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Learning Team Philosophy and Composition
The Colorado Springs School’s fundamental goal is to reveal and develop the gifts within each student as we prepare them to be leaders in a dynamic world. There are several aspects of the school that are intentionally designed to accomplish this goal. Students are exposed to interdisciplinary and contextual experiences to help internalize and build meaning in what they learn. Students develop strong relationships with faculty so that they are more motivated to learn. The faculty uses the 4MAT System, a brain-based approach to curriculum design that maximizes the number of ways that a student learns. These techniques help students expand their potential by encouraging them to stretch, while still providing security, direction, and purpose.
With the advent of The Learning Team in 2008, CSS adds an essential tool to help students discover their potential. The Learning Team is composed of the Nurse, Counselors, and Learning Coordinator to reduce barriers to learning that may occur for medical, psycho-social, or brain-based reasons. The Learning Team works with faculty and administration to coordinate a tailored program for students who have received a recommendation for a special accommodation at school. The Learning Team is also a resource for parents and faculty so that each adult’s ability to serve students with special needs grows.
The Learning Team is available to all families who are willing to share related information from off-campus specialists, tutors, and therapists, and accept CSS requirements for Confidentiality and Disclosure. Through the integrated use of Accommodations, The Learning Team helps students with varied needs better access their intelligence, stretch their comfort zones, and find academic success. Of course there are Limitations as to how much a member of The Learning Team can go beyond their primary role as coordinator and engage in actual medical care, remediation, or therapy. Helping a student find their gifts when they have the added challenge of a medical, psycho-social, or brain-based challenge is inexact, and every family undergoes some level of Adjustment as they learn more about the scope of their child’s unique circumstances. Private Tutors are often hired by families to supplement the CSS experience. If that is the case, CSS makes every effort to provide space for tutors on campus and encourage them to coordinate with CSS faculty.
With these four components: strong mentoring relationships, profound interdisciplinary and contextual experiences, brain-based curriculum design, and The Learning Team; CSS gives students the very best chance of accessing their intelligence and unveiling their unique gifts. Steps for Support identify the communication and roles that parents can use to access The Learning Team.
The following paragraphs offer further definitions to terms identified in the primary message above.
With the advent of The Learning Team in 2008, CSS adds an essential tool to help students discover their potential. The Learning Team is composed of the Nurse, Counselors, and Learning Coordinator to reduce barriers to learning that may occur for medical, psycho-social, or brain-based reasons. The Learning Team works with faculty and administration to coordinate a tailored program for students who have received a recommendation for a special accommodation at school. The Learning Team is also a resource for parents and faculty so that each adult’s ability to serve students with special needs grows.
The Learning Team is available to all families who are willing to share related information from off-campus specialists, tutors, and therapists, and accept CSS requirements for Confidentiality and Disclosure. Through the integrated use of Accommodations, The Learning Team helps students with varied needs better access their intelligence, stretch their comfort zones, and find academic success. Of course there are Limitations as to how much a member of The Learning Team can go beyond their primary role as coordinator and engage in actual medical care, remediation, or therapy. Helping a student find their gifts when they have the added challenge of a medical, psycho-social, or brain-based challenge is inexact, and every family undergoes some level of Adjustment as they learn more about the scope of their child’s unique circumstances. Private Tutors are often hired by families to supplement the CSS experience. If that is the case, CSS makes every effort to provide space for tutors on campus and encourage them to coordinate with CSS faculty.
With these four components: strong mentoring relationships, profound interdisciplinary and contextual experiences, brain-based curriculum design, and The Learning Team; CSS gives students the very best chance of accessing their intelligence and unveiling their unique gifts. Steps for Support identify the communication and roles that parents can use to access The Learning Team.
The following paragraphs offer further definitions to terms identified in the primary message above.
4MAT System
The Colorado Springs School recognizes that students learn in different ways and that sound teaching includes an awareness of those differences. Learning differences occur across the intelligence spectrum, and any strong school that is deeply committed to bringing out the best in each student’s intelligence should be as sensitive as possible to diverse learning needs. To that end, all faculty are trained on the 4-MAT system. The 4-MAT system promotes an understanding of learning strengths and differentiation within any classroom, whether or not there are students identified with learning differences within that classroom. In addition to the work of the Learning Team and faculty use of the 4-MAT system, CSS’ relational setting, small class sizes, and contextual or experiential focus also contribute to unveiling each student’s ability to access and develop their intelligence and thrive in our rigorous, college-preparatory academic program.Confidentiality and Disclosure
The Learning Team is an integral component of school life. By choosing to attend CSS, parents implicitly agree that their student may meet with any member of the Learning Team. The information gained through the work of the Learning Team helps the school to deliver the strongest possible educational program for our students, and is treated with the level of confidentiality appropriate for the situation according to professional best practices. From time to time, information from the Learning Team may be disclosed to the Head of School, Division Heads, outside professionals, law enforcements officers, parent/guardians or others when there is a compelling reason for doing so, including cases of health and safety emergencies; when students or others are in imminent danger of harm; when there is concern about an individual’s ability to function academically, emotionally, physically, and/or mentally within the school environment; or when legal requirements demand that confidential information be revealed (such as with abuse or neglect). Parents are at all times entitled to any information that is received by any of these professionals.Accommodations
CSS considers each recommendation for accommodations and makes all final decisions about which accommodations are reasonable in our setting, given our resources and expertise. While good teaching practices that are delivered to all our students are frequently at the heart of helping students with special needs, the following special accommodations are typically offered when recommended by a consulting clinical psychologist.- Extended time on quizzes, tests, and exams. Extended time is defined as one-and-a-half times the normal time expected on a test.
