New Enrollment

Q: How old must my child be  to enroll?
A: A child needs to be 5-1/2 years old by September to attend Kindergarten class at RSM.

Q: Do we need a placement test to enroll?
A:  If your child is an average math student at public or private school he/she will be enrolled in the beginner level class without test. If your child is above average or very much behind in math, he/she will need a placement test to determine the optimal class level.

Q: Can we start attending RSM at any time during the year? What is the cut-off date?
A: We have rolling admission. You can start beginner level classes at any time; there is no cut-off date. In some cases several weeks of additional one-on-one paid tutoring may be required to get up to speed with the class. If you want your child to join one of continuing classes, you need to schedule a placement test.

Q: None of the classes you offer currently work for our schedule, but we still want to start at RSM this year. Can we have tutoring instead of classes?
A: Since we believe in group education, we will try our best to find the class that will work for you in the future, even if your child cannot attend it right now. We may offer paid tutoring as a temporary solution to help your child enroll in the class in a future.

Curriculum

Q: Why are you called 'The Russian School'?
A: We are called 'The Russian School' because of the Russian methodology of teaching mathematics. More...

Q: Do you teach in English?
A: Yes, we teach only in English.

Q: Is your curriculum the same as our chilld's regular school curriculum?
A: No, the RSM curriculum is not the same, but it covers all the topics offered in public and private schools and it meets or exceeds the SAT, AP and ISEE tests requirements.

Q: Can my child take RSM math instead of the regular school math class? Would you provide a report to his school?
A: We can provide the RSM curriculum description , and also the student's report card. You need to discuss it with the other school whether or not our course can replace their math classes.

Q: Are all of your continuing classes the same?
A: We have several different levels within each grade. At any time during the school year we can offer a more challenging or an easier level, with the teacher's recommendation.

Q: What if the class is too difficult for my child?
A: With your current teacher's recommendation we will schedule a few free tutoring sessions on weekends to help with specific topics or difficulties. If this does not help her/him to catch up, we will find an easier class.

Q: My child has a lot of problems with math at his/her regular school, but  he refuses to go to class with younger children. Can you help?
A: Because we are a big school and we have on avarage 3 different levels within each grade, usually we are able to place a student not only according to his/her math level, but also according to the age as well. In some cases we provide longer initial tutoring to help a child join the beginning level of the appropriate grade.  We would like to hear from you about the history and the nature of the problem. We need to rule out a true learning disability, since we are not equipped to deal with learning disabilities.

Q: The current class is too easy for my child. Can you just transfer him to the next grade now?
A:  Yes. The transfer can be done if the space in the other class is available, but only with the current teacher's recommendation.

About Courses

Q: My child is going to take the SAT this year. Do you have a short SAT preparation course?
A: Yes, we have a 6-week Summer SAT program.

Q: My child will be going to a Private School next year. Do you have an ISEE course?
A: We have no special ISEE course, but all students who take one or two years of math at RSM in 4th or 5th grade are usually fully prepared for the math portion of this exam.

Administrative Questions

Q: My child missed one class. Can you send his homework?
A: We will e-mail the homework automatically to any child who missed a class.  You may also schedule a make-up session with a tutor.

Q: We will be away for a few weeks in the middle of the school year. Can my child return to the same class?
A: If your child is going to miss few classes, you need to discuss this with his/her teacher. You may also schedule the same number of make-up sessions in advance. The space in class will be kept open.

Q: Where can I see your complete Schedule?
A: We do not publish the class schedule due to the specifics of our placement process. We will publish the schedule of all New Classes for the next academic year in April.

Q: Our schedule will change in the spring because of sports. Could you transfer my child to a different class for the rest of the year?
A: We will transfer your child only if the space is available and if the other class program is comparable.

Q: We carpool with  neighbors; could you place both children in the same class?
A: We will try to accommodate your carpooling needs, but the priority will be the proper placement of your child. If there is enough space in desired class, each child will have to pass the placement test, or to have his/her current teacher's approval. 

Tuition

Q: What are your tuition rates?
A: All classes are priced according to the level and the length of class. Click here to see tuition schedule for our Newton, MA branch and for San Jose, CA branch.

Q: Do you provide Financial Aid?
A: Yes. Click here for details.

Q: Do you provide sibling discount?
A: No.

Q: We will be away for several weeks in the middle of the school year. Can we skip one tuition payment?
A: Payment cannot be skipped or reduced, but private make-up sessions will be available after your return.

Personal Tutoring

Q: Do you provide personal tutoring?
A: Yes, we have two kinds of tutoring:

Complimentary (free) tutoring for RSM students who need to have a make-up class or occasional extra help

Paid tutoring for those students who come to us mid-year and/or want to join a challenging class already in progress. This kind of tutoring in turn comes in two levels:

We do not provide tutoring for unregistered students. One needs to register as a regular student before attending the first tutoring session.

All tutoring is provided inside the school.