School Bridge, LLC

Products And Services

• Tutoring

  READING, DYSLEXIA K-12 What: Goal: Helping students reach their potential through the development of literacy skills Reading Writing Oral Expression Listening When: Learning Center Open Monday-Saturday 90-minute sessions Choose up to 2 or 3 sessions weekly Flexible scheduling based on child’s schedule Lock in set session days/times each month in advance Choose from 13-weekly sessions based on your child’s schedule and after school: 3:45-5:15 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 5:30-7:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00-10:30; 10:45-12:15; 12:30-2:00; 2:15-3:45 Saturday Daytime Hours, for students in transition, home-schooled or taking medical leave available: 10:00-12:30 or 1:00-2:30 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday How: Intervention: Direct, explicit, multi-sensory, structured, sequential, developmental, data-driven, research-based, outcomes-oriented, supportive environment; Blended, integrated approach: Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood, Barton, Wilson, Read Naturally and other interventions including the use of technology, music/guitar/song, creative arts, experiential, interactive games and activities and traditional learning strategies. Use of supplemental curriculum materials and variety of print, multi-media and original language-arts texts (e.g., literature, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, resource materials) through print, online, audio, video, and other. Targeting: Phonological awareness, phonemic memory, auditory conceptualization, sight word recognition, decoding, encoding and spelling, rapid naming, rate, fluency, reading comprehension, short term memory, attention and focus, organization, written composition, grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, listening comprehension, oral expression, handwriting, word processing and typing skills Individualization: Meeting students where they are developmentally, establishing goals and measuring incremental gains, focusing on strengths and celebrating successes in a collaborative, nurturing, positive environment within a community of learners who value and include one another. Who: Students Struggling to meet grade level benchmarks in reading Difficulty with rhyming Late talking, learning new words slowly, confusing sounds Challenges learning colors, numbers, letters (say/write) Problems processing and understanding what is heard Hard time remembering sequencing of things Difficulty seeing/hearing, similarities/differences in letters, sounds or words Inconsistently able to sound out pronunciation of unfamiliar word Difficulty reading, including reading aloud Slow and labor intensive reading, writing, task completion Challenges with spelling Mispronunciation of names, words Difficulty retrieving words, finding the right word to say Avoid activities that include reading Trouble learning foreign language Difficulty memorizing Experiencing challenges with math problems Instructors Dedicated Trained Student-centered College educated, including those with graduate degrees Teaching experience Committed to teach students to read Director Suzie Muir, Ed.D. Mother of four Evaluated over 2000 students with learning challenges Experience teaching special and regular education K-12 in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC Experience research, service and teaching undergraduate and graduate students at Colorado State, George Washington University and George Mason University Limited, selective enrollment Fee: No Long-Term Contract​, Rolling Admissions OPTION ONE: $750 month Up to 2 x per week 90 minute sessions >12 hours/month Recommended 4-season program Location: School Bridge, River Road Bethesda location OPTION TWO: $1000 month Up to 3 x per week 90 minute session >18 hours/month Recommended 4-season program Location: School Bridge, River Road Bethesda location ADDITIONAL FEES $50/month Material and assessment fees $100/one time application fee Non-refundable application fee, for each applicant Review progress reports, any evaluations, standardized testing Interview child and parent Administer preliminary needs assessment Family will receive an email within 48 hours of the interview regarding program acceptance. In some instances, students may be denied acceptance or placed on the waiting list. Terms: Students may enroll upon acceptance. Rolling-admission is based on goodness-of-fit and center capacity. Tuition will be charged automatically each month, in advance. A full rotation of instruction through the four season program is encouraged. Enrollment may continue beyond the four season program based on student need and progress goals. Only major credit cards are accepted. Enrollment may be discontinued, without penalty, with 30 days written notice. Where: School Bridge 5272 River Road, Suite 300 Bethesda, MD 20816 301-652-2952

  Link: Tutoring

• Who Should Be Tested?

