ISE provides support to students in a variety of ways. These include help for students with special needs, English language support, counseling and overall health and safety concerns.
Learning Resources - ISE serves students with mild to moderate learning disabilities with up to one hour of instructional time per day. ISE also serves students who fall into the gifted/talented range by providing consultative support for teachers and parents. The student to teacher ratio at ISE is 5 to 1. This provides several benefits for students with exceptional abilities or interests. The small class size allows teachers to better understand and meet the needs of each student.
The ISE English as a Second Language (ESL) program provides that new students to ISE are assessed for ESL needs. This assessment begins with discussions with the student and family. A formal assessment is done using the Maculaitis Assessment Program, to determine his/her level of English. Students are also tested to determine when they can exit the ESL program. Students meet with the ESL instructor 5 – 7 times a week, depending on the need, to help them get back into the mainstream as soon as possible.
The ISE counseling program is headed by our school counselor, who provides help and support on emotional and behavioral issues for all ISE students, their parents and school staff. The counselor is a trained psychologist with 10 years’ experience in international schools and 20 years in private practice as a psychotherapist. Psychological testing/assessments and private psychotherapy are contracted out.
Scheduling/academic counseling is the responsibility of the PYP, MSP, and Diploma coordinators. The coordinators conduct weekly teacher meetings where students of concern are discussed and strategies are developed to help them. The IB Diploma Coordinator/university advisor has the responsibility of meeting with students in grades 9 to 12 to help them begin thinking about university, and has the specific responsibility of advising upper school students on the IB Diploma and ISE graduation requirements.
