Adam Bayliff: "Leading by Example" by Loren Granberry (Student Editor) - July 2006

Adam Bayliff attended High Road Academy in September 2000, as a sixth grader from Anne Arundel County Pubic Schools. Adam’s learning disability was diagnosed as a severe leaning disability. This meant Adam had weaknesses in language, memory, and visual organization. In the classroom, he was not a competent enough reader to learn from textbooks or other grade–appropriate reading materials.
This learning disability caused enormous frustration for Adam when working in the classroom with teachers, peers and even independently. As a result, his social and emotional frustration had an enormous impact on Adam’s academic performance.

Adam’s education at High Road Academy consisted of highly specialized and highly individualized multi–sensory instruction in all academic areas. His teachers focused on gaining Adam’s attention before delivering instruction and directions. This was supported by visual supports, which assisted Adam with auditory processing. The use of “hands on” activities during in class presentations provided manipulatives which helped him with organizational challenges. Strategies utilized in speech therapy focused on using questions to prime information with flash cards. Identifying the main idea and details focused on improving word retrieval and expressive language.

Occupational therapy focused on visual motor skills and word processing skills to enhance academic performance in the classroom. Adam was very diligent when writing or reproducing symbols and letter patterns or typing text. Counseling targeted Adam’s social skills, self-esteem and communication. This gave him the confidence to make personal changes and accept risks that accompanied it.

As Adam progressed, it was evident that the educational strategies used by Adam and his teachers stabilized the way he received and processed information. These learned strategies allowed him to gain confidence in the classroom, which reduced his frustration and anxiety. Adam’s self-esteem improved his ability to accept his accomplishments. This allowed him to learn and share information about new activities he had learned.

Adam’s eighth grade teacher, Mr. Goisovich says Adam is very responsible and motivated when it comes to his education. His academic growth is the result of his hard work and staying on task. Adam is very helpful and generous with everyone in the classroom. His maturity proves that with hard work, he can achieve anything.

Adam has strived to overcome many obstacles during his time at High Road Academy. His current academic performance at or above grade level has enabled him to transition to Annapolis High School for the ninth grade. All of us at High Road Academy would like to express how proud we are of Adam and his accomplishments. Adam is truly a spotlight worth taking note of.

Margaret Huston: "Demonstrating Perseverance" by F. Hale & L. Granberry (Student Editors) - April 2006

Margaret Huston first attended High Road Academy in March 2004. As a sixth grader from Howard County Public Schools, Margaret’s learning disability was diagnosed as a significant learning disability that impacted all academic areas. Margaret had weaknesses in phonemic awareness, phonological memory, and rapid naming. which contributed to deficits in reading, writing, and spelling. Weaknesses in general knowledge also affected her ability to draw on prior knowledge and experiences to support her current academic work. Her ability to recognize words impacted her reading comprehension because she was unable to decode and understand on– grade level text.

Margaret’s education plan at High Road Academy consisted of a highly intensive remedial program. This focused on comprehension and guided reading strategies. Strategies for memory and retrieval of information (chunking, mnemonics, cue cards, and models) assisted her with understanding. Auditory and visual cueing for important information was provided with hands on projects. Speech assisted with high order thinking skills which focused on identifying details, sentence information, conclusion, inferences, and comparison.

When working with teachers and academic lessons, Margaret made great improvements in all areas of reading, writing, and spelling. Margaret continues to utilize the learned strategies by asking what a word means when she doesn't understand. Improvements in reading have enable Margaret to focus more on building her vocabulary. She has come a long way from being a non-reader in such a short period of time.

Margaret states she likes High Road Academy because it helped her improve her skills to grade level work. While her favorite subject is Pre Algebra, Margaret says that she gets along great with her teachers. They are very helpful and caring.

While Margaret has overcome many obstacles, her perseverance is still the center of her determination to succeed. Margaret’s academic success has enabled her to do a full transition to Mt. Hebron High School in the Fall of 2006. All of us at High Road Academy are very proud of Margaret and her accomplishments.