  Evaluation serves students in public or private schools who are struggling in one or more of the following areas: learning to read, reading comprehension, phonics, reading speed, spelling, mathematics, written expression, remembering information, handwriting, following directions, concentrating, focus and sustained effort, restlessness or impulsivity, staying on task, planning and organizing, homework, tests, frustration tolerance, hypersensitivity to sound or touch, impulsivity, executing tasks, and meeting grade/age level academic benchmarks and expectations. Student who are increasingly bored and disinterested may also consider testing in order to identify students’ true strengths and abilities – perhaps these students have an undetermined learning disorder and/or are exceptionally bright and unchallenged. Students who are bright, competent and able who struggle with completing assigned tasks within timed conditions (such writing essays or computing math problems on examinations) consider testing. Those students working at a labored speed on homework, classwork and or tests may consider testing. Students who are considering transferring to an independent school, or moving to another public school, and parents wish to have a current snapshot of educational skills so that placement and instructional programming process can be informed. Students who are home schooled often choose testing as well in order to provide a roadmap for future goal setting and direction. Students who are consistently struggling to sustain effort in school, home and work/play choose to be evaluated. Such struggles are interfering with the achievement in school, ability to maintain positive relationships with children and/or adults, and child’s perspective of self. Students in transition such as those moving from elementary to middle, from middle to high, high school to college, or college to graduate school and in need of additional school support may also consider testing. Students struggling with executive functioning issues including planning, initiating, executing, problem solving, deductive reasoning, self-monitoring, shifting or transitioning may be considered for testing. These students may frequently lose homework, complete homework and then lose it, have disorganized locker/notebook/room, have difficulty starting homework/papers, have difficulty organizing thoughts on paper, struggle with time management. Such struggles impact class and homework efforts to the degree that undermines their success. Students tested by Dr. Muir are in the elementary, middle, high school and undergraduate and graduate school levels.

  Link: Who Should Be Tested?

• What is Testing?

  Purpose of Testing: This comprehensive diagnostic service has the ability to rule in or out the possibility of a learning disability, or an attention deficit, by comparing ability to achievement, determining discrepancies, and considering supporting data including evaluation results, school records, previous evaluations, standardized test results, as well as student, parental and teacher perspectives. Testing informs documentation of the current snapshot of academic functioning. Process: Dr. Muir is able to assess, diagnose, and make recommendations for educational growth including recommended school services and accommodations that assist students in realizing their potential. Students who have been referred include those with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder with inattention and/or hyperactivity. The reports are individualized, comprehensive, and lengthy. Based on the data generated from the evaluation, a list of relevant resources may include: specific modifications and academic interventions, suggested readings, websites, grass roots and professional organizations, conferences and seminars. If relevant, specific names and contact information of professionals who may provide service that benefit the student may also be included. Such professionals include tutors, therapists, coaches, school counselors, dentists, psychiatrists, lawyers, advocates, sleep clinics, camps and others. Dr. Muir works with a clinical psychologist through the interpretation of the data to strengthen the findings. Parents and students will be equipped to make strength-based decisions with the report as a guide.

  Link: What is Testing?

• When to Test?

