ABOUT US
RLA History
The Rutledge Learning Academy was founded in 2000 to provide summer mathematics enrichment to the students of Bucks County. The students who were calling for private tutoring were asking for more hours than could be provided in a one – on – one setting. It was after the summer of 1999 that I, Brian Rutledge, decided to offer mathematics enrichment courses in pre – algebra, algebra one, and algebra two.It has long been my belief that while algebra one is not the most difficult of math courses, it is by far the most important foundational piece to develop to promote long – term success in mathematics.
In 2002, a geometry course was added for the first time.This course has been especially popular, largely for two reasons.First, geometry is a subject that accounts for approximately fifteen to twenty percent of the prompts on the Digital SAT and ACT. I tell my students that while geometry might not be especially interesting to them, or their potential future career choice, it is a money class, as their success in that class will contribute directly to their success on the SAT and ACT. The other reason this class has been especially popular is due to the different nature of this particular study of mathematics. Several students who are otherwise good math students have struggled over the years in this course. Parents who knew of this tendency have registered their children for the Rutledge Learning Academy geometry course to provide an early advantage in their child’ s studies.
The other courses to be added were the test preparation courses– for the SAT / ACT and the SSAT. Since my start in the classroom in 1995, students and parents have frequently made requests for test preparation tutoring.The families that I have worked with in this regard have been very pleased with the results that my techniques have provided for their students. The greatest compliment that I have received due to my work with standardized test preparation has been continued referrals to other students. To best meet the needs of as many students as possible, I began to offer the test preparation courses through the Rutledge Learning Academy.
In 2010, I was awarded my National Board Teaching Certificate. At the time of this award, this exclusive designation was only currently held by four mathematics teachers in Bucks County, and only 78 mathematics teachers in Pennsylvania.Later, in 2019, I earned my doctorate in Curriculum and Assessment.
Starting in 2016, the RLA began delivering their courses and tutoring options by making use of real – time cyber classrooms. Students have been able to partake in the RLA course options from wherever they are and can do so without the need to commute to the school facility! With the courses being available online, the sessions are recorded to allow students to review any missed sessions and even to allow some to take part in the course in an asynchronous format.
ABOUT US
Our Teachers
Dr. Brian Rutledge
Brian has been employed by the New Hope-Solebury School District since 1995. In that time, he worked as a mathematics teacher in both the Middle School and the High School and has taught both honors and academic level classes every year. These classes have included every level of mathematics from pre-algebra through pre-calculus and statistics.
Brian has taught the Rutledge Learning Academy ‘s summer math enrichment courses for Pre-Algebra, Algebra One, Geometry, and Algebra Two, and has followed up his years of privately preparing students for standardized testing by also teaching the Rutledge Learning Academy SAT/ACT and SSAT mathematics courses.
Brian obtained both his Bachelor’s as well as his Master’s degrees from Temple University. He initially continued his post-graduate studies through St. Joseph’s University before moving on to complete his Doctorate at the University of West Florida. His dissertation topic was a case study on the use of educational technology in the Mathematics and Language Arts classrooms. Brian holds a Level II teaching certificate in Secondary Mathematics, as well as having been awarded a National Board Teaching Certificate in Mathematics.
In Brian’s work to prepare students for standardized testing, he offers a blend of review of concepts and application of multiple-choice strategy. There is about a 1/3 to 2/3 mix of concepts and strategy in the course. With his background working with most levels of mathematics, he can offer on demand support where needed and can also offer students guidance as to how to make use of TI-calculator and Desmos technology to efficiently attack test questions.
Dr. Bruce DuBoff
Bruce spent 26 years in the Pennsauken, NJ, public school system as a Journalism instructor, English teacher, and School Librarian, teaching grades 4-12 at all levels, including College Preparatory, AP, Gifted and Talented, and non-College Preparatory English and Information Science. He earned his Ph.D. in Library Information Science from Rutgers in 2023. During his tenure as a Chief Reader for Educational Testing Service, Bruce learned the ins and outs of test design, and mastered the skill of “looking inside the test” to detect the clues that reveal every answer. Bruce is currently an Adjunct Professor of English for Camden County College.
Bruce has been teaching test preparation since he piloted the Verbal portion of a new test preparation class at Pennsauken High School in the mid-1990s. He began collaborating with Brian in 2000 and they have been successfully helping hundreds of students since then.
Bruce employs a self-created, 14-hour Verbal instruction program, tailored and refined over 25+ years. He has designed a metacognitive approach to learning that drives the rest of the program. In this context, metacognition represents a high recognition of the method(s) in which we learn, e.g. verbally, visually, kinesthetically, socially. For example, I am an aural learner, hence one of my most important interests is listening to the radio. Were I teaching you, I would find a way to use listening in our lessons, because you learn best that way. There are strategies students can use that feature those learning styles, and as an instructional designer, I have created a way to offer them that combines all the training I received at ETS about question writing and bias, my 26 years of teaching experience, and my doctoral appreciation of the multi-medium scaffolding process. It’s a bit brain-bending at first, but I have not lost a student yet. Many students claim they never see the world the same way again, and that is the greatest compliment any teacher can receive. I unofficially call my program “the Jeopardy! method” but it would be too expensive to officially use that name.
If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out at bruceduboff@gmail.com. You can read my research on interest development, science fiction, inquiry design, information search, and STEM learning on Google Scholar if you like. Like Dr. Rutledge, I am also available for private tutoring or letter/essay writing consultation.
Jennifer Rutledge
Jennifer was an employee of Pennsbury High School at the time she left the classroom to raise her children. Prior to then, Jennifer had worked primarily as an English teacher at both the middle and high school levels, in addition to her year in an elementary school classroom.
Jennifer has taught the Rutledge Learning Academy’s verbal portion of the SSAT program and has followed up her years of teaching the writing process by privately preparing students for the SAT/ACT and SSAT examinations and continuing to tutor students privately in secondary English courses.
Jennifer obtained her Bachelor’s degree through the College of New Jersey, and her Master’s degree from Holy Family University. She continued her post-graduate studies through St. Joseph’s University. Jennifer holds Pennsylvania teaching certificates in Secondary English as well as in Elementary Education.
ABOUT US
Our Policies
Returned Check Fee
In the event that a check is returned, a processing fee of $35 will have to be assessed.
Class Cancellations
In the event that a class needs to be cancelled, notice will be left on the RLA Facebook Page, the RLA Voicemail, and an attempt will be made to e-mail class participants. Classes that are cancelled will be made up at the earliest opportunity.
As always, if there are any questions that I can answer for you, please let me know, and I will return your message personally.