Hire a Tutor
Before you hire a tutor, watch this video:
To receive a list of Certified Barton tutors in your area, just click here.
If none are close to you, ask for our list of Remote Certified Barton tutors. They can provide tutoring over the internet.
Tutoring Fees
Every tutor is an independent business person, so each sets their own hourly rate.
Tutors trained in an Orton-Gillingham-based system, like the Barton System, are rare. So their hourly rates can be quite high.
The hourly rate will be higher in metropolitan areas, and lower in more rural areas.
The hourly rate will be higher if the tutor is certified than if the tutor is not.
To find out the hourly rate in your area, call some tutors and ask. I recommend you ask all of the following questions.
Questions to ask a tutor BEFORE you hire them
If you know or suspect your child has dyslexia, one of the most important decisions you will make is hiring the right tutor for your child.
Having spent years as a professional tutor of dyslexic children, Susan Barton highly recommends holding a telephone interview with a potential tutor and asking the following questions. No professional tutor will be offended by them, and you’ll learn quite a bit.
The following checklist was inspired by the list in the book Straight Talk About Reading by Susan Hall and Louisa Moats.
- Please describe your background and training.
- Do you specialize in children with dyslexia? (If not, think twice about hiring them.)
- Do you use an Orton-Gillingham system? (If they don’t know what that means, do NOT hire them.) Which one? Are you certified in that system? How long have you used it?
- Do you spend any of the session helping the student with homework, or do you concentrate only on teaching reading and spelling?
- Will I be expected to work with my child at home between sessions?
- Will you interact with my child’s school?
- How often will you provide feedback to me on my child’s progress, and in what format?
- What is your hourly fee? What happens if my child has to miss a session?
- How many sessions per weeks do you recommend? (Twice a week is MINIMUM for a dyslexic child.)
- Would you give me the name and telephone number of several parents of students you are currently tutoring?
- If I like what I hear from those parents, could we schedule a free consultation so that my child and I can meet you and see your office?
Parents Who Hired Barton Tutors Say
Greg Blandino
Pleasanton, CA
I have a 2nd grade daughter who just started being tutored by a certified Barton instructor this summer & all I can say is it is doing wonders for her!!!!! She has more confidence & is starting to want to read more. Thank you Susan Barton!!!!:)
I am currently tutoring 18 students, ages 8 to 17, with much success and tears — tears of happiness at the positive change in these children’s lives.
One boy drew me a chart yesterday, showing me that he was at the bottom of his class last year in reading and is now at the top.Another boy is in a behavior disorder school and was unable to read — period.
Not only is he in Lesson 4 of Level 3, but his behavior has changed drastically as well.A high school junior who struggled to make C’s and D’s his freshman year now has A’s and 2 B+’s and plans to go to college.
I could go on and on.
Joanna Roper
Metamora, IL
To see hundreds of more comments, click here.
Tutoring alone is not enough. Watch this video in which Susan Barton shares what else a parent should do.
Become a Tutor
If you can’t find or afford a private tutor, or you would prefer to tutor your own child, or if you love the idea of teaching students in a one-on-one setting, consider becoming a tutor yourself.
Becoming a Barton tutor does not require a college degree or even a high school diploma. You do not have to have any teaching experience – as long as you can pass our five-minute Tutor Screening.
In fact, we designed the Barton System to be clear and easy enough for people with no experience. We designed it for:
- Parents – whether homeschooling or not
- Volunteer tutors in adult literacy programs
- Volunteer tutors in early intervention programs
- New professional tutors
Yet, it is complete enough for professionals, such as:
- Learning Specialists at private schools
- Reading & Resource Specialists
- Educational Therapists
- Speech-Language Therapists
- Tutors in private practice
Plus, we offer free unlimited support to everyone using the Barton System.
Not everyone can be a Barton tutor
You don’t have to be a great reader or speller. In fact, many of our tutors are dyslexic themselves. They love tutoring with the Barton System because their own spelling improves as they teach this system. That’s because the best way to learn something is to teach it.
