Academic Support

Reading Support is offered to any child who is identified by their teacher and through the results of the Star testing. Children who receive reading support meet either individually or in small groups 2-3 times per week. The focus on reading support in the elementary grades is on a systematic approach to teaching reading skills. At St. Ann's, reading support uses the Reading Assist program of instruction. This program is research based, systemic and multi-sensory. Students are taught skills for reading, writing, and spelling.

Students in K- 4 who receive reading support will experience a unique combination of programs. The Reading Assist program is a highly regarded, systemic phonics based program. Reading Assist, is used in conjunction with a fluency and comprehension program, "Flow". This pairing of programs has shown to produce results in improvement with reading confidence and classroom performance. Students identified with decoding issues experience the Really Great Reading "Word" program which focuses on strong decoding instruction.

As students progress through grades, the focus of reading support shifts to academic support in reading heavy subjects. Students meet for pre-reading and re-reading Science/Social Studies, to prepare them for instruction in the classroom and to reinforce learning. 

Accelerated Reader is a computer based program used by our teachers to monitor, manage, and promote independent reading practice. Students are encouraged to choose a book on their own, within a their designated reading level. Reading levels are determined through the results of our Star testing. Students can take comprehension and vocabulary quizzes on their books. Feed back is immediate. Individual  reading goals are set for every student at school. Students are motivated to read by reaching their personal goals and gathering "points" for books finished and quizzes passed. We have found that the students who are engaged in this reading program show more steady improvement on their Star testing. 

St. Ann School added the concept of a MathLab to expand the time that the middle school students are exposed to Math on a weekly basis. Through this engaging class, students learn to develop an appreciation for math while continuing to review previously learned concepts, and exploring new math ideas.  

The Advanced Math track at St. Ann School begins in 5th grade with an acceleration of the pace at  which the grade level curriculum is taught. Extra work is often assigned, and self motivation and discipline is expected from the students in this track. Successful completion of this enhanced, accelerated curriculum puts the students on track to complete Algebra 1 in 8th grade by skipping a grade-level book where appropriate in the ensuing years in this track.

Not all students are ready for this more challenging class assignment at the same time, which is why all students have a chance to move into the Advanced track during any year up to and including 8th grade. Readiness is usually determined through, but is not limited to, performance in Standardized tests, grades in the previous school year, and teacher recommendations

Math support is offered to any child who is identified by their teacher and STAR testing .  Children who receive math support meet either individually or in small groups 2-4 times per week. The program we will be using is Bridges Math Intervention which enables students to work with models.  Students begin with manipulatives then progress to two-dimensional representations and then finally mental images.  Bridges Intervention provides targeted instruction and assessment for essential K–5 mathematics skills within a tiered system of support. It is intended to complement regular math instruction.

The program itself works with students' strengths to foster a sense of confidence in their math abilities in order to develop strategies with concepts they have not yet mastered.  Through this process, students who may have anxieties  about math are provided with the tools they need to be successful.  The instructional focus for young students  is to  build a strong math fluency foundation that will position them for success in later years.