STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES
Learning Support Services may be provided via a pullout class, in-class support, collaboration between teachers, targeted 1:1 or small group coaching and support, consultation with specialist service providers, or any combination thereof. The purpose is to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and scaffolds needed to independently access the curriculum and demonstrate their learning. The Middle School Student Support Team (SST) is comprised of the learning support teachers, classroom teachers, administrators and counselors. The SST determines student enrollment in Middle School Learning Support Services. Once a student is identified as needing learning support, the SST may, if deemed appropriate, recommend an external psycho-educational assessment in order to better assist the student’s educational needs. To be enrolled in LSS, a student may have an identified learning disability, or be currently demonstrating one or more significantly weak academic areas. In order to continue LSS services beyond one year of the initial placement, we require an external psycho-educational assessment. Additional testing may be administered internally in order to better assist the student’s educational needs. When a student is enrolled in LSS, the student’s learning support teacher develops an Educational Plan. This plan is designed to provide the student with direct support in curricular areas, as well as to teach compensatory strategies geared toward independent learning. Each student’s individualized goals are reviewed annually and revised as needed.
Prerequisite: To be determined by the LSS Team
Length of course: One Year
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Beliefs About Learning English: Language learning depends on many internal and external factors and will look different from student to student.
• Students learn best when their cultural identities are valued.
• Students may require seven to ten years to become academically proficient in another language.
• Language proficiency includes both social and academic language skills.
• Continuing to develop a student’s first language facilitates second language acquisition.
• Reading widely in any language improves all aspects of language proficiency.
• Language proficiency continues to develop after students exit the ELL program.
• Students can learn more than one language simultaneously. It is expected that ELL students will continue to make progress in their language acquisition every school year.
The Middle School ELL program is an inclusion model. The ELL teachers primarily services ELL students within their Language Arts classes. The ELL teachers co-plan and co-teach with the content teachers. The focus of co-planning is to create appropriate and differentiated learning opportunities for the ELL students so they can access grade level content and develop their language ability throughout the school day. The classroom and ELL teachers will work collaboratively to incorporate the ELL students into the grade level activities and encourage them to work with their peers.
In addition to the co-taught Language Arts classes, ELL students will be required to take an ELL Support Class during their elective time. This class will focus on further developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English. Students will also work on grammar and vocabulary as well as receiving support with their grade level assignments.