But you DO have to be able to hear sounds extremely well.
Why? You’re going to be teaching a system based on sounds to a student who is not very sensitive to sounds. You must hear sounds well enough to catch their mistakes – so that you can correct them. To find out, take our 5-minute Tutor Screening.
Take our Five-Minute Tutor Screening
How do you know if you hear sounds well enough to be a tutor?
Just take our Tutor Screening online. To do that, just click below.
Take Tutor Screening Now
If you did well on both parts of our tutor screening, congratulations. You can become a Barton tutor.
If not, you can improve your ability to hear sounds by hiring a Barton tutor and going through the first three levels of the Barton System as a student. Then watch the Tutor Screening again. At that point, you should be able to pass it.
Or, find someone else who is willing to tutor your child, such as a neighbor, a friend, or a relative. Have that person go through our Tutor Screening. If that person can pass it, buy the Barton System for them, and let that person tutor your child.
Now Test Your Student
Most people with dyslexia are ready for an Orton-Gillingham-based system like the Barton System. But a few are not – because their auditory processing issues are too severe.
If students are not ready for the Barton System, they will fail – even though the tutor passed the tutor screening, and the Barton System is excellent. Don’t let that happen.
To prevent failure, be sure to give each potential student the Barton Student Screening BEFORE you begin tutoring them.
If they can pass our Student Screening, they’re ready for the Barton System.
To give the Student Screening, click here.
Professional Tutors Say
Pamela Taylor
Director of a Private School
I compared other programs before choosing the Barton Reading & Spelling System, even attending a “Gold Standard O-G Programs” workshop at an IDA conference years ago. I knew that the Barton System was going to work with students when I walked out of that workshop, given by leading IDA presenters.
I have worked with students of varying degrees of dyslexia and The Barton System has never failed the students I have tutored.
Thank you Susan, from all of us.
Cheryl Anthony
Vancouver, WA
I am currently tutoring 18 students, ages 8 to 17, with much success and tears — tears of happiness at the positive change in these children’s lives.
One boy drew me a chart yesterday, showing me that he was at the bottom of his class last year in reading and is now at the top.
Another boy is in a behavior disorder school and was unable to read — period. Not only is he in Lesson 4 of Level 3, but his behavior has changed drastically as well.
A high school junior who struggled to make C’s and D’s his freshman year now has A’s and 2 B+’s and plans to go to college.
I could go on and on.
Joanna Roper
Metamora, IL
Why the Barton System is perfect for homeschoolers
The most impressive thing about your program — besides the easy, thorough, and systematic way it is laid out — is the training that comes on the DVD’s. You are a master teacher, and I have learned a great deal from watching and rewatching your DVD’s.
I really thought that being a teacher myself, who won the Edwin Parr Teacher Award for best teacher in the province, that I would not learn a whole lot that would surprise me.
Well, I learned a lot from watching you. The method in which you teach, plus your positive and encouraging manner, has made me an even better teacher. Thank you.
Jean Armes
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Got my first student through Barton Level 10 and he tested at 13+ grade level.
As a professional tutor already trained in the Lindamood-Bell LiPS program, I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVE the Barton System and have put it to immediate use.
Your color coding system is wonderful. And I love the physical aspect of your syllable division breaking process. The color coding of prefixes and suffixes makes it easy to see the baseword and derivatives, which is recommended by current research.
I liked the looks of your system, and I’m even more impressed now that I’ve worked with it for awhile. I’m trying to get the county literacy program to acquire this great system.
Suzanne Coutchie
Reading Coach
Davis, CA
Former Teachers & Parents
Now Professional Tutors
Susan, thank you again and again for helping so many.
You and the Barton System have miraculously helped countless numbers of children.
I had one parent tell me that what I done using The Barton Reading and Spelling System was like performing “magic”!
