|
|
Educational Principles
High academic standards
Our program is designed for bright, college-bound students with average to above-average intellectual abilities. Siena will maintain high academic standards and learning expectations for all students in all subject areas. The school will follow the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum. This curriculum defines what students should know and be able to do at each grade in four content areas: reading/English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Personal attention to each student
The Siena School will provide high levels of personal attention to each student. The school will maintain small class sizes, with an average size of no more than 10:1. For critical subjects, such as reading, small group instruction will be employed. The overall size of the school will be kept small to build a strong sense of community and to ensure close and caring relationships among all students and staff.
Individualized instruction
Each student at The Siena School will have an individual learning plan - the Student Compass - that specifies key learning goals and strategies. The Student Compass will be designed by the staff, in consultation with parents, and will be regularly reviewed and modified as necessary. Each week, the school faculty will meet to discuss and actively manage individual student progress.
Research-based curriculum
Siena will employ the very best research-based curriculum and instructional methodologies. Our curriculum content will be carefully aligned to the learning standards outlined in the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum. Where necessary, appropriate modifications and adaptations will be made to ensure all students can access academic material at high levels.
Multisensory instruction
Research has shown that multisensory structured language programs are highly effective for students with language-based learning differences. The school will employ proven approaches, such as Orton-Gillingham, which provide structured, sequential, multisensory techniques that address our students' unique learning needs. We will make extensive use of assistive technologies that further enhance multisensory learning.
|
|
"Best practice" teaching
Siena's teaching staff is composed of outstanding educators who are experienced with language-based learning needs. They are highly motivated and caring professionals. We seek to implement "best practice" teaching methods including instructional accommodations and curriculum adaptations. All teachers receive extensive training in subject content and instructional methods that allow students to fully access rich and challenging academic material.
Curriculum-based assessment
At Siena, we will utilize ongoing and built-in learning assessments to continually monitor student progress and performance. Assessment data will be used to individualize instruction based on each student's particular learning needs. In this manner, the school will have continuous feedback on individual student performance but will not lose critical learning time to assessment.
Integration with related services
The school will work closely with external professionals providing related services, such as speech and language therapy, OT/PT, and counseling. Siena will be prepared to make referrals for any students requiring related services.
Rich and stimulating environment
At Siena, we believe that a robust academic environment, including art, music, drama, extra-curricular activities and a wide range of experiential learning activities is important to the personal growth and development of our students. We seek to foster creativity and imagination in our students. Despite our small size, we seek to flexibly include a wide range of academic content and activities that will provide a full and rich experience for each student. Our location in the Washington, D.C. area allows students to explore first-hand the wealth of cultural, artistic and historical institutions nearby.
Character development and community service
We believe that in addition to academic development, students must learn to become active members of the community. The Siena School will stress sound character development through daily classroom interactions, group projects, social skills instruction and regular participation in community service activities. At the high school level, students will be required to participate in student internships and other career development activities.
|
|
|
