Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School strives to identify students’ unique needs, especially those that will affect their classroom performance. We do not provide formal testing to diagnose learning differences, disabilities, or any other special physical or mental need for our students, but we can partner with parents to place them on the best path to find resources to begin testing if they believe it is what their child needs. Once we are provided with outside documentation of a learning difference diagnosed by a diagnostician, doctor, or physician, our Learning Specialists can create a Student Academic Plan (SAP) specific to the student’s needs. We do recognize the responsibility to provide accommodations to ensure that students with disabilities have the opportunity to obtain a Catholic education at SMGCS. 

WHAT WE PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS:

• A quiet testing environment
• Dyslexia Training Services:  We have a full-time, certified Learning Resource teacher on staff trained in the Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA) program for the remediation of Dyslexia and other reading diabilities. The MTS program is an Orton-Gillingham multisensory approach to teaching reading that combines Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic (or muscle) instruction. Students meet four days each week for one-on-one or small group dyslexia instruction.
• Instructional support groups based on individual results of the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI), which is administered to K - 2nd Grade students three times each year.
• Study skills assistance:

             ◦     Reading for understanding/decoding/annotation 

             ◦     Test-taking skills

             ◦     Organization and planning skills

• Pull out/Push in the Learning Lab for students with Student Academic Plans (SAP)
•  Accommodations as indicated

WHAT WE PROVIDE OUR STAFF:

   •     A place to send academic referrals from teachers and administrators

   •     Resources regarding learning differences and how to implement
         appropriate accommodations within the regular classroom setting 

   •     A quiet place to send students who need extra time to complete an
         assignment or test.
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Guidelines for Student Accommodations:

The Student Success Team (SST) will review the following information to determine how best to respond to a student's classroom accommodation needs:

• A formal evaluation or documentation of a learning difference that has been made, preferable within the past three years.
• Demonstration of an educational need for accommodations because the learning difference prevents or "substantially limits" a sutdent's ability to progress or demonstrate mastery of skills, as defined by Section 504 of the American with Disabilities Act.

• Review of student history and/or accommodations proven necessary for a student's progress in the past
• Teacher input and observation of a student's progress over a 3-6 week period
• Supporting evidence that a student needs accommodations in order to meet minimum course requirements

• A student's parent(s) must provide the appropriate documentation of a learning difference to the Learning Lab. Please be advised that the SMGCS Student Success Team may require a period of up to four weeks to review information and make observations.
• SMGCS Student Success Team will meet to review documentation, observations, and data to create an initial Student Academic Plan (SAP).
• The SAP will be distributed to and discussed with the student's teachers.
• Students in 6th - 8th Grade are encouraged to advocate for themselves by communicating with their classroom teachers. Accommodations are reviewed annually at the beginning of each school year to determine if they are to be continued as is, revised, and/or updated with any new documentation.