I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the Barton Reading and Spelling System. I am seeing wonderful success with my students. Their parents are pleased, and the students like coming to me for tutoring because your system makes sense to them.
Carol Ann Hood
Professional tutor
Scotts Valley, CA
To see many more comments, click here.
How to get started
If you can pass the Tutor Screening, and your student can pass the Student Screening, you’re ready to start tutoring.
Just order Level 1.
Watch this short video: What is a Level?
We keep everything in stock and ship the same day we receive your order. To order, click here or call 408-559-3652.
When you receive the Barton System, spend an afternoon watching the Tutor Training DVDs that are included inside each level. Then start tutoring the very next day.
In fact, you no longer have to wait for UPS. You can start watching our tutor training videos over the internet before your Barton level even arrives. To learn more about that option, click here.
When your student gets toward the end of Level 1, then order Level 2.
What if I Get Stuck?
We offer free unlimited support to everyone using the Barton System.
If you need help, just call (408) 559-3652 or click here and send us an email.
Or you can check our Tutor Support webpage.
Where to Start a Student
Most students need to start at Level 1 – no matter how old they are.
Our level numbers indicate the teaching sequence, not a grade level. Nothing in level 1 will offend an older student. Students must master the material in Level 1 before moving on to Level 2.
That’s because research proves that what’s stopping them from mastering reading is their lack of phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate each sound in a word in your head – without letters.
In fact, research shows there are seven essential phonemic awareness skills a student must have before letters will start to make sense. We teach all seven of those skills in Level 1.
We actually start teaching them how to spell and read – by sounding out – right in Level 1.
So unless a student has already had recent and intense tutoring with some other Orton-Gillingham-based system, start the student in level 1. If it proves to be too easy, we will exchange it – for FREE – for Level 2.
If your student has had recent and intense Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring, let us know. We will then send you the post-tests for our first few levels so you can determine the right starting point for that student.
Tutoring Basics
The Barton System was designed for one-on-one tutoring. That means one tutor works with just one student at a time.
If you are an experienced teacher, you can use the Barton System with up to 3 students at a time. For tips on working with more than one student at a time, click here.
A dyslexic student must get at least 2 hours of one-on-one tutoring each week in order to close the skills gap. More than 2 hours a week is fine, but less than that will not work.
A tutoring session should not last longer than an hour. But instead of 2 one-hour sessions, you could do 3 45-minute sessions or even 4 30-minute sessions.
Watch this short video: How long does it take?
For more detailed information on tutoring, read the Tutoring FAQs.
Finding Students
Dyslexia affects 20% of people in the United States to some degree, ranging from mild all the way up to profound. So one in five people struggle with spelling, writing, or reading.
That means it should not be hard to find students who need your services.
Setting Up a Private Practice
Before you begin tutoring on a part-time or full-time basis, you may want to know more about tutoring contracts, insurance, business licenses, accounting and taxes, what to charge, how to set parent expectations, and more.
If so, take Susan Barton’s on-line course called the Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice.
Certification
You can tutor students for years without becoming a Certified Barton Tutor. But parents prefer to hire a Certified Barton Tutor, and parents will be more confident if the Barton provider at their child’s school is certified in the Barton System.
We include only Certified Barton Tutors on our referral list because our certification testing process is how we determine if someone is doing the Barton System with fidelity (which means “as designed”).
Watch this short video: How To Become Certified
Before you can sign up for our eight-hour Tutor Certification Testing day, you must first tutor a minimum of two struggling students all the way through Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. Your experience in teaching those levels should be within the last 12 months.
Certification sessions are held remotely via Zoom. So, you must have a high-speed internet connection and plenty of experience participating in Zoom meetings.
During the Certification Testing day, each person will take turns tutoring Susan Barton while the rest of the class watches. Susan will be checking to make sure that each tutor does the procedures in the lesson plans properly.
Susan will start out as an easy student, then she will begin to make mistakes. This is to find out if the tutor notices the mistakes and knows how to handle them. These mistakes are the very same ones that are demonstrated in the tutor training videos.