Jacqueline Healy: "Demonstrating Perseverance" by F. Hale & L. Granberry (Student Editors) - Jan. 2006

Jacqueline Healy first attended High Road Academy in September 2002. As a ninth grader from Montgomery County Public Schools, Jacqueline’s learning disability was diagnosed as a Language-based Learning Disability. This meant Jacqueline had weaknesses in short-term auditory memory and sustained concentration. She also had weaknesses in general knowledge which affected her ability to draw on prior knowledge and experiences to support her current academic work. In the classroom, her weak verbal abilities significantly impacted her reading and written language.

When working with teachers and academic lessons, this learning disability caused Jacqueline to have significant difficulties with auditory processing, auditory memory, phonological processing and language organization on demand. This meant she had difficulty listening and following oral directions. Consequently, her reading, written language and math were impacted. Jacqueline also needed help with time management and organizational skills.

Jacqueline’s education plan at High Road Academy consisted of a highly intensive remedial program. This focused on the use of critical thinking skills to evaluate the author’s meaning in text. The use of memory strategies to recall and the graphic organizers to outline information presented in the text. Structural analysis helped her work with vocabulary and figurative language. This allowed Jacqueline to understand and use vocabulary directly related to a specific subject.

Jacqueline continued working on restating key information and critical thinking skills. Critical analysis from oral, written and content areas worked to help her comprehend and communicate. She was also given additional help with related services from speech and counseling. Speech focused on sequencing skills and analyzing context to determine word meanings. Counseling assisted Jacqueline with improving her self-confidence and self-esteem when in the classroom and other social settings.

As Jacqueline progressed with her academic plan, it was clearly evident that she was determine to persevere. This year Jacqueline is focusing on her 12th grade academic plan. She says, “ It’s hard work, but I know I can accomplish my goals.” In March 2006, Jacqueline will join two other seniors and become High Road Academy’s first concurrent enrollment students as they start their on-line class at Montgomery Community College.

While Jacqueline has overcome many obstacles, her perseverance is still the center of her determination to succeed. All of us at High Road Academy are very proud of Jacqueline and her accomplishments.

Tamika Johnson: "The Will to Succeed" by Loren Granberry (Student Editor) - November 2005

Tamika Johnson entered High Road Academy as a 7th grader in September 2002. Arriving from the District of Columbia Public Schools, Tamika was diagnosed as SLD (Specific Learning Disability). Initial testing revealed she had weaknesses in receptive vocabulary. Tamika’s expressive language skills were considerably below average. Her academic difficulty affected content areas of reading, word recognition, word attack skills, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension and written language. These weaknesses caused Tamika to be frustrated with learning in the classroom and with homework.

Tamika’s daily academic plan called for appropriate instruction designed to accelerate her learning in all areas. In the classroom environment, she was taught strategies such as verbal rehearsal, context cues, visualization, how to list sequential steps, rephrasing questions, and development of background information.

Classroom supports also included the use of graphic organizers, word processor, copies of teachers notes, and a calculator. Strategies to formulate sentences and organization taught Tamika how to identify sentence structures and improve grammar. She learned how to express her thoughts based upon information from the text.

To assist her with reading comprehension and memory, Tamika worked on signal words in paragraphs to understand the relationship between key information. To identify topics and supporting details, she used highlighting . Strategies for improving writing skills encompassed outlining only the pertinent information.

Related services of Speech & Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy helped Tamika focus on expressing ideas, specifically communicating orally in formal and informal setting with different audiences and situations. While Tamika continued to work with High Road Academy teachers and staff, it was apparent that she was determined to persevere during this highly intensive intervention program. Much to Tamika’s credit, her will to succeed remains at the forefront each day she attends High Road Academy.

Mike Schneider: "Striving to Do His Best"

Michael Scneider first attended High Road Academy in September 2001. As a sixth grader from North Carroll Middle School in Carroll County, Michael’s learning disability was diagnosed as a Language and Speech Impairment Disability. This meant Michael had weaknesses in language processing, especially in understanding and following directions. In the classroom, he had memory deficits that resulted in weak word retrieval. Michael also found it difficult to restate prior information learned and follow teacher directions.

This learning disability caused enormous frustration with Michael when working in the classroom with teachers, peers and even independently. As a result, his anxiety increased the more he was frustrated. This had an enormous impact on Michael’s desire to even attend school.

