• Major Expectations
• Philosophy
• Broad Instructional Objectives
• Organization

• Students are totally mainstreamed into a competitive college preparatory program.  The educational requirements of students in the LD Program are identical to the educational requirements of their classmates.
• Students complete a college preparatory education and enroll in a four-year college.
• Students develop an understanding of their strengths, limitations, and learning styles.
• Students participate in other school activities and clubs, including class and club offices, junior varsity and varsity sports, and other co-curricular activities.
• Students develop an understanding of individual rights and responsibilities.
• Students are guided in their choices of post-secondary education.
• Students develop an awareness of career opportunities in light of their strengths.

PHILOSOPHY
A learning disability is a permanent handicap that affects the manner in which an individual with average or above average intelligence takes in information, retains it, and expresses the knowledge and understanding she processes.  The most common learning disabilities occur in the areas of language (reading, spelling, and written expression); math computation; and problem solving.  Less frequent are problems in organizational skills, time management, spatial organization, attention span, and social skills.  Students in St. Ursula Academy's Learning Disabilities Program are mainstreamed into the regular college preparatory classes (including honors/AP classes).  The educational requirements of students in the LD Program are identical to the educational requirements of their classmates.  Students in the LD Program are expected to produce the same quantity and same quality of work as their peers.  Program participants benefit from a number of special modifications and services that demonstrate St. Ursula's commitment to providing a successful college preparatory experience for learning-disabled students.  The special modifications and services include tutoring, coursework support, diagnostic testing, textbooks on cassette tapes, extended examination and testing periods, oral examinations and tests, tests read by tutor, and the use of a tape recorder to record class notes.

BROAD INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Learning Disabilities Program are

• to provide a college preparatory education for girls with learning disabilities;
• to provide for the individual learning differences and learning styles of the LD student  by teaching to her strengths while working with her weaknesses;
• to inform teachers of each student's disability and learning style and classroom  accommodations that must be made for the LD student;
• to provide the opportunity for each LD student to achieve her academic potential through daily coursework support, testing accommodations for quizzes, tests and exams (oral testing;  taped tests; extended testing periods; word processor for writing; untimed Ohio Proficiency and extended time PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP tests;
• to provide academic and college advising to the LD student;
• to consult with the faculty regarding the progress of the LD student.

ORGANIZATION
1.  Placement Procedures:  Students are evaluated prior to their admissions to the LD Program.  Area psychologists, educational diagnosticians, and speech & language pathologists do testing.  The educational evaluation should consist of the WISC-III [with subset scores] and educational achievement tests such as the Woodcock-Johnson-R or the PIAT.  Other diagnostic tests such as the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests, and the Test of Written Language, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test are helpful. Informal diagnosis occurs daily by noting errors and difficulties that students encounter with tests, homework, and assignments.  Students are re-evaluated in the spring/summer of their junior year so that there is current diagnostic information for the college application process.  Area psychologists/educational diagnosticians do this testing with St. Ursula assuming the full costs of the testing.

 2.  Admissions Procedure for 8th Grade Students
Eighth grade students seeking admission to St. Ursula Academy's Learning Disabilities Program must take the Entrance Test and submit the following to the LD Program Coordinator by November 30:

a.  An educational evaluation that has been completed within the past two years. The educational evaluation should consist of the WISC-III [with subset scores] and educational achievement tests such as the Woodcock-Johnson-R or the PIAT.  Other diagnostic tests such as the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests, the Test of Written Language, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test are helpful.
b.  Results of previous educational testing.
c.  Recommendations from eighth grade teachers and tutor (if applicable) addressing the student's day-to-day skills and motivation.
d.  Grade school records including report cards from 6th and 7th grades and first quarter 8th grade; and report of standardized group achievement tests (e.g. Iowa Test of Basic Skills)

    a. The initial suggestion that a student may have a learning disability may come from the student, parents, teachers, counselors, or administrators.
    b. The available data are read and discussed by the Academic Concerns Committee (Principal, Academic Dean, Guidance Counselors, School Psychologist, School Nurse and LD Coordinator) that makes an appropriate recommendation.
    c. A student may be referred for further testing if appropriate.
    d. Testing results are analyzed and the LD coordinator in conjunction decides placement with the counselors and administrators.