Tutors will be required to explain each of the spelling rules that are taught in Level 3 and identify which words on a long list use each of those rules.
Tutors will also be asked to demonstrate the procedures for teaching sight words — for both reading and for spelling.
At that point, IF the tutor has shown that they are doing the Barton procedures correctly, notices and handles mistakes well, knows how to teach sight words the Barton way, and can explain our spelling rules, that tutor will earn the title of Certified Barton Tutor.
The tutor’s name will be added to our Tutor Referral list, which we send to parents and teachers who are searching for tutors to hire.
We offer three types of certification:
- Certification at the Beginning Level
You’ve completed the testing for Levels 1, 2, and 3 - Certification at the Advanced Level
You’ve completed the testing for Levels 4, 5, and 6 - Certification at the Masters Level
You’ve completed the testing for Levels 7, 8, 9 and 10
Barton Tutor Certification sessions are held remotely. To see the dates and locations for the next 2 months, click here
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does a student need a diagnosis of dyslexia before starting the Barton System?
It should be extremely hard for that student to master their weekly spelling list from school, they probably cannot retain their spelling words from one week to the next, and their spelling should be pretty bad when they write sentences and stories.
Also, although that student can read, he is probably slow and inaccurate. And when he comes to a word he does not recognize, he cannot easily sound it out — despite years of phonics instruction.
Those are classic warning signs of dyslexia. Dyslexia is the most common reason a child with at least average intelligence will struggle with spelling, reading, or writing. Dyslexia affects 20% of people in the United States, some mildly, others severely.
But before you start with that new student, find out if he or she can pass our Barton Student Screening.
Q: Will it hurt people who are struggling for some other reason to go through the Barton System?
This is not an ESL program. To find out if a student from another country knows enough English to benefit from this system, download and give our simple ESL screening by clicking here.
This system is also not appropriate for a student who has been diagnosed with a receptive or expressive language disorder.
Q: Does a student always have to start at Level 1?
A: Yes. Most students need to start at Level 1 – no matter how old they are.
Our level numbers refers to our teaching sequence, not grade level. Nothing in level 1 will offend an older student. They must master the material in Level 1 before moving on to Level 2.
That’s because research proves that what’s stopping them from mastering reading is their lack of phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate each sound in a word – in your head, without letters.
In fact, research shows there are seven essential phonemic awareness skills a student must have before letters will start to make sense. We teach all seven of those skills in Level 1.
We actually start teaching students to read and spell – by sounding out – right in Level 1.
By the way, if you should buy Level 1 and discover that it’s too easy for your student, (which means he completes all of the lessons and the posttest, easily and with at least 95% accuracy, in just 2 to 3 hours), we will exchange it for the next level – for free.
But if a student has had recent and intense tutoring with a different Orton-Gillingham-based system, or a Lindamood-Bell program, and that student can pass our 10-minute Student Screening, then use our post-tests as a placement test to determine exactly where the student should start.
Start by giving the student the post-test for Level 1. If the student can pass all parts of it easily and with at least 95% accuracy, then give the student the post-test for Level 2. If the student can pass all parts of it easily and accurately,then give them the post-test for Level 3, and so on.
Q: How often do I have to tutor a student?
You must provide at least 2 hours of one-on-one tutoring each and every week. But a tutoring session should not last for more than an hour. So that means you must provide at least two tutoring sessions a week.
Three times a week is better than twice.
Tutoring every day is ideal, which is why the Barton System is so popular with homeschool parents. They can tutor their own children every day.
Q: How long does a lesson take?
A: A tutoring session should never last more than an hour.
For younger students, or those with significant focusing difficulty, a tutoring session may only last for 40 minutes.
But a Barton student must receive at least 2 hours of one-on-one tutoring each and every week in order for it to be frequent and intense enough “to stick.”
Some students can complete an entire lesson in a one-hour session. Others can only complete half the lesson in an hour.
