Academic Achievement

The program serves students with a diagnosed disability that interferes with their learning. 

In order to receive services through the Academic Achievement program, students must present a recent psychoeducational evaluation or recent diagnosis from a medical physician, depending on the nature of the disability and diagnosis. 

For students with a Learning Disability:

1. Documentation should state the learning disorder as diagnosed. The diagnosis should be made by someone with appropriate professional credentials, should be specific, and should reference the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 or whichever edition was current at the time of diagnosis).
    
2. Because disabilities change over time, documentation should be up to date. For learning disorders, the educational evaluation and testing should be no more than five years old. Cognitive testing may be older than five years, but testing performed before third grade may not provide a valid indication of the student’s current ability. Provide relevant educational, developmental, and medical history in support of the diagnosis and functional limitations. Teacher observations are often helpful as well; they may be recorded on the Teacher Survey Form.
    
3. Provide a detailed rationale for the requested accommodations, focusing on:
   1. The connection between the student’s diagnosed learning disability and requested accommodations
   2. Current academic needs of the student, including functional impairment/s and use of accommodations in school

For students with a Psychiatric Disorder:

1. Documentation should state the specific psychiatric disorder as diagnosed. The diagnosis should be made by someone with appropriate professional credentials, be specific, and reference the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 or whichever edition was current at the time of diagnosis).
    
2. Explain how the psychiatric disorder impacts the student’s academic functioning and ability to participate in College Board exams. For example: How frequent are the student’s symptoms? How do they impact the student in and out of school? When is the student impacted?
   1. In most cases, anxiety about test taking by itself is not a psychiatric disorder and does not qualify a student for accommodations.
   2. Functional limitation can be documented in a variety of ways:
      1. Psychoeducational evaluations, including standardized test scores and narrative. Use national norms to support both the diagnosis and functional limitation.
      2. Descriptive information from the school, such as teacher observations, which can be recorded on the Teacher Survey Form.
          
3. Because psychiatric disabilities can change over time, documentation should be up to date and include:
   1. A current psychiatric update, completed within the past year, if the initial diagnosis is more than one year old
   2. The initial evaluation in which the disorder was diagnosed
       

Services for students in the Academic Achievement program vary depending on the diagnosis and particular supports available at Bishop. A sample list of services and accommodations may include:

• Access to class notes when available
• Preferential seating
• Separate setting for quizzes and testing
• Extended time for work/projects and/or quizzes/testing
  (50% added time)
• Chunking homework
   

Academic Skills is an optional, elective offering for students in the Academic Achievement program in grades 9 and 10. Students in Academic Skills meet daily in a small group setting with the Academic Achievement teacher and learn more about how they learn best and gain confidence in their abilities.  The course affords students the opportunity to strengthen executive function skills such as goal setting, organization, time management, and self-monitoring.  

Accommodations for standardized testing, including the SAT, AP Testing, ACT, and PSAT, are determined by the respective testing organizations and not by Bishop McGuinness High School staff.

College Board and ACT Accommodations

PSAT: Freshmen taking the PSAT in the fall will not receive accommodations, as this test is used to establish a baseline of student knowledge. Students may request accommodations for subsequent PSAT exams after their freshman fall test.

SAT/AP Testing Accommodations: A signed SAT Consent Form for Accommodations Request is required to allow the SSD Coordinator to submit the necessary documentation for College Board review. This form is also valid for the PSAT for 10th and 11th graders who wish to have accommodations. Additional information about requests can be found: 

Documentation by Disability
College Board Accommodations Information
College Board Accommodations  

ACT Accommodations: Students can create an ACT account, and when they register for a test date, they can request accommodations through their profile. ACT will then contact the Academic Achievement Department at Bishop McGuinness to request the necessary documentation. The ACT Consent to Release Information Form must be on file for documentation to be submitted.
ACT Accommodations

Parents and families with questions about the Academic Achievement program can reach can contact:

1. Mrs. Paola. Scilinguo-Mendoza, Director of Admissions, at psmendoza@bmhs.us
2. Ms. Lauren Yoder, Academic Achievement Coordinator, at lyoder@bmhs.us