Student Support Services

In the Lower School, you should first contact your child’s class teacher. They may contact the grade-level liaison, who may, in turn, recommend a referral to the lower school Student Support Team.

In the Middle School, you should contact the subject teacher and the advisory teacher. They may, in turn, contact the relevant grade-level learning specialist, who may make a referral to the middle school Student Support Team.

In the High School, you should contact the subject area teacher and advisor. They may, in turn, contact the grade-level dean or college counselor, who may present the issues to the high school Student Support Team.

You should contact the relevant professional described above. You may also contact the divisional educational psychologist.

You should contact the divisional counselor and/or advisor.

The primary focus of each divisional SST is to identify students at risk academically, socially and/or emotionally. The team problem-solves collaboratively to devise an appropriate plan of support that might include specific strategies and interventions. Referrals to the SST are made from a variety of sources, including teachers, parents/guardians, administrators, the educational psychologists and counselors. The composition of the SST varies slightly within each division, but includes SLD learning specialists, educational psychologists, counselors, administrators, health personnel (as needed), advisors and teachers (as available in the Lower and Middle schools). The reading specialist, language specialist and EAL specialist may also attend, depending on the needs and divisional resources. In the High School, the SST includes grade-level deans, as well as college counselors as needed.

A variety of classroom-based interventions may be recommended. The opportunity to meet with in-school counselors may be suggested. In addition, referrals for out-of-school private counseling, psychological and/or medical evaluations may be recommended. All decisions regarding psycho-educational and language assessment and entry into any of the school’s various support services are made via the divisional SST; however, it is important to note that not every referral made to the SST warrants or results in a full evaluation or referral.

All information shared at SST meetings is treated as confidential. The plan of action devised at the SST meeting is communicated to appropriate subject area teachers, relevant school professionals, including relevant SST members and the advisor. The information is also entered into the K-12 SSST database.

A designated SST representative and/or the classroom teacher/advisor will be appointed to follow up with parents regarding any suggested plans of action.

An assessment may be recommended to determine if a specific learning difference or other issue is affecting the student’s academic achievement and performance in school. A formal psychometric evaluation is needed to diagnose a specific learning difference and to determine if further educational intervention is required. A language evaluation may also be required in order to learn more about receptive, expressive and language processing skills. Should such an evaluation be required, parental permission for testing is sought by the educational psychologist or language specialist, depending upon the type of concern. Alternatively, an independent evaluation by private educational or clinical psychologists may also by conducted if it is wished by the parents and/or if recommended by the SST. All private evaluations would be at the parents’/guardians’ expense, as are all internal psychometric evaluations. Financial aid may be available. It is important to note that decisions as to whether a diagnostic evaluation is done in school are made by the SST and based on need and availability. All diagnostic evaluations must be carried out by a qualified psychologist. The evaluation must be comprehensive, including cognitive, memory, academic achievement, information processing measures, as well as screening of executive functions and social-emotional development. In some cases, a medical and/or neurological assessment may also be recommended to diagnose attention deficit disorders. Evaluations by an occupational therapist are also sometimes recommended. Psycho-educational evaluation results are valid for three years; therefore, students with diagnosed specific learning difference who are receiving school services and/or accommodations are typically re-evaluated every three years.

Those students formally enrolled in the SLD program will be offered such re-evaluations by the school's psychologists. 'Accommodation-only' students will need to obtain such reviews privately. ADHD diagnoses are typically reviewed annually by the consultant, child and adolescent psychiatrist. Copies of evaluations are kept in the student's school file. A copy may also be kept in the psychologists' or language specialists' files. Please see information on confidentiality below.

Please contact your divisional school psychologist with specific questions about the recommended evaluation and process.
 

SST members review the results of the evaluations and determine appropriate interventions, which may include entry into one of the school’s support services. These recommendations will be shared and discussed with parents.

The admissions committee, in consultation with divisional principals and relevant SST specialists, may make a recommendation for program entry prior to admission.
 

Various fee structures are in place, depending upon the division, program or level of intensity of support students receive. Parents/guardians will be notified accordingly, and billed in the spring for the forthcoming academic year. Should a student qualify for a program mid-year, fees will be prorated to coincide with the student's start date in the program. Financial aid may be available for service fees.

