SUPPORT SERVICES

ADHD/EXECUTIVE SKILLS Coaching

Our coaches support students in developing a comprehensive understanding of both the nature of ADHD and the impact of ADHD on the student's quality of life. Coaches help students with ADHD identify their goals and stay focused on these goals, despite obstacles they may face. ADHD coaches help students address issues such as time management, task initiation, sustained attention, organization, and goal-directed persistence in a supportive non-judgmental partnership in which the student is encouraged to set reasonable and attainable goals and create an action plan to reach those goals. The coach provides support as the student works to increase self-awareness, self-esteem and self-reliance, which are all important for health and well-being. 

Executive Skills Coaching

At STARS executive skills coaching is customized to meet individual needs. Our coaches place great emphasis on increasing independence through the development of supportive strategies or tools. The goal of the coaching relationship is to identify specific executive skills challenges, provide targeted training for maturing these processes and teach skills and strategies that support independence.

In academic coaching, goal setting is of primary importance, and building self-management techniques, such as self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-instruction and self-reinforcement is also crucial. STARS coaches seek to enhance self-regulatory capacities so students become less reliant on external motivators and cues to engage their executive skills to reach goals. Coaches monitor and support students while empowering them to solve problems and face obstacles with confidence.

Academic Coaching

STARS provides subject-specific coaching as supplemental learning for students from elementary school through college. Coaching provides individualized instruction, customized to students' unique learning styles, in an environment that allows students to progress at their own pace and receive, feedback, and encouragement every step of the way. Coaching maximizes time on task and allows for repeated guided practice of demonstrated skills.

Intensive Literacy Coaching

STARS offers structured and intensive literacy support for students who are struggling and behind grade level in reading and writing. Many of our STARS coaches are trained in structured, sequential, and evidence-based multisensory reading programs such as Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell, and Wilson. These programs are well documented for their effectiveness in helping students who are achieving below grade level, and/or who may have a Specific Learning Disorder in reading or writing. These programs and our 1:1 coaching offer targeted support in reading and writing to close existing gaps and help students become confident readers and writers. Literacy coaching can include strengthening a student's: sound-symbol imagery, phonemic and phonological awareness, orthographic awareness, word recognition and attack skills, reading fluency and comprehension, writing and spelling skills, and more.

SAT & ACT Prep

STARS SAT/ACT prep coaches help students identify areas of strength and challenge in SAT/ACT content and target instruction accordingly. Coaches also discuss test taking strategies specific to the SAT/ACT as well as how sleep, nutrition and hydration can impact student performance on test day. The goal of this class is to increase content knowledge, improve confidence and provide effective strategies for achieving positive outcomes on the SAT/ACT tests.

Study Skills

STARS offers small group (summer) and 1:1 study skills instruction. We use the SOAR® study skills program as the foundation for our instruction because it is a simple and efficient student-friendly system, created by a student for students. Susan Kruger, author of the SOAR® program, developed several ways to simplify the study skills she learned as a student to help her students resolve their learning and organizational struggles. Three principles guide the contents of the SOAR® Study Skills Curriculum:

  • Strategies must be time-efficient. Strategies must be realistic for students to do, save them time, and reduce as many unnecessary steps as possible.

  • Strategies must be effective.

  • Strategies must apply across the content areas. There are many “study skills” that are useful techniques, but we only select or develop strategies that apply across content areas so that students will clearly understand the appropriate times/settings to use the strategies. This approach empowers students to confidently take more responsibility for their own work and develop a more strategic approach to all of their learning.

Through the SOAR® Study Skills program, students learn to:

  • Manage time

  • Organize papers

  • Complete homework

  • Read textbooks

  • Study for tests

  • Take notes

  • Take tests

  • Communicate with teachers and parents

  • Write research papers

  • Set goals

Home School Instruction

STARS staff provides subject-specific individualized instruction to students who are being homeschooled. The small classroom at STARS is also available for use by home school groups who have their own instructor.

educational achievement Testing

STARS offers standardized achievement testing in the areas of math concepts and applications, math computation, written expression, reading comprehension, letter & word recognition, and spelling. STARS uses the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA-3 Brief), to customize assessment sessions to the individual needs of each student.