Student Support
Rocio Mendoza Fox
Director of Student Support Services
Colegio Roosevelt recognizes that all learners have their own unique path to success and build upon each learning experience. We offer a variety of collaborative and multi-tiered support services designed to empower every student to reach their full potential.
English as an Additional Language
Our Philosophy
The English as an Additional Language (EAL) support services are based on the philosophy that English Language learners (ELLs) learn an additional language best when they are integrated into their classroom with support and collaboration with an EAL teacher. Students who are new to English may receive support out of the classroom in order to build foundational social and academic language skills in English.
ELLs face the dual challenge of learning an additional language while also learning new information in that language. Our goal is to provide the differentiated instruction and support necessary for ELLs to be successful at FDR. In this regard, our services are student-centered and flexible so as to respond to each student’s needs. We strive to provide a nurturing, quality learning environment where ELLs feel respected, valued, and understood.
We believe that continued home language development is essential to developing proficiency in English. In conjunction with parents, we encourage home language(s) growth development as ELLs make use of their home language to develop proficiency in English. Language needs may stem from language proficiency level and/or from other areas of need such as learning or socio-emotional. The Student Support teams work collaboratively with teachers to identify needs and supports.
EAL Team Purpose
The purpose of the EAL team is to advocate for multilinguals at FDR.
- Ensure that all students, regardless of their home language or level of language proficiency, have equal access to curriculum
- Explicitly support English language development through intentional practices
- Model school-wide leadership in promoting an asset-based philosophy that celebrates multilingualism.
Stanford's Six Principles
The EAL department has adopted Stanford's Six Key Principles for ELL Instruction to guide our support for English language learners. Learn more here: Stanford's Six Key Principles for ELL Instruction.
Learning Support
The Learning Support department’s mission is to empower all students to develop self-efficacy, independence and to reach their full potential while nurturing their strengths through an inclusive culture that honors and celebrates diversity. Always with the aim of providing appropriate educational services required for the benefit of the student, Learning Support services are provided in English, the language of instruction in the different areas in the curriculum, and in the least restrictive environment for students in grades EC through 12th.
Learning Support teachers work collaboratively within each division's Student Support Process to support students as needed. Part of these tiered supports might include providing academic interventions in EC/ES or supporting team interventions in Middle School or High School.
Students who have diagnosed mild to moderate needs, such as Specific Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or other conditions that impact learning may be eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Monitoring Plan. The need for an IEP or a Monitoring Plan is determined by the divisional Student Support Team (SST) through a multidisciplinary and holistic review of the student's current levels of performance and identified needs. As part of this review, parents support with further assessments outside school as appropriate and relevant as per the SST's recommendation.
Students who are eligible for support through an IEP or a Monitoring Plan may access accommodations to remove educational barriers in order to meet curriculum objectives. Accommodations are implemented in ways of presenting information or the ways student responds, in the setting, and in the scheduling of tasks and assessments (e.g. extended time on assessments).
Support services for students who have an IEP include, but are not limited to, consultation with teachers, direct support through different models of co-teaching, and direct support in small group sessions. Services are provided to support students learning attending to students’ strengths while helping them with skills and strategies in order to meet academic demands independently. This goal is achieved through a partnership between the student, home, and school.
In order to protect the Learning Support teacher-student ratio and to ensure the provision of efficient services, there is a limited number of spaces for students. In addition, as indicated in the School Board Policy on Learning Support, Colegio Roosevelt is able to serve only those students who, with reasonable adjustments, are able to function successfully in the regular program with Learning Support services within the delimiter of the availability of resources needed for effective implementation.