FAQ's

1. What makes Center School unique?

Center School teachers are trained to understand the various components of learning needs and implement quality instruction to address those needs effectively.
Team teaching enables teachers to engage in personal interactions with students, creates more time for individualized attention, and provides greater opportunities for observing and managing student learning and socialization.

2. What reading program does Center School use?

Reading is the cornerstone of the curriculum at Center School, and much of the day is dedicated to building literacy skills. The reading curriculum is language-based, multi-sensory, sequential, and structured to be cumulative. Direct instruction and explicit modeling are used to provide students with the tools necessary to develop sound comprehension skills. Material is chosen at the child’s instructional reading level.
Students come with a variety of needs; there is no single commercial program that is appropriate for all learners. Rather, Center School relies on ongoing diagnosis by the learning specialists in each class to determine how best to meet each child’s needs. Instruction revolves around five areas crucial to reading success: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension. Various frameworks are used for reading instruction which includes the Directed Reading Thinking Activity and components of the Reading Workshop and Balanced Literacy Approach.
Reading teachers are certified in Wilson, and some are also certified in Orton-Gillingham. Wilson Reading System, a multi-sensory, structured curriculum based upon phonological-coding research and Orton-Gillingham principles. These are diagnostic and prescriptive approaches to reading instruction for students who have difficulty with reading, spelling, and writing, often associated with dyslexia. Phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and writing are the dominant focus of these methods.

3. How do you teach writing?

The writing curriculum in Center School focuses on a direct approach to teaching writing. In all grade levels, Step Up to Writing by Maureen Auman, a research-based explicit, systematic approach to writing instruction, is used as a resource to guide teachers in creating curriculum. Skills are sequenced, clearly instructed with examples, then modeled with guided practice. A common writing language is developed among all grade levels. In each grade, students learn and understand the importance of the steps of the writing process, and independence in applying them is taught.

4. What is a language-based curriculum?

A language-based curriculum places emphasis on skills relating to understanding spoken and written language. Center School’s curriculum is language-based, recognizing the role that language plays in academic success. Full curriculum instruction is offered through a structured, multi-sensory approach, based on the students’ needs, and designed to address each child’s learning needs through small group instruction.

5. What does the curriculum include?

6. How long does a student normally stay at Center School?

7. How does Center School help children prepare for high school?

As students develop academic skills, they learn how to apply them with independence in order to be successful in high school. Through direct instruction, students learn about their own unique learning styles and how to manage their learning differences successfully. The skill of self-advocacy is emphasized, and as self-awareness grows, students can better manage the learning demands expected in high school.

8. Where do students go after they leave Center School?

The best way to learn about Center School is to visit our 14-acre campus and meet with our Director of Admissions, Mrs. Tiffany Getz.

To schedule your tour, please complete the inquiry form below, or call us at 215.657.2200.