  Testing should be considered for students: (1) needing initial evaluation (perhaps school district has denied evaluation, perhaps parents wish to move forward with the process and receive results more quickly than school system’s pace, or perhaps independent school requires comprehensive evaluation to afford access to resources) for special education and support services and accommodations in schools; (2) needing a re-evaluation to confirm eligibility for services and accommodations because previous testing is outdated, specifically three years or more; (3) requesting consideration for standardized test accommodations (such as the SAT, ACT, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT or GRE etc.). Testing accommodations may include: extended time, preferential seating, small group environment for test taking, having directions read, having test read, extended breaks, using a different format (large print, Braille, another language), assistive equipment (word processor, calculator); (4) applying for services and accommodations (e.g., language waiver, extra time on tests, quiet room for tests, etc.) through University/College student disability services; (5) considering transferring to an independent school and wanting to inform the school selection or instructional planning process with data that not only identifies abilities but also provides a current snapshot of academic functioning; this is important so that the right fit can be determined and educational needs can be met; (6) showing early signs of reading difficulty. It is important to identify reading problems before they turn into failure. Parents should consider screening test results provided by the County include Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR), Dynamic Indicators of Basic Reading Literacy Skills (DIEBELS); Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI); and AIMSweb screening assessments, developed by researchers for those purposes to determine if the child may be at risk for reading difficulty. Should screenings, teacher comments, report cards indicate struggles in reading, preventive intervention should begin immediately. How the child responds to supplementary instruction will help determine if services are justified and necessary. (7) with oral language skills that are more highly developed than written skills; (8) that have problems sounding out words, recognizing words and reading as quickly as others; (9) with listening comprehension skills that seem to be much higher than reading comprehension skills; (10) who when speaking, may have a tendency to mispronounce common words or have difficulty using or comprehending more complex grammatical structures; (11) with writing that is described as slow, poor quality, and the quantity is less than grade level expectation. Students who have illegible handwriting, or experience extreme physical discomfort when writing may consider testing; (12) with underdeveloped spelling skills (leave out letters, add letters, leave out syllables, miscode sounds, leave out sounds) (13) desiring additional concrete data, such as a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation in order to either validate and confirm clinically significant attentional deficit or to rule out the possibility of a competing learning issue, before beginning trial of stimulant medication as first line of intervention for suspected deficit in attention.

  Link: When to Test?

• Why Evaluate?

  Reasons? Snapshot of functioning, Diagnosis, Services, Accommodations, Planning, Documentation Snapshot: An evaluation will provide the student, the family and the school with a current snapshot of student functioning so that educational placement and instructional programming can be informed so that the student can reach academic potential. Diagnosis: This comprehensive diagnostic service has the ability to rule in or out the possibility of a learning disability or an attention deficit. Testing may determine a diagnosis including: Learning Disability (Math, Reading, or Writing) such as Dyslexia/Reading Disorder, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Inattentive Type, with Hyperactivity, or Combined; Executive Functioning Disorder; Fluency Disorder, Processing Disorder; Gifted and Talented; Nonverbal Learning Disorder and re-determination of Developmental Disorder/Autism spectrum. Support services: In elementary, middle, high school and undergraduate and graduate school, it is possible to apply to the school to receive support services including reading, math, writing, oral expression and executive functioning. With an independent testing report, determining a specific learning disability and or attention deficit, it is possible to appeal to the County, the independent school or higher educational institution for educational and related services. Accommodations: Mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the American Disability Act (ADA), students with learning disabilities and or attention disorders, as well as those with other disabilities, may be found eligible for educational support and related services and accommodations so that they may be better able to reveal their potential in school. Testing accommodations do not change what is expected. They only change the way students gain access to learning. Formal accommodations adapt and adjust. Accommodations may be considered at the elementary, middle, high school, undergraduate and graduate levels, with a range of accommodations for those who are diagnosed with Specific Learning Disability. Possible accommodations may include: preferential scheduling, extended time on tests, quiet space for tests, multiple test days, frequent breaks during tests, computer keyboard access during tests, scribe for tests, reader for tests, textbooks and or exams on tape, one exam per day during exam period, preferential registration, note taking services, reduced course load, math waiver, foreign language waiver, flexible course sequencing, special housing considerations, iClicker for examinations, second set of texts, and others. With the results of the evaluation, students may apply for accommodations on one or more of the following standardized examinations: College Board admissions: SAT, ACT, PSAT, SAT subject tests, AP exams, CLEP, ASVAB; Graduate school admissions: LSAT, MCAT, GRE, GMAT, MAT, DAT, PCAT, OAT; High school admissions: SHSAT, SSAT, ISEE; Medical licensing: USMLE, COMLEX; State standards achievement: such as Virginia SOL, Colorado CSAP, etc.; Nursing Domestic/International: NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN; Other Health Tests: NAPLEX, NBDE, PANCE/PANRE, EMS/EMT, Medical Assistant, Radiology Exam, Dental Hygienist; Other tests: BAR law examination, MPRE, Educational Certificate, Civil Service, Real Estate Licensing, IT Certification, US Citizenship Planning: Parents of students who are seeking testing services often want to know more than a diagnosis. While a diagnosis certainly can rule in or rule out suspicions, parents typically want to better understand what to do next. Charting a course for action is essential once a diagnosis is determined. The comprehensive evaluation completed by Dr. Muir not only outlines ‘what is,’ but it helps to determine ‘what next?’ with specific recommendations for intervention that will positively impact outcomes so that potential can be more consistently revealed. Documentation: Once a student has been formally evaluated, the student and the family will be provided with a report. This documentation describes the history of the school experience and helps to provide a rationale for student school educational services and accommodations. Documentation also is necessary when applying for consideration for accommodations on college and graduate school entrance examinations (e.g., SAT, ACT, LSAT etc) or in the workplace.

