David Posnack Jewish Day School

Academic Resources provides a range of academic and organizational support services to Posnack School students from grades K-12. Executive function skills, organizational and time management strategies, content comprehension, remediation of foundational skills, and accommodations will all be offered within the Academic Resources program in response to individual student needs.

In grades K-6, smaller class sizes and curricular modifications are available for students requiring more intensive support in specific content areas. For these students, Academic Resources offers remediation through replacement classes in the subject areas of math, reading and language arts. In this small group setting, prerequisite skills are reinforced and the pacing is often modified to ensure student success. Support offered for students in grades 7-12 will primarily focus on executive functioning and management of accommodations. The focus of executive functioning support is centered around adaptable thinking, planning, self monitoring, time management, organization and improving study skills. Regardless of the level of support received, students enrolled in Academic Resources participate in all aspects of the Posnack School community.

Appropriate academic placement is essential for student success. Students’ recommended level of support is carefully evaluated by a team of academic leaders (Academic Support Placement Committee) to determine the ideal placement, upon admission to Posnack School and/or once enrolled, based on a set of criteria, which may include; rate of learning, teacher recommendations, and standardized test scores as well as proficiency of prerequisite and grade-level academic skills, students’ executive functioning, need for accommodations and/or support as indicated by a current psychoeducational evaluation.

A current psychoeducational evaluation is required to remain enrolled in Academic Resources, as it provides reliable insight into general intellect, reading and writing, math, attention, learning and memory, visual and auditory processing, social skills and executive functioning. This evaluation is essential to providing appropriate student support.

The Academic Resources faculty is made up of highly-skilled, ESE certified, experienced  teachers as well as a Speech and Language Pathologist who are trained to meet the individual needs of our students by providing the most effective instructional practices. The support team has access to specialized resources specifically designed for remediation, intervention, and strategies including but not limited to: Lindamood-Bell (V&V), Orton Gillingham, Wilson Fundations, SIPPS, and Touchpoint math. All students enrolled in Academic Resources will benefit from ongoing teacher-student-parent communication, timely intervention and feedback, progress monitoring, and accommodation management.

Students who qualify for Academic Resources may have one or more diagnosed specific learning disabilities, a language based learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia, visual or auditory processing deficits, ADHD, executive functioning disorders, or other learning differences or academic challenges. As a reminder, Family Empowerment Scholarships are available for both income based and/or disability based needs. The State of Florida has recently expanded the criteria for eligibility making scholarships available for students with an expanded range of diagnosed disabilities. For more information, please contact Karen Kleiman and visit the Gardiner Scholarship/Step Up for Students website.

For more information regarding Academic Resources in grades K-8, please contact Jennifer Corliss, MS Ed, ESE,Principal of Academic Resources (K-8) 954-583-6100 ext. 342.