Verify the person and the exact service
Ask who will teach, what training and current credentials can be verified, which ages and skills they teach, and whether the service is tutoring, special education instruction, coaching, test preparation, or something else. CEC’s standards describe specialized preparation for special educators, but they do not certify a tutor listed on a website.
Ask how instruction begins
Bring a small set of representative work and describe help already provided. Ask what the tutor will review, what additional information is needed, how the first teaching target is chosen, and what the tutor cannot conclude from the available material. Avoid promises based only on a diagnosis or one score.
Original planning tool: tutor interview scorecard
Record the answer and the evidence offered; use “not provided” instead of filling a gap with an assumption. This is a comparison aid, not a validated quality rating.
- Qualifications: Which relevant credential, preparation, and experience can I verify?
- Instruction: What skill will you examine first, and how will you teach and respond to errors?
- Access: How can pacing, directions, movement, communication, or response format be adjusted?
- Evidence: What baseline and repeated work will you share, and what will it not prove?
- Coordination: What may be shared with parents or other providers, with what consent and security?
- Terms: What are the session format, total cost, billing, cancellation, make-up, technology, and ending terms?
Require truthful progress language
Ask the tutor to tie reports to the skill, task, conditions, assistance, and date. A work sample can show what happened in that session; it does not by itself prove a disability, cause, mastery, or guaranteed future result.
Know when another professional is needed
Academic tutoring does not by itself provide a medical, psychological, speech-language, occupational-therapy, or legal evaluation. Ask the tutor how concerns outside instructional scope will be documented and referred without presenting a diagnosis.
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Sources for this page
CEC supports checking specialized preparation; the IDEA source illustrates careful use of multiple documented sources in formal eligibility decisions, not a rule for private tutoring. The planning tool is original editorial material, not a validated assessment or official form. This revision remains pending educator review; verify individual recommendations and current state, district, program, and provider requirements before acting.
Ledger access date: 2026-09-10
Official checks before you act
Because homeschool law, special education services, and funding rules vary, verify requirements with your state education department, local district, official ESA or scholarship program, and qualified providers. Keep screenshots or PDFs of official guidance with your records.
Frequently asked questions
Does a special education credential guarantee tutor fit?
No. Verify the credential and ask how the person’s actual preparation, teaching approach, format, and experience match the instructional need.
Should a tutor promise a grade-level gain by a certain date?
The sources reviewed here do not support a universal guarantee. Ask for a bounded teaching plan and evidence tied to the skill and conditions.
Is the scorecard an approval list?
No. It organizes comparable questions. The family must verify provider facts, service terms, and fit.