  Link: Why Evaluate?

• Day of Testing

  Checklist 1. Food. Please bring lunch, snacks and beverages for the student, particularly if the student is scheduled to stay for a six-hour testing session. 2. Bring records. Bring recent school records including report cards, and 504Plan/IEPs if applicable, standardized testing results (e.g. SOL, State/County achievement testing, PSAT, ACT) and any previous evaluation (e.g., admission testing for independent school, neuropsychological, psychological, pychoeducational, speech and language etc.) . This examiner would prefer comprehensive file dating as far back as possible. All records will be returned. Students may also choose to scan and email these records before the appointment. 3. Medication. It is recommended that the student consult with their physician regarding medication. Students treated for ADHD may or may not consider taking medication on the day of this evaluation. 4. Caffeine and Nicotine. On the day of testing, the student is NOT to have any coffee or caffeinated beverages, or cigarette/nicotine either before arriving or during testing period. 5. Payment. Parents and/or students should be prepared to pay for services before (payment should be made online on the website at the time of scheduling) arriving to the office on the first day of testing. Otherwise, payment will be expected on the day of testing. Credit cards (Master Card, Visa), cashier’s checks and cash are accepted. Personal checks are not accepted. 6. Meeting. If parents or guardians are bringing their child to the appointment, please expect to stay with the student for the first thirty to sixty minutes for intake and to complete additional rating scales. 7. Second appointment. It is possible that the testing will require a second, additional day for testing. The reason for additional time may be as a result of the following (1) student did not finish due to slow pacing, (2) evaluator needs to know more, (3) student became tired and testing needed to be continued, (4) other. If so, Dr. Muir will inform student for the need to add an additional testing date at the end of the first session. This appointment will be made directly with Dr. Muir and not through the appointment scheduler online. 8. Rating scales. Parent/Student will receive rating scales to be completed by student, parent and or teacher. An addressed envelope will be provided. Once completed, the forms should be mailed to Dr. Muir so that perspectives can be considered in the interpretation of findings. 9. Questionnaire. Parents should plan to complete the online intake form before coming to the testing session. Otherwise parents will be reminded to do so at the initial meeting. 10. Contract. Parents should plan to complete the online contract before coming to the testing session. Otherwise parents will be reminded to do so at the initial meeting. 11. Privacy notice. Parents should complete the online privacy notice form before coming to the testing session. Otherwise parents will be reminded to do so at the initial meeting. 12. Consent. Parents should complete the online consent form before coming to the testing session. Otherwise parents will be reminded to do so at the initial meeting. Please feel free to call office with any questions or considerations 703-864-9794

  Link: Day of Testing