Our Team

We are a woman-owned small business dedicated to providing a customized, engaging, & meaningful learning experience for your student.

A woman with long dark hair smiling and looking at the camera, standing against a white wooden wall, wearing a gray long-sleeve top and black pants.

Colleen Markowitz

Founder & Reading Specialist

A woman with long dark hair, wearing glasses, a black top, and a polka dot skirt, smiling in front of a white wooden wall.

With 20 years of teaching experience, Ms. Colleen is a renowned and sought-after credentialed reading specialist and credentialed primary teacher. Outside of CLASS, she homeschools her three wonderful children.

Carina Assayed

Director & Co-owner

Ms. Carina brings 10+ years of secondary teaching experience across various high schools and universities across Orange County. In her free time, she is an avid reader, often reading over 150+ books a year.

Meet the Team

  • A smiling middle-aged woman with blonde hair wearing a black t-shirt and a necklace with a heart pendant standing in front of a white wooden wall.

    Ms. Barbara Kennison, M. Ed // Credentialed Special Education Instructor

    Credentialed Special Education Instructor

  • A young woman with long dark hair, wearing round glasses, a white shirt, and a black blazer, standing in front of a white wooden wall.

    Ms. Robin Choi // Credentialed Secondary ELA Instructor

    Credentialed Secondary ELA Instructor

  • A woman with brown hair, wearing a large black bow headband, black makeup, a black dress, and a black cardigan, standing in front of a white horizontal panel wall.

    Ms. Bentley, M.A. // Credentialed Primary Teacher

    Credentialed Primary Teacher

  • A woman with long dark hair smiling, standing against a white horizontal panel wall, wearing a black sleeveless top and gold hoop earrings.

    Ms. Grace // Credentialed Secondary ELA Instructor

    Credentialed Secondary ELA Instructor

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a black T-shirt standing against a plain white wall.

    Ms. Heather Silva // Curriculum Specialist (virtual only)

    Curriculum Specialist (virtual only)

  • Portrait of a young woman with long black hair, smiling, wearing earrings and a light-colored top.

    Ms. Arlene Valencia, M. Ed // Credentialed Special Education Instructor (virtual only)

    Credentialed Special Education Instructor (virtual only)

  • "The staff has been consistently supportive, knowledgeable and genuinely invested in my daughter's success. I never feel rushed or judged -- just supported. The program is well‑organized, communication is smooth, and I always feel like my daughter's goals are taken seriously."

    — Bre H., parent

  • "My daughters have been at Class Academics for several years now, specifically with their Spanish language tutors. They have been wonderful and have helped so much in each of my children excelling in their dual language program."

    —Roshel G., parent

  • "They are very accommodating with changing sports schedules and other extracurricular activities. And they also have amazing tutors. No matter which one you get you will be happy. If your child has dyslexia or any other type of learning difference, this is a great place to bring them. I can't recommend this place enough."

    —Michelle C., parent

  • "We have two children that have been with CLASS academics for almost a year now. We love the individual attention each tutor provides to our children. They have come so far in their own progression and it's been in large part due to the sessions. We recommend this business to anyone that has children struggling with reading, writing or even gaining a little more confidence in their own learning abilities."

    —Jim M., parent

Our Story

After teaching in various private and public schools in Orange County, Colleen founded CLASS Academics in July 2012 to help students build confidence and grow academically.

At CLASS Academics, we hold our services to the highest regard. Our staff members are carefully selected and must complete intensive training, which focus on the whole child and developmentally appropriate practices that are both research-based and promote multi-sensory learning.

All of our staff members are either credentialed teachers, working towards obtaining their teaching credential, or are in a related field (such as Educational Psychology, Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, etc.).

In addition, CLASS Academics ensures that all staff members meet the following requirements:

  • fingerprinted through the Department of Justice

  • trained and certified in CPR

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Join our team.

We are ALWAYS looking for quality educators, speech-language pathologists, and/or occupational therapists to join our passionate team.

Please send your resume (complete with 2-3 phone numbers of professional references) to info@classacademics.com.

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