BRIEF COMMENT: This review is specifically for the Torrance Center. This is the worst place to enroll your child and expect positive academic results. They are not data driven, have limited to no knowledge about assessments, do not provide homework for students in their summer programs for extension of home learning opportunities and have verbalized their inability, to me, to guarantee positive academic results. During a conversation with the Program Coordinator, she indicated that she does not select students, but verbalized that she selects parents who can engage in a harmonious collaborative relationship (basically, parents who do not ask any questions and pay). A perfect example of their inability to provide quality service, is evident by the Manager and Program Coordinator verbalizations which is coupled with frequent grammar mistakes, mispronunciations of words and an ability to fully answer questions. If you are looking for an experience that is pleasant, beneficial and worthy of your child's and your time, do not call them identify other agencies.
DETAILED COMMENT: I called the Reading Town Center (Torrance) in order to obtain additional information about their summer reading class. At which time, I was told they had a 3 hour class which focused on reading and its' different components (phonics, reading comprehension and phonics). I asked the following questions to the Program Coordinator to get a more comprehensive understanding of the program:
How many students are in the summer reading program?
What type of formal and/or informal assessments are used to survey students' progress?
How are the assessments incorporated into the learning environment?
Since the program is a group experience, what type of accommodations are made to honor different learning styles?
What type of homework is sent home to extend the learning?
Is there a particular type of reading program utilized in the classroom? If so, what is the name of it?
What type of teaching experience does the teacher have in teaching this subject area? What is your evidence that the teacher is effective?
The Program Coordinator was not able to articulate program components or fully answer the questions. I requested to see the program and she agreed. I went on July 25, 2019. When I walked into the center, I spoke to a manager who I had a difficult time understanding her vernacular. I requested that she repeat things several times so that I could hear and understand her. She readily became very agitated which was evident and supported by my conversation with the Program Coordinator. She showed me the classroom, and, at the time, the students were coloring. Basically, there was no "real" academic instruction evident. Later, the teacher approached me and indicated that they were on a coloring break. It should be noted that after their coloring break, then the students had a snack break. Between the coloring and snack break, there appeared to be a 30 minutes of non-structured time for a 3 hour program and I am unsure about the frequency of these breaks. After discussing all program options, I learned that the center offers private tutoring, so I signed my son up for that service. This evening, I received a call from the Program Manager who indicated that she was shocked by my visit, because she believed that I was not initially interested in the program based on our previous conversation. She also indicated that the manager said I embarrassed her, because I requested that she repeat the information several times. Additionally, she noted that I had high expectations, because I wanted my son to have a positive experience and show progress. She verbalized that the center could not meet those expectations.
In my opinion, there are some ethical and academic concerns. I truly believe that I received that telephone call, because I asked a lot of questions which were out of their capacity to answer. Basically, my questions suggested an expectation of Reading Town which they knew they could not deliver or evident. For the students who are currently in the program, I encourage the parents to go, observe, evaluate and question the quality of service. For those looking for a tutoring program, I recommend you search other programs. Lastly, it might be beneficial to research employee reviews on Reading Town. read more