As a school, we always want to continue to improve in meeting the needs of the young people we serve. You may recall in November we sent an email asking about the interest level of beginning an Academic Support Program. The feedback we received prompted us to further investigate this concept and bring it from a thought and idea to an actual program. Therefore, we will offer this program beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.

All students will be eligible for this program. However, it is specifically designed for students who have weaknesses in the areas of organizational skills, time management, and study strategies. A student in this program may have a diagnosed learning difference such as ADHD, Executive Function Disorder, or may simply want additional instruction to improve in these areas. The purpose of this program is to build skills and strategies in organization, time management, and study strategies to increase a student’s independence and success in high school, college, and beyond.

A student in the program will meet with the academic specialist three times per six day cycle during the regular school day. Many students who receive this type of instruction outside of Calvert Hall do so after-school, in the evening, or during weekends. The feedback we received was that it was preferable to have it during the school day. Our intent is that students would meet in groups of three to five by grade level. Course content and text may be used to teach skills, but the program is not designed to be a homework or content tutoring service. The focus of the program will be skill-based. Content areas will still be supported through the curriculum and all other support structures such as the Academic Resource Center, Math Resource Center, etc. A typical session might include developing a plan of attack for upcoming tests and projects, learning/applying active reading strategies to texts as well as learning/applying study strategies such as highlighting, creating study guides and designing recall questions on lectures. Organizational skills will be addressed by notebook and backpack checks, completion and development of lecture and class notes, and exploring various organizational systems for different course demands.

Although the program will be offered for all levels, because of the developmental nature of the program and the need to limit enrollment, priority will be given to incoming freshmen and sophomores. Rising juniors will be considered on a space available basis. The flexible design of the program will enable a student to choose to participate for only one year or he may opt in for a longer time. In an effort to make sure a student receives the full benefits, commitment to the program for a one-year period is required.

The cost of the program will be $3500 for a year. While we are sensitive to cost and want to price the program as reasonably as possible, parents whose sons are currently receiving such help outside of school indicated they are often paying almost double this cost. We feel offering this service in-house will enable participants to receive a more cost effective and time efficient alternative. It will also provide parents a point of contact within the school who is well versed in teaching these skills who is familiar with the CHC curriculum and course demands.