It is the belief of the Learning Resources Department that through early intervention with children who are vulnerable to learning difficulties, we can mitigate or avoid future academic problems. Certain children exhibit weaknesses in perceptual areas, in language processing and in focusing their attention, any of which may interfere with the learning process. Since children develop and mature at different rates, it is often necessary to provide additional support in language skills. Furthermore, all students benefit from the incorporation of reading, writing and study skills into the content areas. Therefore, we view the role of the Learning Resources Department to be a resource providing guidance and support to both students and teachers. We use a collaborative model both within the department and with the faculty. We keep abreast of the current educational and medical research in the field of learning differences. At department meetings, we discuss and review our programs to ascertain their effectiveness. The Learning Resources Department serves as a resource, providing guidance and support to both students and faculty in all three divisions of the school.

Lower School

In the Lower School, the department works collaboratively with each grade level to provide a language arts program that meets the needs of all learning styles. Throughout the Lower School, the reading specialists work both in the classrooms and with small groups.

Middle School

The Middle School program uses an infusion model and is based on the premise that the self-esteem of the students is best preserved by teaching the entire class rather than singling out individual students. Learning specialists work collaboratively with teachers and students in all grades and in many subject areas developing a variety of skills such as organization, reading and expository writing, as well as note taking, annotation, and test taking. The specialists also meet with individual students when the need arises for short-term intervention.

Upper School

The Learning Resources Department serves as a resource for individual students who come for assistance in areas of time management, reading comprehension, study skills and writing. Teachers are consulted to determine the student's specific needs. The student is seen individually on a short-term basis. If the Learning Resources Department, the teacher and the student feel that regular, long-term support is needed, outside tutoring in that subject area may be recommended.

Testing and Tracking

The Learning Resources Department is responsible for both informal and formal testing from Kindergarten through Class 8. College entrance exams and Advanced Placement are administered by the Registrar. Periodic standardized testing is administered throughout the school, both in individual and group settings. Standardized testing is administered for the following reasons:

• To give information about an individual student's learning style and skill level
• To identify discrepancies between testing and classroom functioning
• To make curricular adaptations where needed
• To monitor an individual student's ability to perform on standardized tests.

When further individual diagnostic testing seems warranted, Division Heads are consulted and either an in-house evaluation is done by a licensed psychologist or an outside psychoeducational evaluation is recommended to the parents. Following this evaluation, the Learning Resources Department reviews and interprets the evaluations. Accommodations in school are made based on the recommendations in the evaluation. If outside assistance is necessary/recommended, the department also assists parents in finding the appropriate tutor(s) for their daughters. In all three divisions, communication with outside tutors and parents occurs regularly. When needed, meetings are arranged with outside specialists and an individual girl's teachers to coordinate everyone's efforts on her behalf.

Children with perceived difficulties are tracked between grade levels and divisions. Summaries of their psychoeducational evaluations, called learning profiles, are available to their teachers after the parents have reviewed them.

 

Last updated 01.25.07

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