What is Compensatory Tutoring?
Does your child have a IEP (Individualized Education Program)? If so, you may know that students who have IEPs are mandated to receive specific services based on their disability, as indicated on their IEP. These services might include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), or other services deemed necessary given their disability. In some instances, students don’t receive these services that are specified on their IEP and, as a result, they may receive compensatory tutoring, often through an impartial hearing. This compensatory tutoring can help your child make up for skills and support they should have previously received. The right compensatory tutoring can help your child thrive academically and excel at school.
What is compensatory tutoring?
Compensatory tutoring is a type of academic support given to students with IEPs who did not receive the services they should have for a period of time. These services are designed to make up for support they needed per their IEP but did not receive, or services that were not provided appropriately. Compensatory tutoring is intended to help students catch up and rebuild any skills they missed due to this deprivation of services.
Does my child need to have an IEP to receive compensatory tutoring?
While compensatory tutoring is often awarded to a student whose services indicated on their IEP were not provided or were not appropriately provided, there are other scenarios when compensatory tutoring can be awarded. School districts have an obligation to assess and identify students who have a disability and subsequently provide them with appropriate services. If a school fails to evaluate and identify a student with a disability and therefore the student does not receive an IEP, the student may be entitled to compensatory tutoring.
Do I need a lawyer to seek compensatory tutoring for your child?
You are not required to hire a lawyer to help you seek compensatory tutoring for your child. You can try to pursue a compensatory education claim on your own, but having a lawyer can help you through this process. Special education lawyers can help you collect any evidence that shows missed or inappropriate services. The lawyer can also help you file a due process complaint and guide you through the impartial hearing process so that your child can ultimately receive compensatory tutoring if deemed appropriate. Special education advocates can also help you with this process.
Examples of compensatory tutoring
At EBL Coaching, we provide tutoring to students who have received compensatory tutoring hours, often through an impartial hearing order. These services might include Orton Gillingham tutoring for students with dyslexia or reading challenges, multi-sensory math tutoring, research-based writing tutoring, or executive functioning coaching, amongst other individualized services. While it’s always best if a student receives the services deemed necessary on their IEP from the start, specialized compensatory tutoring can help them make up for any missed services and remediate their academic skills.
We know how much students with disabilities need the appropriate support, and we are happy to help them build their academic skills and thrive with individualized compensatory tutoring.
Learn more about EBL Coaching’s tutoring programs at
https://eblcoaching.com/tutoring/