Cooper Tutoring and Student Help LLC

As the school year commences in August, I will have an available slot for Orton Gillingham instruction after school. Given the limited availability of Orton Gillingham lessons, which occur twice weekly, parents interested in securing a spot for their child are encouraged to contact me promptly. It is anticipated that these slots will be filled rapidly.

One of the aspects I appreciate about tutoring is the ability to merge my passion for animals with facilitating children's growth. Since commencing tutoring nine years ago, I have personally witnessed numerous reluctant readers become more at ease reading 'a bedtime story' to one of my canine companions rather than to me.
I’ve seen students push through a difficult task so they can play fetch with Copper for a few minutes.
In addition I have seen Eddie put himself next to a new student who was feeling unsure of their abilities time and time again, so they didn’t feel nervous.
This is why I am excited to announce Eddie will be starting therapy dog training in August!

📚 Is your homeschooler struggling with reading?

Many parents tell me:
❓ "My child knows some phonics, but reading is still hard."
❓ "They can read the words, but they don't read smoothly."
❓ "Spelling is a constant battle."
❓ "Reading lessons end in frustration."

The truth is that many struggling readers need more than practice—they need explicit instruction in the skills that strong readers use automatically.

This fall, I am offering small-group Homeschool Reading Labs designed to help students strengthen:
✅ Phonemic Awareness
✅ Phonics & Decoding
✅ Fluency
✅ Spelling
✅ Vocabulary & Morphology
✅ Reading Confidence

As a former classroom teacher with 20 years of experience and training in Structured Literacy, LETRS, Orton-Gillingham, and EBLI, I use evidence-based instruction to help students make meaningful progress.

Groups are intentionally small to allow for targeted instruction and student interaction.

📍 Fort Mill, SC
📚 K–1 Reading Lab
📚 2–3 Reading Lab
📚 4–5 Reading Lab

If you've been wondering whether your child could benefit from additional reading support this year, I'd love to chat and see if a Reading Lab might be a good fit.

Message me for details or to join the interest list!

One of the most overlooked foundations of reading success is phonemic awareness.

Before children can connect letters to sounds, they must first be able to hear, identify, blend, segment, and manipulate the sounds in spoken words. When these skills are weak, reading and spelling often become much more difficult.

One resource I frequently use when assessing and teaching phonemic awareness is Sounds of Success by Kirsten Chansky. I appreciate that it is a research-based tool that provides both assessment and instructional activities, helping identify exactly where a student is struggling and what skills need to be taught next.

You’ll notice that Sounds of Success is labeled ESSA Certified. ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) is a federal education law that encourages the use of programs and practices supported by research evidence. While no single program is a magic solution, I always look for resources that are grounded in research and aligned with what we know about how children learn to read.

Assessment matters. Instruction matters. But most importantly, understanding a student’s specific strengths and needs allows us to provide targeted support that leads to growth.

Strong readers are built on strong foundations. 📚🔤

📚 NEW: Homeschool Literacy Success Program

I’m considering offering a 12-week literacy support program for homeschool students in grades K–8.

The program would include:
• Beginning parent conference
• Literacy screening
• 12 weeks of individualized instruction
• Progress monitoring
• Ending parent conference

Areas of support may include:
• Reading fluency
• Reading accuracy
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
• Word study

Daytime homeschool hours only (9:00 AM–12:00 PM).

ESTF and ESA+ friendly.

If this is something your family would be interested in, please comment below or send me a message.

☀️ Summer Slide or Summer Growth?

Every summer, parents ask me:

“Will my child lose what they learned this year?”

The answer depends on what happens over the summer.

When students spend weeks or months without practicing academic skills, they can experience what educators call the “summer slide,” a loss of skills that often shows up when school starts again in the fall.

Common areas affected include:

📚 Reading fluency
📚 Reading comprehension
📚 Spelling
📚 Math fact fluency
📚 Problem solving skills

The good news?

Summer doesn’t have to be about preventing loss. It can be about creating growth.

