Academic and Learning Support

Services and/or programs available to Lower School students and families to support them in addressing academic challenges and meeting each boy where he is as a learner may include:

• Admissions testing (supporting the transition of new students with learning).
• Referrals for in-house or external psychoeducational evaluations.
• Reading psychoeducational evaluations and interpreting results to parents and teachers.
• The development and ongoing monitoring of official accommodation plans based on psychoeducational evaluation results.
• Allocation of a dedicated student support team and regular meetings with parents/families and teachers regarding learning and academic concerns and progress.
• Oversee internal and/or external support services and tutoring for Lower School Gilman boys.
• Executive functioning skill support.
• Conduct academic and behavioral observations on students.
• Pull-out or push-in support for students K-5 on an as-needed basis.
• Supply Lower School teachers with research-based strategies, tools, accommodations, and professional development to help best serve their students.

Services, programs, and/or courses available to Middle School students and families to support them in addressing academic challenges and meeting each boy where he is as a learner may include:

• Referrals for in-house or external psychoeducational evaluations.
• Reading psychoeducational evaluations and interpreting results to parents and teachers.
• The development and ongoing monitoring of official accommodation plans based on psychoeducational evaluation results.
• Allocation of a dedicated student support team and regular meetings with parents/families and teachers regarding learning and academic concerns and progress.
• Work with advisors to facilitate organizational and homework support and monitoring.
• Conduct academic and behavioral observations as needed.
• Work one-on-one with students to support executive functioning, reading comprehension, writing, and study skills development as recommended in their psychoeducational evaluations.
• Supply teachers with research-based strategies, tools, and accommodations to help their students.
• Monitor extended time/alternate test environment for students.
• Access to 8th Grade Academic Seminar and/or Study Skills Class (one language students).
• Provide short-term support for students with weaknesses in study skills in groups or one-on-one.

Services, programs, and/or courses available to Upper School students and families to support them in addressing academic challenges and meeting each boy where he is as a learner may include:

• Referrals for in-house or external psychoeducational evaluations.
• Reading psychoeducational evaluations and interpreting results to parents and teachers.
• The development and ongoing monitoring of official accommodation plans based on psychoeducational evaluation results.
• Allocation of a dedicated student support team and regular meetings with parents/families and teachers regarding learning and academic concerns and progress.
  • In the Upper School, this team may include or be led by a tri-school coordinator who can assist Upper School students with their academic challenges at Gilman as well as at The Bryn Mawr School and/or Roland Park Country School as part of our Tri-School Coordinate Program.
• Regular parent/family conferences.
• Regular teacher/advisor meetings.
• Regular folder reviews.
• Assistance for students, parents/families, and teachers with the Middle-to-Upper School transition. This may include articulated placement for all eighth graders the spring before ninth grade, for students matriculating from Gilman Middle School, and for students new to Gilman.
• The Summer Transition Program: Offering academic support programs in multiple subjects.
• The Upper School Learning Center (USLC): A dedicated space where students who learn differently receive tailored, appropriate individual and/or small group academic and motivational support to become expert learners.
• Focus on Five Academic Lab (AC LAB) for Ninth and Tenth Graders: Mandatory small group and individualized support designed to teach students how to build academic success through executive skills coaching, self-advocacy development, and management of an academically rigorous curriculum while balancing a broad spectrum of clubs and extracurricular activities.
• Study Hall: Daily 70-minute end-of-day study period for ninth and tenth graders provides students time to work with their advisors, meet with faculty, complete homework assignments, or work in small groups.
• Student referral to the Math Lab, Science Help Center, and/or Tickner Writing Center, if needed, where 1:1 assistance can be had.
• Use of a 1:5 ratio for small group instruction, using a collaborative and supportive approach. A small group may include teachers, advisors, students, and academic coaches/tutors.
• Interfacing with The College Board (AP and SAT exams) or ACT, Inc. to obtain appropriate examination accommodations (e.g., an SSD coordinator)
• Collaboration with the Office of College Counseling.
• Assistance in the transition to college and acquiring college-level accommodations.

Gilman follows the documentation guidelines consistent with those posted on The College Board website. However, we reserve the right to use the following criteria to determine the need for testing accommodations:

• A diagnosis, in and of itself, does not necessitate testing accommodations without evidence that the disabling condition leads to functional impairment to the student's ability to learn and/or achieve.
• While educational testing may indicate variability in cognitive and/or academic profile, the documentation, when taken as a whole, must show a functional limitation to the student's ability to learn and/or achieve.
• The documentation must show a history of consistent academic difficulties, a need for special services, accommodations, or a formal plan resulting from the disability, which would support the need for testing accommodations.

Accommodations may not fundamentally alter essential components of a course or curriculum, nor are they for the sole purpose of increasing a student's performance on standardized testing.