Whether you can’t focus on an assignment, require extended time on an exam or need support for a diagnosed learning disability, you can find help on campus by visiting the Academic Resource Center, known as the ARC.

The ARC provides academic accommodations for students with learning disabilities or academic issues.

Debbie Morris, the administrator of Sacramento County Special Education Local Plan Area, handles learning disability resources for several public schools. She defined learning disabilities as affecting “one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language.”

This can manifest as difficulty in reading, writing or performing mathematical operations, such as the reading difficulties caused by dyslexia.

Senior Hailey Fesai attributes her academic successes to the support provided by ARC learning specialist, Tara Adams who has an M.A.  in the science of education and  interdisciplinary studies as well as a B.A. in elementary education for K-9 students.

Fesai said Country Day helped her recognize her learning disability.  She has been diagnosed with both inattentive-type ADHD and test anxiety.

Even before she was tested and diagnosed, teachers and the ARC provided accommodations that allowed her to succeed academically, she said. 

“They’ve given me extra time, and they’ve given me a quiet space to do my tests, as that’s something that helps people with test anxiety,” she said.

Extra time is a common accommodation for students who require it. Students are typically placed in a separate room or in the ARC room for an extended period to take their tests and final exams in a quiet, controlled setting, proctored by Adams. 

Head of High School Brooke Wells said the ARC provides the bulk of the school’s support for learning disabilities. No formal documentation such as a diagnosis is required in order to receive accommodations,  They can range from study skill help to general academic aid. If specific issues are documented, then students can take advantage of extended time on standardized tests.

The school’s approach to accommodations is flexible.

“We ourselves can try different techniques without having any sort of clinical diagnosis, which we do,” Wells said.

The ARC provides a variety of academic support services.

“This usually entails short-term interventions and weekly check-ins with students who are on my caseload,” Adams said. “The sessions usually involve reading, writing, organization, research and planning. However, those who do not see me on a weekly basis can make appointments if they need help getting started on any writing assignment.”

According to Head of School Lee Thomsen, prior to his arrival on campus in 2016, case-by-case individual accommodations were handled solely by teachers or through outside resources.

“With the advent of the ARC, there are now people on campus who can deliver and add to that same sort of help,” Thomsen said. “This might have been handled by an advisor before.”

In addition to ARC, which works with middle and high school students, learning specialist Adie Renteria works with lower school students. 

A Feb. 15 Octagon poll sent to 147  high school students found that 8 of the 24 respondents have visited the ARC, while 5 have used the extended time on exams.

Sophomore Aiden Cooley, who receives support from Country Day for ADHD and short-term memory loss, also praised the resources available. Cooley’s main support is extended time on testing in a quiet spot.

“If I have a chemistry test, I can go in and take it with Miss Adams,” he said. Cooley also meets with an off-campus tutor to review assignments and class notes.

Freshman Manny Biddle also uses the resources provided by the ARC to help focus on tests.

“I never used it before this year, but it’s gone well,” Biddle said.

To receive extra time on a given test, Biddle contacts his teachers or Adams to schedule a time he can take his test in the ARC office.

Accommodations vary based on the situation.

“There’s not a hard and fast rule for what accommodation looks like for a child,” Thomsen said.

Support provided by the ARC and the school can also be long-term. Cooley meets with Adams weekly in order to stay on top of homework and academic commitments.

“I can go in there to study and work on assignments,” he said. Adams will check in with him to ensure he’s keeping up.

Cooley is happy with what the ARC has to offer.

Adams added that she can refer students to further support on- and off-campus.

“I can provide a list of tutors who specialize in that academic subject and be the point of contact for setting up these sessions,” she said.

“As the students move into higher grades, the focus for the learning specialist is to help students be able to access the curriculum.” 

Although students do not have to have an official diagnosis to receive assistance through ARC, Thomsen emphasized the importance of a diagnosis to receive accommodations for standardized tests. Organizations such as the College Board — which administers AP exams and the SAT — require documentation of learning disabilities in order to provide accommodations.

Because  Fesai was diagnosed after she took the majority of her standardized tests, she was unable to use College Board accommodations. She recommends that students struggling academically seek testing and diagnosis on top of accommodations within Country Day.

“Go get tested,” she said. “Because what happens now is I have the same accommodations in college. So I don’t ever have to worry about taking a test or not being able to finish a test in college.”

Accommodations for learning disabilities are not about creating inequalities in the classroom, Wells said. 

“It’s not about simplifying the curriculum,” he said. “That’s what a lot of people misunderstand. It’s about providing access to the curriculum so more people can understand the material at the highest possible level.”

Expert view on learning disabilities

While accommodations for learning disabilities at Country Day are handled on a school level, accommodations in the state of California are handled at a government level.

Debbie Morris, the administrator of Sacramento County’s Special Education Local Plan Area, handles learning disability resources for several public schools.

 She defined learning disabilities as affecting “one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language.”

This can manifest as difficulty in reading, writing or performing mathematical operations, such as the reading difficulties caused by dyslexia.

The local area Morris covers, which includes eight public school districts and the Sacramento County Office of Education, assists member schools in providing aid to students with disabilities. This can take the form of administrative support, legal assistance, or implementation of professional developmental activities.

This “plan” area, Morris said, is one part of the state of California’s approach to helping students with learning disabilities and special needs. State requirements apply only to public and charter schools.

She emphasized the importance of multi-tier support for students.

“This guarantees students are receiving support and services at all levels of need,” Morris said. “This support often is in the form of researched-based curriculum, evidence-based strategies to help struggling readers, social-emotional support and social skills training.”

Morris also recommended individualized approaches to student accommodations, saying that students do not need to be part of formal special education programs in order for schools to provide support.

— By Samhita Kumar and Saheb Gulati

Originally published in the March 8 edition of The Octagon.