A few months of targeted instruction can help students:

✅ Strengthen foundational skills
✅ Build confidence
✅ Address learning gaps
✅ Improve fluency and accuracy
✅ Start the new school year with momentum

For students who are already struggling, summer can be one of the best times to make progress because there is less homework, fewer school demands, and more opportunity for individualized instruction.

My goal is not just to help students maintain skills over the summer.

My goal is to help them return to school stronger than when they left.

💬 Do you worry more about summer slide, or are you hoping to help your child make gains before the new school year begins?

One question I get from parents and educators is:

“How do you know if a reading program actually works?”

For me, the answer starts with research.

A recent study highlighted by Education Week found that students who received UFLI Foundations instruction made significant gains. Kindergarten students showed growth equivalent to about 8 additional months of instruction, while first-grade students showed gains equivalent to nearly 1.5 years of additional instruction.

One of the biggest takeaways wasn’t just the program itself—it was the importance of consistent implementation. The strongest results were seen when teachers followed the scope and sequence as designed.

I’ve used UFLI Foundations since it was first released and continue to use it as one of the many evidence-based resources in my tutoring practice. I appreciate how clearly it lays out skill progression and provides explicit instruction aligned with what we know about how children learn to read.

It’s also a resource I frequently reference in my Parent Guidance Sessions and UFLI Placement & Parent Coaching Sessions because families often want practical ways to support reading at home.

As Dr. Louisa Moats reminds us:

“Informed teachers are our best insurance against reading failure. While programs are very helpful tools, programs don’t teach; teachers do.”

No program is a magic solution. Strong outcomes happen when research-based materials are paired with knowledgeable educators who know how to assess student needs and adjust instruction accordingly.

If you’re interested in reading more about the study, here’s the article:

https://bit.ly/49A4xTB

Have you used UFLI Foundations? What has your experience been?

Researchers Created a Phonics Program With ‘Dramatic’ Results. How It Works Consistent implementation of the 30-minute-a-day program fueled the results.

Is your child starting Kindergarten this fall?

Many parents wonder:
📚 Does my child know enough letters and sounds?
✏️ Will they be able to write their name?
🔢 Are they ready for beginning math?
😊 Will they feel confident walking into the classroom on the first day?

As a former Kindergarten teacher with 20 years of experience, I've seen firsthand how a strong start can make a big difference.

My Kindergarten Bootcamp is designed to build confidence through fun, hands-on activities that target:
✅ Letter identification and sounds
✅ Phonological awareness (rhyming, beginning sounds, listening skills)
✅ Handwriting
✅ Early math concepts
✅ Following directions and classroom routines

The goal isn't to make Kindergarten harder, it's to help children feel successful from day one.

📍 Fort Mill
📅 July 13–30
⏰ Mondays & Thursdays, 4:30–5:15 PM

I currently have 2 spots remaining.

Message me for details!

I have a few openings in these 2 programs I am having. Kindergarten Bootcamp will start in July and lead up to the start to school in August. Homeschool Labs will start in September and continue to May. For more information comment info.

📈 What Is Progress Monitoring?

One of the questions I often get from parents is:

“How do I know if tutoring is working?”

The answer is progress monitoring.

At Cooper Tutoring & Student Help, I monitor student growth throughout the year to make sure instruction is working and students are moving toward their goals.

Progress monitoring is more than just observing that a child seems more confident. It involves collecting data and comparing performance over time.

I typically complete formal progress monitoring three times per year:

📚 Beginning of Year (Baseline)
Where is the student starting?

📚 Mid-Year Check
What growth has occurred? What’s working? What needs to be adjusted?

📚 End-of-Year Review
How far has the student come? What goals should be prioritized next?

Progress monitoring helps answer questions like:

✅ Is my child making progress?
✅ Which skills have improved?
✅ What skills still need support?
✅ Should instruction continue, change, or intensify?

One of the most important things parents learn is that growth doesn’t always mean a skill is mastered.

A student can make significant progress while still needing support and that’s okay.

The goal is continuous growth, not overnight success.

That’s why every student receives a written progress report summarizing growth, current performance, and recommendations for next steps.

💬 If your child has received intervention or tutoring before, were you given progress data or just general updates?