Student Support Services

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The Student Support Services helps students in grades K-8 who require accommodations or modifications to successfully complete the requirements of Center School’s academic and social curriculum. Children are served within the context of the classroom program through the use of differentiated curricula, small group instruction, and check-in’s with one of our learning specialists. Sometimes in-school tutoring can be provided, depending on the needs of the child and the availability of the Student Support Services staff. Teacher consultation, parent consultation, and connecting with outside tutors, therapists and evaluators are provided as needed.

Student Support: Assessment

Assessment at the Center School is approached in several ways. The nature of small groups and the structure of two teachers per classroom allows for plenty of authentic assessment to happen in real time.

Additionally, we assess all of our students periodically throughout the year using more standardized tools. This helps us gain a deeper understanding of how students’ math and literacy skills are developing so that we can tailor instruction to each child. 

A typical schedule for assessments would include:

  • Kindergarten

    Fall, winter, spring (All students)

    -Letter and letter sound identification

    -Phonological and phonemic awareness

    -Fall only: Rapid Automatic Naming task (using objects)

    Winter, spring (Or when student is ready)

    -Letter and letter sound identification

    -Phonological and phonemic awareness

    -Decodable word reading (e.g., cat, pen)

    -High frequency word reading, using familiar words from their early readers

    -Running record of decodable book at their most recently competed level

    First Grade

    Fall, winter, spring (All students)

    -Fall only: Rapid Automatic Naming task (using objects or letters, as student is ready)

    -Letter and letter sound identification (If needed)

    -Phonological and phonemic awareness

    -Real and nonsense word reading

    -High frequency word reading, using familiar words from their early readers

    -Running record of a decodable book at their most recently completed level

    Tutoring in Kindergarten and First Grade

    If we wonder whether a student needs more support beyond their small reading and phonemic awareness groups (see page four of this document about literacy in the woods), a member of the Student Support Services team may administer additional assessments, such as:

    -A more detailed assessment of phonemic and phonological awareness

    -Another assessment of word reading or text reading that is responsive to the questions we have about the student’s development

    -Based on the results, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions to support the student’s development. Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Letter/Sound work and further work with phonemic and phonological awareness, using elements of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) program

    -Sequential, explicit phonics instruction through the Seeing Stars program

    -Practice with High Frequency Words

    -Practice reading decodable texts, such as the Little Sprouts series

  • Fall, spring (All students)

    -Fall only: Rapid Atomatic Naming task

    -Standardized Reading Inventory (SRI)

    -If a student is not yet ready for the SRI, a Running Record of decodable text

    -The Universal Screeners for Number Sense

    Tutoring in Second and Third Grade

    If we wonder whether a student needs more support beyond their small literature group, a member of the Student Support Services team may administer:

    -The TOWRE (Test of Word Reading Efficiency), which assesses a student’s ability to read sight words efficiently, as well as their grasp of phonics and the efficient application of that knowledge. This is assessed through the number of words they read from a list of real and nonsense words in 45 seconds.

    -Another form of the Standardized Reading Inventory (SRI) or a Running Record

    -A detailed assessment of phonemic awareness

    All students who receive reading tutoring are assessed with these (or similar) measures in the fall, winter, and spring. Based on the results, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions to support the student’s development. Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Letter/Sound work, using elements of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) program

    -Sequential, explicit phonics instruction through the Seeing Stars program

    -Practice with high frequency words

    -Practice reading decodable texts at their level.

    -Support to transition from decodable books to trade books, such as Little Bear and Frog and Toad.

    -If a student is ready to practice reading fluency, they may use strategies such as repeated reading and phrasing (or “scooping”).

    -Students who need support with comprehension may receive tutoring that includes the Visualizing and Verbalizing program or other targeted instruction in using specific comprehension strategies.

    Math Tutoring

    All second and third graders are assessed using the Universal Screeners for Number Sense. Based on the results of that screener and/or classroom observations, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions or provide push-in math support within the larger group.

    Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Preview and Review of math concepts being covered in the group

    -Targeted instruction based on areas of need noticed in the Universal Screener results

    -Fluency Practice

  • Our literature groups are typically small (6-8 students); this allows for individual scaffolding and differentiation within the group. If we wonder whether a student needs more support beyond their small literature group, a member of the Student Support Services team may administer:

    -The TOWRE (Test of Word Reading Efficiency), which assesses a student’s ability to read sight words efficiently, as well as their grasp of phonics and the efficient application of that knowledge. This is assessed through the number of words they read from a list of real and nonsense words in 45 seconds.

    -Another form of the SRI (Standardized Reading Inventory), Running Record or IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) to determine their “comfort” and “instructional” reading levels

    -All students who receive reading tutoring are assessed with these (or similar) measures in the fall, winter, and spring

    Literacy Tutoring

    -Based on the results, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions to support the student’s development. Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Letter/Sound work, using elements of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) program

    -Sequential, explicit phonics instruction through the Seeing Stars program

    -Practice with high frequency words

    -Practice reading decodable texts at their level.

    -If a student is ready to practice reading fluency, they may use strategies such as repeated reading and phrasing (or “scooping”).

    -Students who need support with comprehension may receive tutoring that includes the Visualizing and Verbalizing program or other targeted instruction in using specific comprehension strategies.

    -Trade books are matched to the student’s reading level to support the practice of independent reading

    -Support/extra time with classroom reading and assignments (preview/review)

    Math

    Fall, winter, spring

    All students in fourth and fifth grade are assessed using the Universal Screeners for Number Sense. Based on the results of that screener and/or classroom observations, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions or provide push-in math support within the larger group.

