. Whether they need help understanding trigonometry graphs or the quadratic equation or just need help keeping tracking of assignments, we got you covered!

Q: What are Study Hut tutors like?

A: All of our El Segundo algebra tutors are locally-based, college graduates that are experienced with tutoring key math concepts to students in easy to digest ways. Our goal is to break down the toughest concepts and strategies step-by-step, so your student knows the most straightforward way to solve any math problem without all the stress.

Our work is always a team effort. In order for your student to achieve the best results possible, our team is always in communication with one another, so they get the most out of their sessions with us.

Q: How does the whole process work?

A: For more information, please fill out the contact form on this page and we’ll get back to you by phone or email. We offer a free, 20-minute consultation where we can determine the best plan of action to help your student succeed with our El Segundo algebra tutors. Our approach is completely tailored to suit our students’ academic goals and needs, so we look forward to learning about how we can give you a helping hand.

With our El Segundo algebra tutors, students will not only get help with key math concepts that they’ll use for the rest of their academic careers, but they’ll also learn the tools that will help them stay organized and on top of their assignments. With Study Hut, we’re positive that your student will walk into their next algebra test feeling confident and assured!