Below are some answers to some of the frequently asked questions about how Odyssey School works with students with learning differences.
Does Odyssey admit students with learning differences?
Odyssey School offers a challenging curriculum for academically gifted and talented students. However, while focused on high academics, we are an inclusive school. One of the central parts of Odyssey's Mission is respect for diversity within our community, including respect for students' different learning styles as well as students with learning differences.
We use the term “learning style” to refer to the different ways in which all students learn. We see all students as different kinds of learners.
We use the term “learning difference” to refer to a diagnosed learning disability. We prefer the term “difference” because we want to the emphasize students' ability, rather than lack of ability, while acknowledging and accommodating certain diagnosed challenges with learning.
Odyssey has had, has and will continue to have a number of students enrolled who have learning differences. Odyssey offers limited accommodations to students with learning differences. The school encourages teachers to adopt strategies that differentiate instruction such that a wide range of different learners can be successful in our curriculum.
How do I access programs of support and accommodations for my student?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with learning differences are guaranteed certain protection and rights to equal access to programs and services. In order to assess these rights, an individual must present documentation indicating that the disability substantially limits some major life activity, including learning.
The following documentation requirements are provided in the interest of assuring that learning difference documentation is appropriate to verify eligibility and to support requests for accommodations.
What kind of documentation is required?
Odyssey School in general follows the College Board's guidelines for what kind of documentation must be presented to qualify for accommodations. Please see their guidelines at this website: http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/document.html
There are 7 requirements for information that this documentation must normally meet. As stated on this site, the documentation normally must:
• state the specific disability, as diagnosed;
• be current (in most cases, the evaluation and diagnostic testing should have taken place within 5 years of the request for accommodations);
• provide relevant educational, developmental, and medical history;
• describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis (including test results with subtest scores [standard or scaled scores] for all tests)
For more information about this, see the College Board's site on Diagnosis and Functional Limitation: http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/limitations.html
• describe the functional limitations (i.e., the limitations to learning impacted due to the diagnosed disability);
• describe the specific accommodations being requested;
• establish the professional credentials of the evaluator (e.g., licensure; certification; area of specialization).
Does documentation remain confidential?
Odyssey School has a responsibility to maintain confidentiality of the evaluation, testing and documentation it receives and may not release any part of the documentation without the student's parents' informed consent or under compulsion of legal process.
Does Odyssey School provide psycho-educational testing?
The school does not provide psycho-educational testing for students but can provide a list of testing professionals that parents have used in the past. Please note that all costs related to a student's testing are the sole responsibility of the parent.
What happens once I have the documentation together?
After reviewing the testing, additional testing may be requested in order to fully understand the learning challenges of the student.
Once all testing is complete, a meeting occurs with the student, his or her parent(s) and the Head of School to review the recommendations listed on the evaluation and to put together an Education Plan.
This plan outlines a student's strengths, challenges, accommodations and strategies that teachers may employ to help the student learn. Once student and parents have approved the plan, this plan will be given to the student's teachers.
A Student Study Team meeting may follow this.
What is a Student Study Team (SST) meeting?
The SST brings together as a team all the adults involved in a student's teaching and learning. This can include the student, teachers, the advisor, parents/guardians and private Learning Specialist/tutor(s). School administrators may also join where necessary.
What are the accommodations most commonly offered by Odyssey?
Most commonly offered accommodations are:
• Extended Time on in-class tests and quizzes
• The use of a laptop computer for note taking and in-class writing assignments
• Student is provided with preferential seating in the classroom
• Student is provided with a quiet space for test and quiz taking.
Students who have been tested do not automatically receive accommodations. Only after the school has reviewed the testing and it has agreed to the recommendations can accommodations be granted.
What is the difference between accommodations and modifications?
The school does not usually modify its curriculum. Odyssey believes that all students are capable of doing the same work, though they may accomplish the assignments at different levels of competence and through different modes of instruction and assessment. The school offers accommodations in order to provide students with the necessary tools to accomplish the school's expectations.
What if I received accommodations at my last school?
Students and parents should follow the same procedures as above.
Do you have any resources you can recommend about Learning Differences?
Some of the following will be useful:
LD Online: http://www.ldonline.org/
Misunderstood Minds, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds
Mel Levine, A Mind at a Time , New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2002.
Project Eye To Eye, http://www.projecteyetoeye.org/
Parents Education Network, http://www.parentseducationnetwork.org/
College Board Services for Students with Disabilities http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/index.html |