    Math Tutoring

    Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Preview and Review of math concepts being covered in the group

    -Targeted instruction based on areas of need noticed in the Universal Screener results

    -Fluency Practice

    -Number Talks

  • Our literature groups are typically small (6-8 students); this allows for individual scaffolding and differentiation within the group. If we wonder whether a student needs more support beyond their small literature group, a member of the Student Support Services team may administer:

    -The TOWRE (Test of Word Reading Efficiency), which assesses a student’s ability to read sight words efficiently, as well as their grasp of phonics and the efficient application of that knowledge. This is assessed through the number of words they read from a list of real and nonsense words in 45 seconds.

    -Another form of the SRI (Standardized Reading Inventory), Running Record or IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) to determine their “comfort” and “instructional” reading levels

    Literacy Tutoring

    Based on the results, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions to support the student’s development. Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Letter/Sound work, using elements of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) program

    -Sequential, explicit phonics instruction through the Seeing Stars program

    -Practice with high frequency words

    -Practice reading decodable texts at their level.

    -If a student is ready to practice reading fluency, they may use strategies such as repeated reading and phrasing (or “scooping”).

    -Students who need support with comprehension may receive tutoring that includes the Visualizing and Verbalizing program or other targeted instruction in using specific comprehension strategies.

    -Trade books are matched to the student’s reading level to support the practice of independent reading

    -Support/extra time with classroom reading and assignments (preview/review)

    Assessments for all reading tutees in sixth grade grade typically include: (Fall, spring)

    -The TOWRE (Test of Word Reading Efficiency), which assesses a student’s ability to read sight words efficiently, as well as their grasp of phonics and the efficient application of that knowledge. This is assessed through the number of words they read from a list of real and nonsense words in 45 seconds.

    -Another form of the SRI (Standardized Reading Inventory), Running Record or IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) to determine their “comfort” and “instructional” reading levels

    Math Tutoring

    Fall, Winter, Spring

    All students in sixth grade are assessed using the Universal Number Sense Screener.

    Based on the results of that screener and/or classroom observations, the Support Services staff may provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring sessions or provide push-in math support within the larger group.

    Tutoring sessions may include:

    -Preview and review of math concepts being covered in the group

    -Targeted instruction based on areas of need noticed in the Universal Number Sense Screener results

    -Fluency Practice

    -Number Talks

  • In the 7th and 8th grade, in-school tutoring focuses mainly on previewing and reviewing concepts from class, and assistance with assignment completion. Given the nature of the Uppers program, there are very limited times that students can be pulled from the classroom for additional support. If we find, based on the results of our screeners and/or classroom observations, that a student needs more specialized tutoring instruction, the Support Services staff may provide push-in math support within the larger group, or recommend the family hire an outside tutor. We work closely with outside tutors, communicating regularly to ensure that the student has a comprehensive program.

    Literacy Tutoring

    If we wonder whether a student needs more support beyond their small literature group, a member of the Student Support Services team may administer:

    -The TOWRE (Test of Word Reading Efficiency), which assesses a student’s ability to read sight words efficiently, as well as their grasp of phonics and the efficient application of that knowledge. This is assessed through the number of words they read from a list of real and nonsense words in 45 seconds.

    -The IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) to determine their “comfort” and “instructional” reading levels.

    The team will determine whether we are able to support the students’ needs in-house. If the student needs more support than we can provide, we will recommend outside tutoring.

    Math Tutoring

    Fall, Winter, Spring

    All students in 7th and 8th grade are assessed using the summative assessments related to units they have worked in as part of the Illustrative Math curriculum.

    The team will determine whether we are able to support the students’ needs in-house. When a student is unable to access the material and has significant needs outside the curriculum/grade level of their group, families may be asked to hire support for their child that occurs during the timing of their peers’ class. Student Support Staff can help facilitate this process and consult with the outside provider, but it is the responsibility of the family to hire the tutor.

    If we are able to serve the student in-house, tutoring sessions may include:

    -Preview and Review of math concepts and assignments being covered in the group

    -Targeted instruction based on areas of need noticed in the Universal Screener results

    -Fluency Practice

    -Number Talks

Further Assessment

Sometimes, if teachers feel that they need more information to better tailor their instruction to an individual student, they may meet with parents to discuss additional, outside evaluation. Evaluations may focus on a combination of areas depending on the student, including academic, occupational therapy, speech and language, and psychological. 

Psychological testing can explore a variety of areas, such as: cognitive profile (e.g., memory, processing speed, etc), ADHD, Autism, anxiety, and depression. These detailed evaluations, and the recommendations they offer, can provide valuable insights to teachers, parents, and students themselves. Knowing what helps a student learn best can help mitigate frustration and worry because the path ahead is often made clearer. 

We recognize that many of these outside evaluations, such as the WISC (a type of IQ test that generates a cognitive profile), are culturally biased, and that they have been overused in determining special education eligibility in America, particularly for Black students. Though about 70% of school psychologists in the Northeast report that they have received training in culturally fair assessment procedures (Aston and Brown 2020), there is still a long way to go. When seeking evaluation for a Black child, we recommend asking potential evaluators whether they have had training in culturally fair assessment procedures, what that training has looked like, how they mitigate bias, and whether they use, alternatives to the WISC, such as the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC), Differential Abilities Scales (DAS), or the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS). 

Additionally, we recognize that some of our own assessment tools have elements of bias in them, particularly reading passages. We select our passages carefully, putting aside those that we recognize as problematic. In some passages, we have changed some of the wording, replacing words or concepts. (We replace them with words at similar levels of decodability to maintain the reading level so that the test is still considered a valid measure of decoding ability.) 

We are committed to learning and applying anti-racist practices, and are happy to discuss and collaborate around any questions or concerns.