Eight per class
Never more than eight students. When a class fills up, we open another section or put you on the waitlist.
About us
A learning center that would rather tell the truth than fill seats.
Learning center in Naperville, with classes of eight, a placement assessment and a monthly report to the family.
The line we hear most at the first meeting: "Nobody at school ever told us."
Our approach
If you don't measure it, you don't know if it got better.
Lamplight started from a story we kept seeing: a student signs up at a test prep center with eighty kids in the room, nobody notices they stopped following in week three, and the family finds out on the final exam. In a group of eight, that doesn't slip by.
- Classes of eight, with the same teacher all term.
- Full-term programs and short workshops for specific goals.
- Predictable: a written syllabus, measured quizzes and one price for the term.
Three moments in every term
-
Assess
We measure the starting point before enrollment, not after.
-
Teach
Eight students, the same teacher and the syllabus out in the open.
-
Measure
A quiz every two weeks and a monthly report with the real score.
What we solve
It almost always starts with one of these.
We start from what's actually worrying the family, not from a list of programs.
Pick a situation to see how we'd handle it.
My kid is failing math and I don't know why.
The placement assessment almost always finds the gap two or three years back. We close that topic first, and only then move forward.
View related programCan you guarantee a higher SAT score?
No. Nobody honestly can. We guarantee every section covered, practice tests in the real format and a measured score on each one.
View related programThey study for hours and still struggle.
It's almost always study habits, not ability. The workshop covers note-taking, review and planning, using the student's own classes.
View related programI have an English certificate but I can't hold a conversation.
The placement test measures your real level, which is usually below the certificate. We start from there, with conversation in every class.
View related programThey have no idea what to major in.
Three sessions with interest and aptitude assessments, real information on each major and a conversation with the family.
View related programAt their last test prep center, there were eighty kids in the room.
Here, never more than eight. If a class fills up, we open another time slot or the student goes on the waitlist.
View related programI work, so I can only do evenings.
Adult classes run on weeknights and Saturday mornings, and they start on time. The schedule is posted at the start of the term.
View related program The term, step by step
From the assessment to the final report.
Every stage has a point where the family can ask questions and decide.
- Assessment
- Plan
- Classes
- Quizzes
- Report
- End of term
How we work
Five steps every term.
The same order for a four-week workshop and a five-month SAT program.
- Step 01
Placement assessment
Before enrolling, we give a short assessment in each subject. It isn't there to turn anyone away; it tells us which topic to start from. A lot of students show up with gaps going back two or three years that nobody ever flagged.
- Step 02
Term plan
You get the term plan in writing: topics, weeks and quiz dates. That way the family knows what they're paying for, and the student knows what's coming.
- Step 03
Classes
Classes never go over eight students, and teachers don't rotate mid-term. In a room of eighty, nobody notices a student stopped following three weeks ago; in a room of eight, you notice that same day.
- Step 04
Quizzes
Every two weeks there's a graded quiz, and the score goes home exactly as it is. An inflated grade keeps a family calm for three months and falls apart on the day of the real test.
- Step 05
Family check-in
Every month we sit down with the family: what improved, what didn't and what's left. If the student isn't making progress, we say so, even if it means they don't sign up for the next term.
Why LAMPLIGHT?
What you'll find here.
It's not just about the next report card. It's about the student understanding the material and keeping it up on their own.
The same teacher
Whoever starts the term finishes it. No substitute of the week.
Honest grades
Quizzes come back with the real score. A tough conversation today beats a bad surprise on test day.
No score guarantees
Nobody can promise you a score or an admission. What we do promise is the full material covered and progress you can measure.
A report every month
The family knows how the student is doing with real numbers, not a quick "doing great" at pickup.
One price per term
Registration and tuition are spelled out up front. No surprise materials fees halfway through.
8 Students per class, max When a class fills up, we open another one or start a waitlist.
8 Programs and workshops Four full-term programs and four short workshops.
1 Progress report every month With the real grade, even when it's not the one you hoped for.
Who we are
Who we are, in six answers.
What's worth knowing about Lamplight before the first assessment.
What we do
K-12 tutoring, SAT and ACT prep, ESL classes by level, workshops and one-on-one tutoring.
Where we're strongest
Finding the old gap that explains today's problem, which is exactly what nobody checks.
Who we work with
Elementary, middle and high school students, college-bound juniors and seniors, and working adults.
The problem we solve
Making sure the family knows with real data how the student is doing, and that the student understands instead of memorizing.
How we do it
A placement assessment, classes of eight, a quiz every two weeks and a monthly report to the family.
What sets us apart
We speak up when there's no progress. We'd rather lose next term's enrollment than pad a grade.
Next step
Save a spot.
We'll confirm class times, open spots and the cost of the full term.