Student & Family Support

The Academic Achievement Center was created to help students meet the challenges of an academically accelerated, college preparatory school. In keeping with our educational philosophy, guided by the principles of academic press and a culture of care and support, our AAC Team aims to positively influence students’ ability to engage and learn successfully.

The Academic Achievement Center is responsible for directing and facilitating the School’s efforts to ensure that every student understands his or her individual learning strengths, affinities and challenges, helping maximize his or her potential. Student Support Services has been designed to assist students at all grade levels with diagnosed learning disabilities, short-term individual learning needs, additional study skills, and help in specific academic areas.

The Academic Assistance Plan is an individualized, academic support plan that is available to those students who have a full educational evaluation on file with the School that demonstrates learning differences with significant weakness that impact academic achievement. This evaluation must have been completed within the last three years. The evaluation must contain specific learning environment recommendations, which address the diagnosed learning difference(s). The evaluation and pre-referral intervention corroborate the necessity for an intensive, specialized approach to learning. Episcopal Collegiate does not guarantee that all recommendation for accommodations can be implemented.

Services provided by the Academic Achievement Center in each division include:

• Assessment and interpretation of academic performance
• Assessment of standardized and diagnostic test results
• Academic monitoring
• Classroom observations
• Pre-screening for reading and language difficulties
• Consultation services for teachers and parents for the purpose of enhancing learning for those students who learn differently
• Assistance in the development and implementation of an AAP
• Coordination of on-campus tutors
• Regular communication with a student's support system (parents, faculty, tutors and administrators, diagnosticians, therapists and counselors)
• Souring of tutors, therapists and evaluators
• Sourcing of professional development resources for classroom teachers

Lower School Counseling
The Lower School counseling services include monthly character trait and mindfulness lessons in each classroom K-5th grades. The counselor has individual and group sessions with students providing a wide range of services, including developing conflict resolution skills, coping skills to help manage anxiety and mood, emotional regulation strategies, friendship skill development, and strategies to improve attention/focus. The counselor also provides support for any emotional issues related to changes at home, grief counseling, and crisis management skills. Pre-K classes receive play therapy interventions in class and in the counseling office to help develop basic behavior management skills; emotional regulation tools and identification; and conflict resolution skills. Counseling services are in coordination with the teachers and parents providing a support system to benefit the whole student. There are parenting information classes provided throughout the year that highlight different topics of interest. The student’s overall well-being is at the center of everything we do to support, educate, and help each student grow to their fullest potential.

Middle School Counseling
Providing social and emotional support and guidance for students is the primary responsibility for the school counselor at the middle school. Informal short term counseling for individual students is offered on an as-needed basis. An individual student or a group of students can request to meet with the counselor or may be referred by a teacher or parent. Parents are asked to contact the counselor with any emotional or social concerns that may arise. The counselor works closely with all teachers to maintain ongoing communication and a team approach to help provide consistent service and support for students and to address mental health needs that may be of concern.

Upper School Counseling
Students entering high school often grapple with academic, social and emotional challenges that come with the transition to young adulthood. The US counseling program embodies the school’s mission to know each child well by providing students and their families a supportive resource within a confidential setting. Research shows that a sense of belonging and supportive connection at school is pivotal to student success. With this framework in mind, US Counseling aims to nurture student belonging and help students uncover their potential in order to thrive. US counseling also helps students who struggle with depression, anxiety or other forms of mental distress, and serves those experiencing life stressors by imparting evidence-based coping strategies; advocating for support and compassion with administration and faculty; and providing referrals for outside care or other resources.

Literacy Specialists
Research is clear that early literacy instruction must involve explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Our PreK-5th grade teachers are trained through the Institute For Multi-Sensory Education. The IMSE approach is based on Orton-Gillingham’s methodology and focuses on direct instruction that is sequential, structured, and multi-sensory. In addition to classroom skills lessons, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade who need additional reading instruction receive small group intervention from a grade-level reading specialist.

Math Specialists
Our math instruction is delivered through an approach that includes the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) progression, number bonds, bar modeling, and mental math. Students gain a depth of knowledge that allows for mathematical thinking beyond rote memorization. Grade-level math specialists in kindergarten-5th grade provide additional support to classroom math lessons. In addition, a dedicated Middle/Upper School math specialist provides small group and individual intervention for older students needing continued support.

The Episcopal Collegiate School Writing Center provides individualized, collaborative assistance to writers of all abilities in the Middle and Upper Schools to promote writing to learn, writing across the curriculum, creative writing, and to prepare students for continued successful writing in their academic years and beyond.

Impact on Students and Families
Students will make progress on specific pieces of writing by providing one-to-one assistance in a friendly, collaborative environment. Students will learn or practice general writing and/or mechanic skills to apply to future writing projects. Students can see themselves as writers.

Student Services
Writing Fellows, under the direction of a faculty director, will offer to students

• Ideas for invention techniques, such as brainstorming and freewriting
• Help in understanding an assignment and instructor’s expectations
• Constructive feedback on student writing
• Methods for better research and documentation skills, how to avoid plagiarism and how to stay organized
• Encouragement and support
• Workshops on MLA formatting, citing sources, applying for a summer job, ACT/SAT test tips, creative writing, and more
• Guest speakers, including local authors, alumni, and others who use writing or related media in their professions

Teacher Services
The Writing Center will also offer assistance to Upper and Middle School faculty, such as

• In-class tutorial assistance from the Director and/or Writing Fellows when students are writing an essay or paper
• In-class workshops on MLA formatting, research methodology and documentation of sources, use of in-text citations, common grammatical and/or mechanical errors, or other teacher-specific requests
• Ideas and resources to encourage, enrich and promote the teaching of writing in all disciplines and courses
• Support for faculty in their own writing

Writing Fellows Leadership Program
The Writing Fellows program is a leadership and service opportunity for sophomores, juniors and seniors that focuses on writing and peer tutoring. Writing Fellows will be selected through an application process that includes

• completion of the Writing Tutor Application, including evaluation of writing samples
• successful performance in English and other writing-intensive courses
• faculty recommendations for writing, character, and leadership qualities

Students who are accepted are expected to commit to a training retreat in August, a minimum of two hours per week, and two to three additional scheduled training sessions throughout the school year.