Who are we?
The Academy Tutorial is a college preparatory program for home-schooled students in grades 7 to 12. We provide high-level, rigorous classes one day per week, designed to prepare our students for acceptance and success in quality colleges and universities. Our tutors represent a wealth of experience and expertise and are committed to the students’ success. Class offerings cover the totality of required courses for high school graduation in Tennessee, with the exception of physical education, as long as there is sufficient demand for the classes. Students are provided inspiration, critical information about what and how to learn, and the chance to share and discuss in a group setting the best of what the week’s work has produced.
The Academy Tutorial is not a school. We are a tutorial consortium that is based on two fundamentals:
a. Parents are primarily responsible for the education of their children / students.
b. Our program is effective only with the active participation and involvement of the parents.
When these classes were first organized in 1990, a dedicated core of families shared the vision that we could be unified in academic pursuits for our children and our shared Christian faith without getting into areas of controversy about doctrine. We wanted a group where tolerance for each person’s faith would be assured. The spontaneous expression of our faith flows through our classrooms, but religious doctrine is rarely a formal part of instruction.
We believe that devotion to God should enhance, not hinder, the pursuit of academic excellence. Faith and intellect are not mutually exclusive. We agree that as our students mature, we want to expose them to ideas that might challenge their faith later in life, introducing these ideas while our children are still within our sphere of influence. We want to help them recognize and counter worldviews that deny God’s power in the universe and in His relationship with man. Teaching mature students to think critically, to seek truth and to foster curiosity remains a primary concern.
The format for our tutorial is very simple. Our tutors provide a 32-week lesson plan that is the backbone of each course. Objective work (daily homework) is checked at home under the supervision of the parents. This requires that parents buy student texts and teacher’s texts/keys for some classes. Classes that meet for one hour once a week cannot satisfy academic credit or provide adequate instruction unless the parents and students work together to complete what is required outside of class.
We recommend our program to students with an established record of academic excellence and the ability to work independently. We do not recommend the program for students who need remedial work or who are not highly motivated.
Schedule:
The Academy Tutorial classes meet for 32 weeks from mid-August to mid-May. We break for one week in the fall, one week at Thanksgiving, three weeks at Christmas and two weeks during the spring, provided we do not need to take more than two snow days in the winter months. Classes are held on Tuesdays with a few exceptions: additional biology, physics and chemistry labs may meet at different locations on days other than Tuesday. Several upper level classes are offered on Fridays as well as study sessions for most math and science classes.
Cost:
Tuition per class, in most cases, is $400 for the year. Book costs, which can run from $50-$100 per class, are not included in the tuition fees. Administrative fees fluctuate from year to year, depending on expenses and the number of families enrolled in the program. We anticipate that this year’s administrative fee will be $400. Administrative fees are due in August. Last year, each family’s yearly, non-refundable confirmation fee was $100 for one student, $150 for two students, or $175 for three or more students due in February. For each first-time applicant, we charge a $25 non-refundable processing fee. The application, confirmation, and administrative fees fund our rent, stipends for our administrators and staff, cleaning costs, postage, insurance, office supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. Fees for future terms are subject to change.
We require:
1. A year-long commitment and full payment of tuition in April for the upcoming academic year. These fees are non-refundable. Families who need a payment plan can be accommodated, but we must have post-dated checks and a written contract. We hire tutors for a full year and must be able to guarantee their salaries; therefore, tuition is non-refundable.
2. Students must take a minimum of three classes each academic year. Two of the three classes are required to be from our Tuesday course options. We need committed families who are involved enough to become cohesive members of our tutorial and who will support our tutors and our program. Further, students in grades 7-11 must choose a minimum of their three required courses from the academic core for their grade levels. (Academic core courses are math, literature, composition, science, social studies, and foreign language).
3. We expect families to become contributing members of our tutorial who will support our tutors and program including, but not limited to, one parent serving as an all-day parent for at least one day per academic calendar year as well as signing up to serve at two other Academy events.
4. Parents must sign liability releases forms for each of their students. These forms will be posted and are due in mid-February along with the non-refundable confirmation fee.
5. Students and parents must have a minimum of one-year previous home school experience.
6. Students need to be 12 years old by September 1st. Exceptions would be subject to Board approval.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
The Academy Tutorial admits students of any race, color, nationality and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students in our group. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other group-administered programs.