Learning Support
Our Philosophy
ASOY believes that students must be challenged at a level of rigor appropriate for each individual in the least restrictive environment. To attain this goal, ASOY utilizes a whole-school approach. The Learning Support Team collaborates with classroom and subject teachers, specialist teachers, teaching assistants, parents, and administrators so that every student is provided with the best education possible. We believe every student can achieve his or her greatest potential with the proper accommodations and instructional strategies.
Admissions
Students with learning difficulties will be considered for admission on an individual basis. The director, in collaboration with the Student Support Team (SST), maintains discretionary authority for the admission of students with learning and/or other difficulties, based on the extent to which the school program can meet student needs within available resources. Parents are responsible for arranging an evaluation and for submitting all assessment results, evaluation reports, and previous school records before admission is considered. All reports must be translated into English prior to submission for consideration as part of the student’s record.
ASOY is able to support students with mild learning difficulties or disabilities. The LS department works with teachers to develop and implement appropriate accommodations. We do not modify curriculum for Upper School students. Based on our current staffing, we note that we are unable to support students who need or have historically needed more than 225 minutes per week of intervention services.
It is important to note that there are limited to no English-based external support services available in Yaoundé. Some of our families develop clinical relationships with specialists who are willing to work with students at distance. In our experience, with few exceptions, families need to travel outside the country to perform and update psycho-educational evaluations.
What does Learning Support look like?
The LS Department supports all students, with a particular focus on students whose needs are not met within the general curriculum, such as students exhibiting difficulty meeting grade level curricular expectations, or high achieving students who are in need of enrichment. Academic interventions may be short or long-term, depending on a student’s circumstances and assessment outcomes.
Depending on S need, LS services can be delivered
- within the classroom,
- in a small group or
- one-on-one session.
The LS department also works to train teachers in inclusive practices and differentiation within the classroom.
Because research shows that learning is best in community, one-on-one sessions are reserved for students with a very specific need outlined by a psycho-educational assessment. These individualized sessions can be 20-45 min, 1-5 days per week, depending on needs.
Contact the Learning Support department at [email protected].