At CCA, we believe Psalm 139:13-14: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
The Learner Services Program works to meet the individual needs of each child. Explore Teachers assist students with learning differences, helping them to use their strengths to improve their areas of weakness. Excel students can experience higher-level content across subject areas, including math, science, language, art, and social studies. Our goal is to help students reach their full potential in Christ, as they tap into their God-given abilities. God has created each child with specific characteristics and talents to share. We also work with the classroom teachers to enhance the education and learning for the students at CCA.
Who: Our Explore team currently consists of Academic Language and Math Teachers. We work with students individually or in groups of two or three. This program is designed for students who have an identified learning difference. Our Excel Program is facilitated by a regular education teacher, who has specific interest in Gifted Education.
What: The Learner Services Program assists students in preschool through 12th grade:
- Explore is for Preschool - 6th Grade
- Progressions is for 7th - 12th Grade
- Excel is for 2nd - 6th Grade
The Explore & Progressions Programs help students with learning differences in reading, writing, spelling, language, or math. Since learning differences affect students in every aspect of their life, we attempt to minister to the student and the family. Aid is given through intervention, classroom accommodations, teacher education, and resources for the family. Our team works with the teachers and parents to prepare and implement a Learning Accommodations Plan (LAP) that maximizes classroom success with individualized accommodations and modifications. The plan is reviewed annually by the teachers and parents to evaluate academic performance and to challenge students to perform to their full potential.
Our Excel program is a project-based, interdisciplinary model that will focus on long-term projects and specific topics throughout the year. We will focus on developing teacher-guided, student-led projects that incorporate school and community resources to help students develop a deeper understanding of the topics. Excel services will occur outside of the core instructional time, allowing students to have consistency in the classroom, while still providing an environment for them to explore their interests with gifted peers.
Identification:
For Explore:
When there is parental or teacher concern about performance in the classroom, a student can be referred for a math or language arts screening. Each screening cost is $100. After the screening, we sit down and discuss the results with the parents and the classroom teacher. Once a child is identified with a need that we are equipped to serve, we work with the teachers to find a time during the school day for the student to receive services on campus. We provide instruction four days a week for fifty minutes per day, using specific courses developed to teach literacy and/or math skills with a structured, sequential, systematic and multi-sensory approach.
For Excel:
We will use STAR Reading and Math scores, as well as teacher recommendations, to identify students for the program.
Types of Instruction
Language:
We use Alphabetic Phonics, Multisensory Reading and Spelling, or Reading Readiness to teach our language arts students who have an identified need. The program was developed by Aylett Cox, Lucius Waites and staff at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Dallas, TX. This is a structured system to teach reading, spelling, writing, comprehension, and oral to written expression with an emphasis on the alphabet and phonics. It is designed to teach individuals who are intellectually normal, but have difficulty in auditory, visual, and/or kinesthetic recognition or memory. It meets the needs of every kind of learner.
Math:
For assistance in Math, use Multisensory Math by Marily Zecher, Stern Math by Stern & Gould, Semple Math Mnemonics by Janice L. Semple, Hands On Equations by Henry Borenson, as well as individualized instruction to supplement the classroom curriculum, using multi-sensory techniques to build a firm math foundation.
Speech:
Speech services are available through a private Speech Pathologist. If you already know that your child has a learning difference, or if your child currently has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the public school, it would be helpful to bring that paperwork along with you when you visit our school. The public schools are mandated by law to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Central Christian Academy writes and implements a Learning Accommodations Plan (LAP) because we want to partner with the family to educate and equip students to reach their full potential!
Testimonies:
"I cannot tell you the difference in our daughter since she entered the CCA Explore Program two years ago. During the last two years she went from "avoiding" school and struggling with self worth to being a fully engaged, confident child who loves school and reading. The program identified her strengths, developed creative and positive solutions to address her learning differences and did all of this in such a loving and supportive way. She is now raising her hand to read in class and is reading at home for fun. This not a "one size fits all" learning environment. Rebecca Terronez and the entire Explore team couple their love for our children with an amazing ability to tailor academic support to the specific and unique needs of each student. Their creativity in this regard seems endless and their results are stunning. By pouring into your child, these ladies will change your child's life." (Explore Parent, May 2021)
"My child has been blessed to be in the program at Central Christian Academy for three years. The teachers are wonderful and keep him engaged and make learning fun. He has made such huge academic strides in these past three years. He has not only been doing such a great job on his reading but his hand writing has gotten so much better. We are very excited with the progress that he is making and are thankful for the Explore Program that CCA offers." (Explore Parent, June 2021)
"Our daughter began her first year, at CCA, as a kindergartner at the age of 5. During this time, her teacher noticed some red flags in her learning processes. She approached us and suggested we have her tested for learning differences. We accepted her suggestion, had her tested and found that she was dyslexic. We were so pleased to find that CCA offered the Explore Program. My husband and I were very worried about how this would make her feel and how the other students would react as well as terrified at the fact that our baby was struggling. The staff at CCA were so supportive and so helpful that the transition was very easy! Our daughter continued in the program through her kindergarten year and also completed a second year in first grade. After the first semester of 1st grade, we were able to "bridge the gap" and she is now thriving and reading with ease! We are so grateful for this wonderful program and the teachers that helped our daughter! We would do it again in a heartbeat! It's hard to learn that your child has a learning difference, but with programs like this it makes it so much easier to deal with. This program and the teachers have truly been a blessing and our daughter still talks about her time spent in the program and actually misses it. (L.S. Explore Parent)
"I feel this team is a great addition to CCA. I had a student in my classroom who was diagnosed towards the beginning of the year with ADD and dyslexia. I have seen this student before the Explore Program began, and the effects the program has made. This student came into my room with no confidence, very little interest in learning or staying on task, and an attitude of perfectionism for her expectations of herself. It has been so neat to see her confidence grow in herself as she has learned to overcome the problems and tasks she might face. To experience this first-hand has been so encouraging. Her work ethic now is the strongest in my entire class. She has not only been taught the alphabetic phonics training, but she is being taught life lessons of problem solving." (L.B. CCA Teacher)
"I am in the eighth grade. I have been in the program since second grade. Some of the areas I used to struggle in were spelling, math, reading, and grammar. Reading was not my favorite subject. For example, when the teacher asked for a volunteer to read I would avoid eye contact or go away from my desk. Now in eighth grade I am comfortable reading out loud. I volunteer and make eye contact with my teachers. Explore has prepared me for many years to come and has truly made me a better student. I am now able to apply what I have learned in the program and use it in my every day classes. Next year when I go to high school I feel that I will be well prepared for the challenges to come." (Explore Student)
Explore and Excel are an extra-fee based program. Need-based financial aid is available for Explore.
For more information about the Learner Services Programs at CCA, please contact Rebecca Terronez at (316) 688-1161 or rterronez@ccalions.org.