Learning Services

Hello students, parents, and interested others! Welcome to University High School’s Learning Services page!

Our mission is based on the pillar and principle that “We are a school where adults believe in the promise of every student, and together we work to build and sustain a community of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents.” We recognize and value diversity in all forms, including neurodiversity. The Learning Services program encompasses two goals connected to our mission:

To provide equitable access to our academic program for students with documented learning differences, and
To develop metacognitive learners who understand their own learning process and use their strengths to address academic challenges

As the director of learning services, I oversee this process and work with all students who have concerns about their learning and/or study skills by providing support with organization, workload management, study strategies, note-taking, and self-advocacy. Additionally, I work closely with students who have diagnosed learning differences such as ADHD/ADD and dyslexia, or other difficulties that affect their learning. In an effort to ensure that our faculty is responsive to the needs of a neurodiverse student body, I also serve as a resource to parents and faculty in understanding various learning profiles. I work in close collaboration with the Dean of Teaching and Learning, school counselor, and student mentors. We approach student support by understanding the whole child, recognizing how social-emotional health and identity development impact learning.

Students can schedule a meeting with me via email or come by my office (Room M-310 in the Library).

De Shan Lett

Director of Learning Services, Director, Center for Metacognition & Neurodiversity

Accommodations

Academic accommodations are available to students with diagnosed learning disorders or other disabilities. While we do our best to provide appropriate support to all students, the nature and extent of available accommodations cannot be guaranteed and is ultimately determined by the director of learning services in conjunction with the academic dean. Documentation of the learning difficulty (as defined below) will be reviewed by the director of learning services in order to determine the best plan of support for each student.

Process for requesting accommodations

Parent or guardian submits documentation that meets the school’s requirements to the director of learning services (see below).

The director of learning services, in conjunction with the academic dean, reviews the documentation and makes determinations about the student’s eligibility for accommodations. It is the educational institution (or standardized testing agency) that ultimately determines whether or not a student is eligible for accommodations. The examiner who writes the report can make recommendations, but does not determine eligibility.

The parents or guardians and student attend a meeting with the director of learning services to discuss the results of the review process and any further steps that may be required.

Deadlines for Submission of Documentation

A careful review of disability documentation is a time-consuming process. To request accommodations for the start of the fall semester, please submit documentation to the director of learning services by the beginning of May. If requesting new or revised accommodations for the current school year, please allow four weeks from the date of submission to the implementation of the accommodations, if the student is eligible for any accommodations.

Outside agencies such as the College Board have their own review process and require up to seven weeks, after receiving complete documentation, to make a decision about accommodations for standardized exams. Please contact the director of learning services or the agencies themselves for more details about those specific deadlines.

Accommodations Plan and Ongoing Student Support

The student, director of learning services, academic dean, and teachers all work together to design and implement an appropriate plan for classroom accommodation. The motivation underlying this process is to encourage responsibility and self-advocacy within each student. In addition, the uniqueness of each student’s cognitive profile, of his schedule, and of each course requires individual attention and discussion.

In consultation with the family and with the student, the director of learning services prepares a summary of the student’s psycho-educational assessment report, including the student’s strengths and challenges as well as suggested strategies for learning. The director of learning services shares this summary with the student’s teachers and then serves as a resource for the teachers and the student in the teaching and learning processes.

Guidelines for Documentation

These guidelines have been adapted slightly from the College Board website: Guidelines: Basic Requirements for Disability Documentation.

State the specific disability, as diagnosed (diagnosis should be made by a person with appropriate professional credentials; should be specific; and, when appropriate, should relate the disability to the applicable professional standards. For example, DSM-V).

Be current (the director of learning services will determine whether a student's evaluation and diagnostic testing is up-to-date).

Provide relevant educational, developmental, and medical history.

Describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis. Include test results with subtest scores (standard or scaled scores) for all tests.

Describe the functional limitations (for example, the limitations to learning impacted due to the diagnosed disability).

Describe the specific accommodations being requested and explain why they are warranted.

Establish the professional credentials of the evaluator (for example, licensure; certification; area of specialization).