A good tutor will pace the lesson to match the student. A student must master the new skill taught in that lesson, and be able to apply to both reading and spelling, easily and with about 95% accuracy, before moving on to the next lesson.
How long that takes depends upon the student. You cannot rush a student with dyslexia. If you move on before the student has mastered a new skill, the student will eventually hit a wall.
Q: Does tutoring have to be one-on-one?
A: One-on-one is the ideal setting.
That’s because no two students with dyslexia learn at exactly the same pace. When tutoring one-on-one, a tutor can present the material at exactly the right pace for each student.
Also, it is much less embarrassing to make a mistake when only the tutor sees it – not other students.Only if you are an experienced teacher, and already have good group management skills, should you attempt to tutor 2 or 3 students at a time (in a group).
3 students is the maximum group size for the Barton System.
Please be aware you will not save any time tutoring in a group. That is because each student in that group must receive the equivalent intensity of 2 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring per week. The intensity in 3-on-1 tutoring is not the same as 1-on-1 tutoring.To get the same intensity, you must tutor a group of 3 students for 6 hours each week.
Also, the more students in a group, the longer it will take to complete the Barton System. That’s because you have to pace the lesson for the slowest student. And you cannot present new material if any one of the students is absent.
Q: What extra supplies would I need if I were going to tutor three-on-one?
A: You may wish to purchase extra tiles, so that each student has their own set.
You may purchase up to 3 extra sets of tiles for Barton Levels that you purchased directly from us.
To order extra tiles on our secure estore, click here.
Or to download our Tiles Only order form, click here.
Q: Can I tutor someone before I am certified?
A: Yes. In fact, you must tutor at least two students through Levels 1, 2, and 3 before you can sign up for our Certification Testing Day.
Q: Can I charge a fee for tutoring before I am certified?
A: Yes. But you won’t be able to charge top rates until you are certified.
Q: How do I find my students? Do you help me find students?
A: Once you become a Certified Barton tutor, we will add you to our referral list, which we send to parents and teachers who are looking for tutors they can hire.
Until then, you are responsible for finding your own students.
To learn effective marketing techniques that you can use now — even though you are not yet certified, watch Session #2 of the following on-line course.
Susan Barton recently converted her most in-demand all-day workshop, the Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice, into 3 shorter on-line sessions.
Any Barton tutor, certified or not, can watch these sessions for a small fee, over the internet 24/7.
The three sessions are:
- Setting up a private practice, the nitty gritty — 1 hour
- What to charge and how to market effectively — 2 hours
- Set parent expectations with a tutoring agreement and a road map — 2 hours
To learn what is covered in each session, or to register, go to: Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice
Q: What if I get stuck when using the Barton System?
A: We offer free unlimited support to everyone using the Barton System.
If you need help just call 408-559-3652 or click here and send us an email.
Or you can check our Tutor Support webpage.
Homeschool Advice
Watch Susan Barton’s advice for homeschool parents who use the Barton System (or for parents who are thinking about homeschooling.
Homeschool parents can get a used Barton level, sell it to someone else once their child has finished it, and use those funds to get the next level – used. If you do it that way, it does not cost much to tutor your child using the Barton System. To learn how to find used Barton levels, click here.
Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice Course
Susan Barton converted one of her most in-demand all-day workshops, the Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice, into 3 shorter on-line sessions.
Now Barton tutors, certified or not, can watch any of these sessions — as many times as you wish — for a small fee, over the internet 24/7.
The three sessions are:
- Setting up a private practice, the nitty gritty — 1 hour
- What to charge and how to market effectively — 2 hours
- Set parent expectations with a tutoring agreement and a road map — 2 hours
To learn what is covered in each session, or to register, go to: Nuts & Bolts of Private Practice
Tutor Support
We offer free unlimited support to everyone using the Barton System.
If you need help, just call (408) 559-3652 or click here and send us an email.
Or you can check our Tutor Support webpage.