Michael’s education plan at High Road Academy consisted of a highly intensive remedial program. This focused on specific listening and speaking exercises to assist Michael with memory strategies. Through strategies such as chunking, rehearsal, note taking and highlighting, Michael began to expand his ability to retrieve key words and build links to prior information. The use of structural analysis to work on vocabulary and figurative language was introduced to him. This allowed Michael to understand and use vocabulary directly related to a specific subject.

Michael continued working on restating key information and critical thinking skills. This enabled him to analyze key statements to determine if sufficient information was provided. It also provided him an understanding between the relationship in verbal and written subject material. A specific plan was setup that allowed Michael to practice communicating in formal and informal settings with people of different audiences while expressing ideas in an organized clear manner.

As Michael progressed, it was evident that the education strategies used by Michael and his teachers stabilized the way Michael received and processed information. He now has the ability to understand the main ideas of subjects covered. He continues to utilize the shared feature strategy in order to organize and chunk information. These learned strategies allowed him to gain confidence in the classroom and reduced his frustration and anxiety. Michael’s attitude directly improved his attendance as well as his outlook on school.

Michael’s ninth grade teacher, Mr. Pugh says Michael is very responsible when it comes to his education. He is always prepared and ready to attempt any task set before him. Michael’s willingness to work with others in the classroom is commendable. He strives to do his best in all areas of his education. Mr. Pugh states Michael is one of the most mature 15 year olds he has ever taught.

Michael has strived to overcome many obstacles during his time at High Road Academy. His confidence in his own abilities has enabled him to balance education and recreational activities with great success. Whether it is learning in the classroom or out snowboarding or playing paintball, Michael has made major strides with his accomplishments.

All of us at High Road Academy are very proud of the effort Michael has and will continue to make.

Success Story...Jonathan Kazmerski

Jonathan Kazmerski entered High Road Academy on September 4, 2001. Jon was a sixth grade student at the time. Prior to coming to High Road, Jon had attended his home school in Howard County. As a sixth grader, Jon was frustrated with reading at the pre-primer level. Jon’s profile was typical of students with “Dyslexia.” Quite simply, dyslexia is best defined as “an unexpected difficulty learning to read.” (Shaywitz). Jon was not able to read simple text and could not write a single sentence. Math was an area of need as well for Jon, although not as significant as reading. Further, Jon had significant difficulties managing changes in routine and staying organized. Jon was extremely easily frustrated. He would “shut-down” on a daily basis and become tearful with even simple upsets in his day.

Jon has remained at High Road Academy for his middle school experience. This Spring, Jon was post-tested for his upcoming Annual Review. Jon demonstrated the ability to read words in isolation at the sixth grade level and was able to read and comprehend text on grade level! His spelling has risen above a third grade level and math performance is approaching grade level! In short, Jon’s progress has been miraculous! Jon was blessed with two outstanding teachers over the past three years. He worked with Mrs. Hughley for grades six-seven and Mrs. Campitelli for grade eight.

Mrs. Hughley reported that in addition to Jon’s academic growth, she has been amazed at growth in maturity, responsibility, and social interactions. Jon is now able to accept criticism and accept others points of view. He is extremely motivated as well as generous and helpful towards others. Jon has also developed self-awareness of his disability and how to advocate for himself.
Mrs. Campitelli, Jon’s current teacher, has also seen continued growth in maturity. His confidence has soared this year and he participates much more in larger groups. Jon fits in socially with his peers and now makes friends easily.

Next year, Jon will be making a partial transition to Mt. Hebron High School for two periods per day. According to Jon, “I had doubts at the beginning that I would ever be able to go back to a regular school. But, now I know I can. I am ready to do the work assigned at high school. I am eager to learn. I know I still need a little help with reading, but I am confident about going back! I also know our counselor, Ms. Mitchell, is very proud of me as well!”

Everyone at High Road Academy is proud of Jon! He has persevered despite a severe reading disability. We are confident that Jon’s motivation to succeed will continue as he transitions back to a less restrictive setting next year!

HIGH ROAD ACADEMY

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