The Pinpoint Method
Your student is working hard.
So why aren’t they getting the results they’re capable of?
A performance gap is not random.
When there’s a gap between what a student is capable of and how they’re performing, something specific is getting in the way. The Pinpoint Method identifies what it is and turns that understanding into a clear, research-backed plan.
For families who want to stop guessing.
The Pinpoint Method is for capable students whose effort is not translating into the results they are capable of achieving.
Instead of adding more support around an unclear problem, the goal is to understand what is actually getting in the way and give the student a targeted way forward.
Families often come to me when:
Solve the right problem.
When a student is underperforming, it’s natural to add more: more tutoring, more studying, more reminders, more test prep.
Sometimes more helps. But often, students receive support that seems like it should help, yet still misses the real problem. The result is frustrating: they keep working, keep trying, and keep struggling.
The Pinpoint Method is designed to change that. It identifies what is actually driving the performance gap, then turns those findings into a targeted, research-backed plan your student can use to move toward the level of performance they’re capable of.
What is breaking down?
A clear picture of where performance is breaking down, when it happens, and what the outward signs are pointing to.
Why is it happening?
A root-cause explanation that separates surface symptoms from the underlying factors driving them.
How can the student move forward?
A personalized plan grounded in learning science and custom research — designed to help your student build strategies they can keep using.
Families may be working hard, investing time, and trying reasonable approaches without knowing which problem those efforts actually need to solve.
Your student understands what is getting in the way, what to practice, and how to use targeted strategies more independently.
Discovery Session
A focused session with the student’s parent(s) to understand their learning background, academic history, and the nature of the gap between effort and results.
Pinpoint Assessments
A battery of proprietary assessments targeting the learning and performance factors most relevant to the student’s profile.
Deep Dive Session
A one-on-one student session to assess context, habits, and roadblocks to success, adding specificity to the assessment.
Research & Analysis Phase
Dr. Daker synthesizes findings, identifies key roadblocks, and reviews the research to identify techniques most likely to help.
Pinpoint Session
The findings are translated into a precise, actionable picture of what has been getting in the student’s way — and a clear, research-backed plan.
Dr. Daker examines the performance gap across multiple levels of analysis — from in-the-moment performance dynamics to learning behaviors and broader student factors.
The Pinpoint Report
A comprehensive, deeply personalized report built specifically for your student.
This is not a generic assessment summary. The Pinpoint Report is packed with specific details about your child, synthesizing their academic history, learning behaviors, performance patterns, and Pinpoint Assessment results into a clear explanation of what is getting in the way — and a research-backed plan for helping them move forward.
Performance Gap Assessment
Dr. Daker’s analysis of the root causes driving your student’s performance gap.
The Learning & Performance Map
How all the learning and performance pieces of the puzzle connect for your student.
The Pinpoint Action Plan
Science-backed techniques custom-researched for your student’s specific challenges.
Pinpoint Test Results
An item-by-item readout of why your student makes the mistakes they make on tests.
Pinpoint Survey Results
Your student’s responses to targeted survey items assessing big-picture barriers to performing their best.
Ready to find out what’s really going on?
Request a complimentary consultation to find out if the Pinpoint Method is the right fit for your student.
Request a ConsultationA specialized resource for students whose effort isn’t turning into results.
If you support capable students who are working hard but still underperforming, the Pinpoint Method can help families understand what is actually driving the performance gap and what kind of support is most likely to help.
Learn how the Pinpoint Methodcan support your students
Rich Daker, PhD, is a learning scientist and expert in the psychology and neuroscience of learning and performance. He earned summa cum laude honors at Princeton University, completed his PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience at Georgetown University, and has led research for Google. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles on the science of learning and performance and is the founder of Pinpoint Learning.
Dr. Daker developed the Pinpoint Method to bring a scientific approach to helping individual students perform at the level they are capable of. His philosophy is that the best way to solve a problem is to understand why it is happening in the first place. He also believes that students do their best work when they feel understood, supported, and treated as individuals. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two-year-old son.