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Academics
Signature Programs
Academic Skills Program
The Academic Skills Program helps students develop the organization, time management, self-advocacy, and study strategies necessary to become more independent and successful in high school, college, and beyond,
What is the Academic Skills Group?
The Academic Skills Program is a half-credit, graded course available to freshmen through juniors. There is an additional fee for this program. Academic Skills Program classes are scheduled during the school day, which provides students with a time efficient alternative to outside academic coaching. In addition, this scheduling enables students to better manage their academic responsibilities and extracurricular commitments. Because the program is embedded in the school, communication between the Learning Specialist and the students’ course teachers and school counselors is a natural and inherent benefit
How Does The Academic Skills Program Work?
In addition to their regular classes, students in the Academic Skills Program meet with their Learning Specialist every other day (three times per cycle) in small groups of five or less students to improve their strategies and skills. Using the La Salle Program’s unique model with 30-plus years of demonstrated success, the Academic Skills Program emphasizes skill-based instruction rather than traditional content tutoring. While course content and texts are incorporated to teach these skills, the program is not designed to be a homework or content tutoring service.
Strategies & Skills Learned in the Program Include:
- Exploring/implementing various organizational systems
- Time management strategies (e.g. the Eisenhower Box)
- Learning/applying active reading strategies (e.g. SQ4R)
- Acquiring/utilizing study strategies such as:
- Multi-color highlighting in notes or textbooks
- Utilizing the Cornell Notetaking Method
- Creating study guides
- “Backplanning” to prepare for upcoming tests, papers or projects
- Performance analysis and goal setting
- Developing effective self-advocacy techniques
