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The Approach Matters Most

Academic Approach’s student-centric approach emphasizes skill mastery, critical thinking, and adaptability to prepare students for future challenges and achievements.

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Our Results

Academic Approach achieves remarkable results, boosting scores, scholarships, and college admissions, while fostering critical thinking and academic excellence.

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Testimonials

Throughout my time with Academic Approach, I saw a lot of results and overall I just became a better test taker.

Ben Schwan

New Trier High School

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Test Preparation

HSEE

High School Entrance Exams

Tailored prep for successful high school admissions

ACT

ACT Testing

ACT-specific strategies for success

SAT: Digital

Navigate the digital SAT

Student Enrichment

Academic Tutoring

Driving achievement with personalized academic guidance

AP

Advanced Placement Exams

Expert tutoring for advanced placement success

Our Services

Online Tutoring

Proven results available anywhere you have internet

In Person Tutoring

Visit us at our two Chicago-area offices.

Our Results

Unlock your potential

Latest Blog

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Academic Tutoring

The Honors Advantage: Making the Most of Advanced High School Classes

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News and Press

ACT Floats Changes to its Digital Test

March 27, 2024

Illinois May Revert to the ACT

March 26, 2024

Yale Reinstates Standardized Test Requirements

February 22, 2024

Test Optional?

While standardized tests are optional at many universities and colleges, many top schools are still taking test scores into consideration.

Check out our analysis of some top universities from the 2023 Common Data Set for college admissions.

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About Us

Our Approach

A student-centric approach focused on lifelong success

Mission & Vision

Empowering students, bridging educational gaps

Our Story

Pioneering skills-based test preparation since 2001

Our Team

Meet a Member of Our Team:

Carla Pedersen

Regional Director of 1-on-1 Tutoring

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Careers

Full-Time Positions

Advancing education through dedicated careers.

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Shaping futures through personalized tutoring.

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Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:

Yesterday, we introduced two relationship-building styles in the classroom, instrumental and reciprocal. Instrumental relationships focus more on behavior control, while reciprocal relationships incorporate shared problem solving and perspective-taking as a focus.

Positive, holistic relationships help students become better critical thinkers, better self-advocates, and more engaged students and citizens. Indeed, studies have found that just engaging students in short conversations each day to get to know them better immediately resulted in more on-task classroom behavior.

To build these relationships, we incorporate these strategies into our instruction:

• Promoting student choice and control: We teach strategies that focus on the process of learning, encourage change and growth, and provide specific feedback.
• Communicating high academic and behavioral expectations: This creates a sense of belonging in our sessions and classrooms and promotes academic behaviors.
• Providing positive, process-based feedback: Feedback about process rather than person leads to student growth from failure and resilience to challenges. Strong relationships treat mistakes as learning opportunities.
• Building familiarity and interest in the students’ lives: We genuinely care about our students! This allows us to take their perspective and support their self-advocacy along with their learning.

As a result of these relationships, we see students who enjoy engaging in the process of learning. They become stronger advocates for their own learning and growth in high school and college.

Be well,
Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO