OUR MISSION
To prepare
students with language-based learning
disabilities for higher education by
providing a world-class school which
embeds literacy remediation and technology
into all aspects of the curriculum.
OUR VISION
- Every teacher is a
teacher of reading and writing
- High academic
standards supported through authentic
exhibitions of learning
- An academic advisor
for every student, who also serves as
the students advocate and case manager
- Instructional,
assistive, and collaborative
technology is embedded throughout the
school culture
- A devotion to
strengthening the psychosocial and
emotional health of every student
- Senior year
internship which is part of a senior
portfolio
- All parents are
true partners in their children’s
education and their voices are part of
our collective conversation
- All staff
development anchored in empirical
evidence and consistent with best
practices and educational research for
students with language-based learning
disabilities
- Development of the
Learning and Technology Institute at
Chelsea School which will focus on
staff-development, outreach education,
and researc
LITERACY
The mission
of the Chelsea School Literacy Program is
accomplished through our four principles:
Profile, Plan, Program, and
Performance. Each student’s profile
is reviewed and a specific plan
for that student’s literacy development is
made. Students are placed into one
level of our three-tiered reading tutorial
program. The three tiers
focus on varying aspects of decoding,
encoding, reading fluency, and reading
comprehension, and are highlighted further
below. All teaching is
research-based and guided by best
practice. Performance is
continuously monitored and assessed in
order to guide continued
instruction.
In addition
to remediation, student access to
assistive technology is a key element in
the Chelsea School program model,
particularly as it applies to students
accessing age-appropriate reading material
across all content areas. Students
use Kurzweil 3000, WordQ/SpeakQ,
Inspiration, and Soliloquy Reading
Assistant as ways to accommodate their
disabilities and help their learning.
Click here
for Chelsea School Literacy Program
Summer
Reading
Chelsea also institutes a summer reading
program for all students. Please click here
for more information.
SOCIAL SKILLS
Groups
address self-awareness and self-esteem,
improving critical thinking skills and
facilitating the importance of interacting
with others in a positive and respectful
manner.
Sessions
work on enhancement of social skills as an
aspect of a student’s personal growth.
All middle
school students participate in social
skills groups which culminate in exciting
outdoor education activities such as
camping, caving, traversing obstacle
courses, etc.
Please click
on a thumbnail below to see a larger photo
of some of our social skills groups in
action!
STUDY SKILLS
Study and
organizational skills are emphasized
throughout the Chelsea School curriculum.
Middle and upper Division students receive
on-going reinforcement in a structured
classroom setting that employs
organizational and study skills training
through core curriculum classes,
tutorials, and advisory.
ADVISORY
Purpose:
- To provide students with academic,
organizational, and social support, in
order to facilitate success throughout
the course of the day
- To establish and maintain a positive
relationship between Chelsea School
and students’ homes concerning each
student’s academic and social growth
The Chelsea
School day begins with a 15-minute
advisory period. Each student is
assigned an advisor who may remain with
the student for multiple years. The
advisor is the student’s most important
contact person in school. The
advisor assists the student in planning
and modifying the schedule of classes and
with individual, school-related
problems. The advisor also helps
facilitate the student’s learning in areas
of study skills, literacy, and
self-awareness of learning profile.
Another key role of the advisor is to
maintain regular contact with parents in
order to report on school progress and
update school news.
ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY
At Chelsea
School we believe that along with embedded
literacy skills throughout the curriculum,
specialized and advanced technological
literacy must be fostered in our students.
Technology
at a glance: Dennis (Class of 2009)
Dennis,
who reads at a fourth grade level, has
been assigned to read a chapter in the
novel Animal Farm. He has to
read the chapter and answer a critical
thinking question by writing a
paragraph. To accomplish this, he will
be using two embedded software systems:
Kurzweil™ and Inspiration™. Kurzweil™
reads text that has been scanned into a
computer and then allows the student to
manipulate that text, with full audio
playback, and compose text with the same
audio capabilities. Inspiration™ is
software that creates visual organizers.
Dennis
uses some time in advisory that day to
scan the chapter into the computer. He
can now read along with the chapter
while listening to it or he can create
an mp3 audio file of the chapter to take
home. Dennis reads the chapter in
Kurzweil™ by adjusting the reading rate
and the tracking bar that keeps his
place on the line. He can look up new
words using the audio dictionary or
break words down into color-coded
syllables right on screen. Once Dennis
has read through the chapter he takes a
look at the critical thinking question.
He types the question into a new
word-processing file inKurzweil™ so that
he’s sure he understands what it’s
asking. He knows that before he begins
this paragraph, he’d better get
organized. He opens Inspiration™ and
chooses a web as his graphic organizer
template which he uses to fill in his
main idea and details. He then prints
out a copy of this full-color visual
model to use a reference.
Finally,
Dennis is ready to type up his
paragraph. He goes back to Kurzweil™ to
usethe word-processing features so he
can listen to what he types. With his
graphic organizer in hand, he types and
listens to his paragraph. He can hear
immediately when something doesn’t sound
right, be it an error in grammar or
spelling. He uses the spelling and
dictionary tools, as well as a word
prediction feature to help him get his
thoughts on paper. When he’s satisfied
with the edited final result, Dennis
prints out a copy of his paragraph to
hand in to his teacher.
