Student Services

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Student Services at St. Stephen School

The reading and math resource teachers work on specific skills development with individuals and small groups of students as designated by the classroom teacher.

Student services at St. Stephen School

Student Advocacy Team

A Student Advocacy Team is established within a Catholic School to serve as a resource for the classroom teacher, and as a liason to the local educational agency. The focus of the team will be the identification of students with learning difficulties. These needs may include the following:

  • students with specific learning disabilities
  • children with learning gaps due to a change in curriculum or time missed from school
  • gifted students who are not being challenged
  • children with physiological problems that impact their learning

A Student Advocacy Team will offer the classroom teacher strategies and interventions to enhance the learning process.The goal is to establish a collaborative team that will support the success of the students while following the mission of the school.  A Student Advocacy Team may be comprised of the following Catholic School personnel: school principal (Or principal designee), special education teacher, resource teacher, classroom teachers, guidance counselor, social worker, school nurse and any other appropriate professionals. The selection of the team members is always at the discretion of the principal.There are times when classroom teachers must seek the support of their colleagues. Recognizing that a student is struggling with academic performance is the first step towards intervention. The Student Advocacy Team can help address the needs of the student. The team can evaluate work samples, learning styles, classroom environment, assessments, and the impact of specific difficulties on learning. Exploring alternate strategies and interventions will be the focus of the team. The team may assist the principal in supporting parents by offering and discussing any interventions and plans. The Student Advocacy Team may also aid in the evaluation of alternative placements of students when appropriate.

What is the Student Advocacy Team?

The Student Advocacy Team is a group of educators and administrators that meet to discuss students who seem to be having academic difficulty in school. The child’s teacher presents the concerns to the team and a course of action is determined. This course of action is then discussed with the parent. It is one more way that home and school work together in the best interest of the students.

How does a student get preferred to the team?

Students are referred to the team by their teacher. By the time a child is referred, the teacher has communicated with the parents of the child, and tried a variety of intervention strategies in the classroom. Sometimes, the referral comes after a parent brings concerns to a teacher’s attention or shares educational testing with the teacher.

What steps should I take if I have academic concerns about my child?

Anytime you have a concern about your child, you should share that concern with the child’s teacher. If the child is having difficulty in a specific subject, contact the subject teacher. If the problem seems more general, contact the homeroom teacher.

What about confidentiality?

This process is completely confidential. The feedback from the committee is only shared with staff members that have a need to know. Parents are always included in this communication.

Ready to Explore St. Stephen School?

Located in Kingsville, Maryland St. Stephen School is a private Catholic School for students in PreK-3 through 8th Grade. To learn more about our school community and the admissions process we encourage you to contact our Admissions team today.

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