Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/1077807
www.FredericksburgParent.NET 19 Sponsored Material Join us for the live conversation on Join us this month for a live Ask The Expert on our Facebook page with Chris na Carson! Be sure to follow us for upcoming details. Facebook: @fredericksburgparent • Twitter: @FredParent • Instagram: @fredparentmagazine a sk t h e e x p e rt ...we are able to teach students on their level and help them move to higher levels as quickly as they are able." - Christina Carson Q: Please tell us a little about what makes The Marshall School special. The Marshall School started because we kept see- ing stressed out students trying to keep up with the one pace, one method schools with few alterna ves. At The Marshall School we teach students what they need to know as well as thinking and learning strategies. Thinking and learning strategies are key to learning and are o en overlooked by more tradi onal school se ngs. To ensure students have the prereq- uisite skills for success, each student is individually tested, and programming is customized to maximize their strengths and minimize their struggles. We iden- fy weaknesses in thinking and learning skills and target improvement through brain-based therapies that are backed by research. Students receive direct, highly-customized instruc on delivered one-on-one or in small groups during the school day. Frequent re-evalua ons keep students moving forward as they master cri cal skills. Since we teach class in mul -age classrooms, we are able to teach students on their level and help them move to higher levels as quickly as they are able. This allows us to make sure that students' founda onal skills are solid instead of just pushing them through a curriculum based on their chronological grade. As we have expanded to included high school, we are excited to be able to off er our high school stu- dents access to Pre-employment Transi on Services and counseling support to help them envision and reach their goals a er high school. Next year, we hope to work with businesses in our community to off er internships/appren ceships to our students. Many of our students have con nued their educa on at colleges and universi es including Virginia Tech, University of Mary Washington, Randolph-Macon College and Germanna Community College, while others have a ended technical schools or entered the workforce a er high school. We believe in help- ing students achieve their goals no ma er which track they choose. Q: Do you follow the SOL track? Not really. For instance, many of our students are working below their grade levels. We make sure they can do most of the skills from their current level and then work to move them through as many grade level standards as possible. Our grading/ report cards refl ect their progress. Students receive grades, but they are also scored on how they progress through the SOLs. For example, if a student is below his grade level in math, the report card would have the standards for his grade level, but it would also have the standards from lower grades that the student needs to master before being able to do the higher-level work. Q: What's a typical day like? We start each day with a "Morning Mee ng." This is where we work on life skills and social skills with our students. The rest of the day is like a typical school day. Students receive instruc on in language arts, math, science, and social studies. Elec ves are provided. In addi on, most students receive one-on-one instruc on daily to address their defi ciencies. Q: What types of students benefit from The Marshall School? Why? Crea ve, gi ed and struggling learners benefi t from our innova ve teach- ing strategies, low student ra os and individualized programming. This approach to teaching and learning benefi ts all children and has shown to be par cularly eff ec ve for those diagnosed with ADHD, central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) and learning disabili es. Q: What is the admission process like? Admission occurs on a rolling basis. We recommend parents call for a phone consulta on where the director can learn more about the student and his/her needs. If we believe we're a good fi t, we would ask the parent to submit an applica on. A visit would be scheduled to do an evalua on of learning styles and strengths and weaknesses as well as to observe the student in the classroom. If space is available, a student may begin immediately. If an opening is not available, the student is placed on a wai ng list and their parents will be no fi ed when an opening occurs. Q: What's next for Thurgood Marshall School and Leadership Academy? Even though we have been off ering a full-day program for the last 12 years, this year we completely separated the school and our tutoring center. Our name changed to Thurgood Marshall School and Leadership Academy, and we were able to obtain our nonprofi t status. We are in the process of becoming an accredited school, and we should complete everything at the beginning of the next school year. Having the nonprofi t status allows us to fundraise, allowing us to off er more scholarships to families in need. We are excited to grow and help even more students enjoy the suc- cess they deserve. "