- Oral check-in following quizzes, tests, or exams, as is logistically possible.
- Use of laptops or other technological devices (provided by the family) during class for typing or recording.
- Preferential seating
- Audio books (provided by family).
- Tolerance of spelling mistakes, given reasonable development and educational objectives.
- Preferential scheduling, within available resources.
- Low-stimulus test environment.
Limitations
Even with the Learning Team, small classes, contextual education, and well-trained faculty, there are limits on what CSS or any other independent school can accomplish with respect to a student’s individual needs. The Learning Team serves as consultants to parents and the administration in determining at what point a student’s needs exceed the available program and reasonable accommodations made by the school. Such limits may include time, individual attention needed, lack of motivation on the part of students, lack of support on the part of parents, lack of expertise among school or off-campus professionals, a lack of funds, or the degree of distraction or safety to surrounding students. If any case exceeds the combined abilities and resources of the school community, the school reserves the right to make all decisions about the program delivered at the school, or whether it remains available to serve the student at all.Additionally, the school reserves the right to decline an off-campus professional opinion, or not exercise an accommodation if it exceeds what the school sees as “reasonable accommodation” or if observations made at school are inconsistent with a diagnosis, or if the diagnosis comes from a professional who has provided the school with unsupported, overly ambiguous, or incorrect diagnoses in the past. In short, the school intends to bring the highest level of service to each student within our ability to do so responsibly and successfully over time.
Adjustment
It is normal for parents to have expectations and hopes for their son or daughter. Under the conditions where a student would benefit from learning support, those expectations frequently are challenged. A student’s learning success is further strengthened when parents recognize their need to undergo normal stages of coping with a change in their perception about their child’s ability to learn.- It is a normal need. It is important to remember that a high percentage of students in this generation will benefit from learning support. Dyslexia alone can affect from 7-25% of a given student population. In all likelihood, we anticipate that over half of all CSS students will at some point benefit from Learning Team services by the time they graduate.
- Shifting expectations prompt a grieving process. When humans grieve, they undergo a natural sequence of feelings and behaviors. That sequence includes the following:
- Shock and denial: avoidance, fear, confusion, blame
- Anger: frustration, anxiety, irritation, shame
- Depression and detachment: overwhelmed, apathy, helplessness, low energy
- Dialogue and bargaining: sharing story, struggle for meaning, reduce anxiety through self-action
- Acceptance: peace, a new plan in place, no loss of sleep
- CSS is your student’s learning advocate. We are here to help reduce barriers to learning, when possible, and help each student access their full intelligence and become their ‘best self’.
- Accept support. The Learning Team can help parents understand more about the condition that leads to learning support. That help may take the form of connecting to other parents in the same situation, off-campus referrals, or simply listening to the concerns of the parent. Also, allowing Learning Team members to have authorization to the reports from off-campus professionals allows us to deliver our highest level of support.
Private Tutors
As a result of recommendations given by off-campus psychologists, some families seek to hire private tutors to coach their student beyond the level of academic support provided by faculty. To facilitate the ease of such tutoring and aid in convenience and time management for students, private tutors are allowed to operate on campus, and work with students within breaks in their schedule, under the following conditions.- All private tutors who work on campus must submit to a background check and sign-in/out when working on campus, and use spaces for tutoring designated by the division head or Learning Coordinator.
- All private tutors who work on campus must harmoniously support the school’s mission, the faculty, schedule, and curriculum.
- All private tutors who work on campus must make sure the teacher understands the level of support given to the student.
- All private tutors who work on campus must use the Learning Coordinator as a liason to faculty, and respond cooperatively with weekly communications from the Learning Coordinator.
- Accommodations are recommended by an off-campus psychologist, and that recommendation is either accepted or deemed unreasonable by division heads and the Learning Coordinator. The role of the tutor is to participate collaboratively in carrying out those accommodations, not to decide which accommodations to implement.
- Private tutors are contracted directly by families and abide by these conditions in order to use space on campus. The CSS business office does not participate in billing, nor is CSS liable for tutor misconduct or injury. Private tutors carry their own liability insurance.