Students in the SLD program, as well as those who meet documentation requirements, may be eligible for the same special testing accommodations on tests such as the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) exams, Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and Advanced Placement (AP) exams, as well as the American College Test (ACT). However, there is no guarantee that either testing service will grant a student the same accommodations they use at ASL. Only accommodations granted by ASL and utilized for school-based assessments on a regular basis are considered when applying for accommodations on standardized tests. Students should use their in-school accommodations for at least four months prior to submitting a request for accommodations. The four months of usage is most important for students newly diagnosed with a learning difference or ADHD and having no history of using in-school accommodations. The two testing services have distinct criteria, procedures and documentation requirements when requesting accommodations. In addition, the accommodations vary between the two services; therefore, a student cannot assume that accommodations granted by one testing service will also be granted by the other. For more specific procedural queries, please contact the school’s services for students with disabilities (SSD) coordinator. Documentation requirements for the two testing services can be found at the following websites:

• College board
• ACT

At ASL, written parental consent is obtained before testing accommodations are formally offered to eligible students in the Middle and High schools. In the Lower School, prior to the ERB administration in the spring, parents/guardians of students in the SLD program will be informed by their child’s learning specialist or classroom teacher that the child will receive accommodations (time and computer use) as documented in the current psycho-educational evaluation.   

Students applying to university need to contact their university of choice as soon as possible to determine what documentation is required. Additional testing may be required prior to enrollment.
 

For students in the Speech and Language and SLD programs, an Annual Individual Educational Plan (AIEP) is developed by the language and/or learning specialist in consultation with parents/guardians, the classroom teacher, and any other additional service provider (as appropriate). The AIEP is an individual “plan in progress,” specifying academic goals and objectives for the year services are to be received. Parents/guardians receive a written narrative and ratings of progress in goal areas at the end of each semester. As indicated above, psycho-educational assessment results are valid for three years; therefore, students who are currently enrolled in the SLD program and/or are receiving accommodations are typically re-evaluated every three years to review progress and determine needs.

Careful planning is done to help students and their families transition from one division to the next. Transition meetings or individual case conferences are held in the spring of each year. These meetings inform teachers at the next grade level of the learning needs of the incumbent grade of students and inform the EAL specialist and the learning specialist(s) at the next division of each student’s academic support program that will need to be implemented.
Parents/guardians of students enrolled in the SLD program also meet with the learning specialist towards the end of the academic year to review AIEP goals. Every effort is made to include a learning specialist from the next division.
 

As noted above, student progress is monitored in the language and SLD programs each year. Once a student has attained all the goals and objectives specified on educational plans, they may be considered ready to exit the support program. Using formal and informal assessment, classroom work and observation, the student support specialist, in consultation with parents/guardians and teachers, makes a recommendation regarding changes in support. Final decisions about exiting a program are made by the SST. After leaving a support program, some individual support and/or monitoring may be recommended. Parents/guardians should be advised that as the curricular expectations increase at each grade level, it is possible that students who no longer need academic support at earlier grade levels may be in need of this support once again at later grade levels.

The counseling and medical staff will respect student confidentiality, except on the rare occasion when, having failed to obtain a student’s consent to release information, the counselors or medical staff consider it in the student’s best interest, or necessary for the safety of the student and/or the wider school community, to break confidentiality. When it is necessary to share such information with other members of staff (e.g., faculty, SST), this information is also shared in confidence. Anyone receiving such information is also bound by a duty of confidence, whether or not they have contractual or professional obligations to do so.
Copies of psycho-educational, neurological, language and psychiatric assessments are not routinely sent to other professionals or academic institutions without prior written consent of the parents/guardians. Typically, such evaluation reports are posted, rather than sent electronically. The SST also maintains a confidential database with information about evaluations, diagnoses, accommodations, services and supports. Any information regarding services, accommodations, AIEPs and needs may be shared with relevant school personnel in person or via email.
 

The Parent Educational Resource Committee (PERC) is a unique, informal group sponsored and supported by ASL’s Parent Community Association (PCA). Parents/guardians gather to discuss both educational and parenting issues. PERC provides a forum for open discussion and the exchange of ideas. PERC offers lectures and parent/guardian-to-parent/guardian support group meetings. PERC works closely and collaboratively with ASL faculty and the K-12 SSST. For further information about PERC, please contact the relevant lower, middle or high school representatives, the PCA or the K-12 student support services department head. PERC also has a helpful webpage.

We have a qualified counseling team that is up to date on research regarding mental health and what interventions may be put in place to help support a student academically, emotionally and socially. We believe these three areas of functioning are not separate, but interconnected aspects of students’ lives that can impact each other. We can provide limited in-school counseling for typical life stressors and short-term low risk issues. For moderate- to high-risk students who need more intense care, the counseling teams carefully refers families to therapists and psychiatrists we feel are exceptional in their fields. We communicate with and refer to external professionals on a regular basis, working to provide a continuum of care for students who need extra support.