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Need assistance in getting your child into High Road Academy? See our FAQ's for support.

 

“Building Confidence and Competence Through Personalized Academic Interventions”

Located in Howard County (Laurel, MD), High Road Academy is in its twelfth year of operation. High Road Academy began as a tiny program of two students in 1998 and has grown to ninety students in grades four through twelve at the present time. Given its location, students come not only from Howard County, but Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Calvert and the District of Columbia as well.

High Road Academy specializes in individualized, remedial programs for students primarily with learning disabilities. Staff is trained in a variety of methodologies designed for students with severe reading disabilities such as Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS), Phono-Graphix, LANGUAGE! and others. In addition to specialized strategies, High Road Academy also remains committed to the integration of computer technology in all aspects of the program. As a result, High Road Academy maintains a large repertoire of software programs dedicated to all aspects of the remedial program. As a result of the high degree of improvement in auditory processing skills among certain students who have utilized the FastForWord programs, High Road Academy has made a significant investment in the FastForWord/Gateway family of products (for a more detailed description of the FastForWord programs and products, follow this link).

While the majority of students attending High Road Academy require intensive reading and language arts remediation, there are also a significant number of students with a varying range of LD profiles.  High Road Academy also serves students with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and Aspergers.  Other students are coded with multiple disabilities.  Since many students with learning disabilities also have co-existing disabilities (i.e. Other Health Impaired, Speech & Language Impaired), the program includes a strong emphasis on executive function and language processing skills.

Each student accepted into the program undergoes an intensive evaluation to determine present levels of performance upon entrance. A careful analysis of sight word recognition, word attack skills, comprehension, fluency, written expression, and math is conducted on each student in order to build a remedial plan. Methodologies and strategies are selected based on the student profile. Ongoing evaluation and monitoring of achievement ensures that adjustments in programming are made as often as needed based on student performance.

The main focus at High Road Academy is on perseverance and dedication to a return to a less restrictive setting. Dr. Ellen Gaske, Executive Director, is committed to the mission of remediation and return of students to home schools. High Road Academy has maintained an average yearly return rate of approximately 30% of its total school population each year! Follow-up data indicates that students have continued to achieve and meet the challenges of their new schools.

Staff at High Road Academy are committed to educating the wider community in issues related to learning disabilities. The staff actively present seminars and trainings at annual conferences, parent meetings, and for other organizations. The trainings are related to the following topics: Study Skills and Organizational Strategies, Reading Methodologies, Counseling Students with Learning Disabilities, and Strategies for Written Expression.

High Road Academy is under the direction of Dr. Ellen Gaske (Executive Director) and Mr. Matt Cooper (Associate Director).

 

Need assistance in getting your child into High Road Academy? See our FAQ's for support.

 

Maryland High School Graduation Requirements for High Road Students

Click here to view the Maryland High School graduation requirements for all High Road Academy students. To download a copy of this file, click here and choose "Save As."

Students must also take and/or pass (depending upon the student's age) High School Assessments. The following is key information regarding the four High School Assessments currently mandated by the state of Maryland:

High School Assessment - Algebra/Data Analysis - Info. for Parents
High School Assessment - Biology - Info. for Parents
High School Assessment - English - Info. for Parents
High School Assessment - Government - Info. for Parents

 

Contact Information for Prospective Parents

If you would like additional information from a parent's perspective, feel free to contact some of the parents of High Road students. Click here to view a list of parents sorted by county.

 

Letters From Parents

 

 

Letters From Students

 

 

 

 

HIGH ROAD ACADEMY

Phone: (301) 483-8605 | Fax: (301) 483-3182 | Email: cooperhra@yahoo.com

Webmaster: perwolden@yahoo.com