The Learning Center

The Perkiomen School is a college preparatory school dedicated to working with young people as individuals. It recognizes that many highly intelligent students encounter academic difficulties because they may have an inherent language disability, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or they have not received adequate language training in their early schooling. To address these needs, Perkiomen established a Learning Center to provide help for students.

Class size is limited to two or three students per class. The Learning Center is a major academic subject that meets five times a week for a full class period.

Each student's  class is designed to improve the individual's weak areas through coping skills and remediation. The topics which may be covered include: reading (decoding), spelling (encoding), handwriting, comprehension, oral reading, vocabulary, composition, SAT and ACT preparations, organization skills, executive functioning, study skills, test-taking strategies and task attention skills. A structured multi-sensory, discovery approach is utilized to maximize teacher effectiveness.

Subject area course work is only used when it is relevant to strengthening skill areas (for example outlining). However, it is the “how to” that receives the emphasis not the subject matter. Extra help is available from the classroom teacher for content area help.

All Learning Center students are mainstreamed for their subject area course work and their progress is monitored. Each teacher completes a weekly evaluation for each  student rating their performance on homework, note taking and daily preparation, tests and papers, behavior and effort.

This evaluation is reviewed by the Learning Center teacher and the Head of the Upper School and Head of the Middle School and mailed, emailed, or faxed home. Additionally, grades are sent home every 3 weeks with comments once per term. Formal, informal phone and personal conferences are welcomed and encouraged.

Perkiomen offers students many accommodations, however, we do not modify any assignments. Accommodations include Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and or Talking Book Library, Library of Congress, additional time to complete quizzes, test and assignments, alternative test settings, tape recorded lectures, prepared lecture outlines, study guides, daily assignment book, written and oral directions, note taker, reader, preferential seating, peer tutor, oral testing, “white sound” headphone permission for study hall/ testing, foreign language waiver, nonstandard administration of the PSAT, SAT, SAT II, ACT, AP exams.

LEARNING CENTER ADMISSIONS: application, campus visit, teacher recommendations, transcript, psychological evaluation (including a WISC or WAIS and achievement testing) and supplemental application