Tutoring in New York
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in New York, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
New York tests English language arts and math every spring in grades 3 through 8, and science in grades 5 and 8. For spring 2027 the window runs from April 5 to May 14, and each school picks its own two days per subject inside it. High school runs on Regents exams, which are tied to courses. A student sits Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, English and the science exams in June of the year the course ends, and there are January and August sittings as well. The diploma still depends on those exams today. The State Education Department has proposed ending that link for students who graduate from January 2028 on, and the Board of Regents has not yet taken the final vote.
What New York tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Math | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | NYS Grades 3-8 Tests | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | Not tested | NYS Science Tests | Not tested | Not tested | NYS Science Tests | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
- NYS Grades 3-8 Tests (New York State Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests): reading and writing, math, grades 3 through 8
- NYS Science Tests (New York State Elementary-level (Grade 5) and Intermediate-level (Grade 8) Science Tests): science, grades 5 and 8
- Main testing window
- early April to mid-May, with Regents exams in mid to late June
- Standards
- New York State Next Generation Learning Standards
- Exams tied to a course
- English Language Arts, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Life Science: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Chemistry and Physics (Regents Examinations)
Dropping the Regents exams as a diploma requirement is still a proposal. Until the Board of Regents adopts it the existing rules apply, so a Regents exam taken this June in ninth or tenth grade counts toward the diploma.
Is there a graduation test in New York?
Yes, for now. A student must pass five assessments (Regents exams in English, math, science and social studies, plus a fifth exam or an approved pathway), and the state has proposed ending that requirement for students who graduate from January 2028 on, pending a Board of Regents vote.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for the NYS Grades 3-8 Tests. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.