Learning Support Services

There are limited Learning Support Services offered at the American School of Paris for students diagnosed with mild learning needs and who are able to succeed in a mainstream classroom in the context of a college preparatory program.

Individual Learning Support is offered to eligible students who have undergone psychometric testing revealing specific learning differences. The goal of the Learning Support program is to maximize each child's potential by developing learning strategies and compensatory skills enabling the student to be successful within ASP's challenging academic program. Students in the Learning Support Program pay an additional fee for services. 

What are learning challenges?

Learning challenges refer to specific impairments impacting information acquisition, processing, comprehension, organization, recall or use. They can affect expressive language (oral, written), reading, and mathematical skills (and hence academics) as well as social interactions. 

The Individual Learning Support Program

ASP offers individual-based support to the students with diagnosed learning differences. 

Philosophy

The ASP philosophy that students “embark on a journey of self-discovery that uncovers and develops their unique talents” is mirrored in the support program. Students learn to identify their unique learning styles and embark on the path to becoming successful learners. The Individual Learning Support program aims at addressing the needs of its learners by way of a collaborative effort between parents, teachers, specialist teachers and students in order to enhance aptitudes.

Goals

Our Learning Specialist provides the necessary framework for students, seeking to identify their individual needs, offer them support and accompany them towards exiting the program when suitable.

The Individual Learning Support Program thus aims to optimize the student’s potential, be it by maximizing learning environments or developing efficient strategies facilitating the student’s learning processes and autonomy. The focus is placed on the student’s individual academic needs but also on his/her responsibility as a learner.

Program description and protocol

A typical program would include the implementation of Individual Growth Plan based on the student’s psycho-educational evaluation and twice weekly support in the Specialist’s office. Retesting is required every three years, enabling the Learning Specialist to devise and implement an appropriate individual support program.

Examples of the type of support students can benefit from are: active strategies for time-management, note taking, review, basic mathematical skills practice, remediation in the areas of reading and writing, self-advocacy skills, etcetera.

The revision of the student’s file takes place annually for eligibility purposes.

In the case where a student has not undergone a psychometric testing but the school suspects that there may be a learning difference, ASP can require such an evaluation for admission or re-enrollment. The Learning Specialist will assist families with referrals for testing.

A student who presents mild learning issues influencing his/her academic performance may be referred to testing by parents, teachers, counselors or learning specialist. The psycho-educational evaluation is carried out by an external educational psychologist, in the form of an intellectual ability assessment and achievement tests.

Once the learning challenge diagnosis is determined, the student is eligible for the American School of Paris’ accommodations and/or the Individual Learning Support program, depending upon whether ASP can provide the services corresponding to the student’s needs.

Accommodations

Students who are diagnosed with a mild learning disability can be offered various types of accommodations at ASP. Specific accommodations include breaks, extended time on tests/examinations and quizzes (up to 50 % additional time), testing in the Learning resource room as well as laptop use within the classroom.

In order to qualify for these accommodations all learning differences need to be documented and certified by a licensed psychologist or learning specialist. All students are however expected to succeed within a mainstream classroom, without modifications.

If additional assistance is needed, families can be oriented to external therapists (Speech pathologist, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Physiotherapists and specialists (Special education teachers) for support.