Instructional Support

Instructional Support in the Academic Achievement Center (AAC) at York Catholic is designed to reinforce and improve the academic experience for students with learning needs.  We strive to instill self-motivation, self-advocacy, and goal setting in our students, developing a strong skill set that will carry them through high school and beyond.

In order to be eligible for academic adjustments, students must provide documentation from their physician or psychologist.  All documentation must be typed, on letterhead, bearing the physician’s original signature.  All documentation for a medical or mental health condition must include the following:

• A statement of diagnosis(es) and testing/assessments that were administered
• Symptoms, their severity and frequency
• Current treatment and prognosis
• The functional impact of symptoms as they apply to the academic and extra-curricular setting
• Specific recommendations for educational adjustments

Documentation will be reviewed annually, and should not exceed the date of physician’s diagnosis by more than three years.  Eligibility will be reviewed and determined on a yearly basis.  Please note that York Catholic cannot provide academic support to all exceptionalities.  The York Catholic Student Services Documentation Letter can be found below; families seeking documentation are asked to share this document with their doctor.

Instructional support time replaces a student’s traditional study hall.  Our instructional support teacher meets with the student and their family to determine the most appropriate adjustments to be made at school, and will formalize a York Catholic Support Plan.  The Support Plan will be shared with teachers and implemented in classrooms.  Students requiring additional instructional support will be scheduled for time in the AAC.  While in the Academic Achievement Center, students will work on the following:

• Learning strategies
• Strategies for acquiring, storing, and retrieving information
• Strategies for oral and written communication
• Time management and organizational skills
• Critical thinking operations, processes, and enabling skills
• Note taking techniques
• Problem solving skills and strategies
• Testing taking skills and strategies
• Strategies for linking new information with prior knowledge

Kathy Hand
Principal
khand@yorkcatholic.org

Amy Kelbaugh
Instructional Support/Academic Achievement Center
akelbaugh@yorkcatholic.org