Academic Resource Center
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At HHCA, our desire is to see every student succeed.
Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides a unique opportunity for K-12 students who have diagnosed learning disabilities to have an excellent education experience and the highest-quality education.
The design of the ARC program consists of three tiers of service, each with ascending levels of support and intervention. The goal of the program is to provide the remedial attention and personalized support necessary so that students of average and above-average intelligence who have clinically diagnosed disabilities will be adequately prepared for college.
Every member of the ARC team is professionally certified and brings a wealth of experience. Together we provide a highly structured environment and an educational approach suited to the individual student.
We are committed to helping our students reach their full potential and committed to teaching them to celebrate their strengths while managing challenges. It is a great privilege to walk alongside students in their educational journey and an even greater privilege to have a hand in their success. We welcome the opportunity to partner with your family and we look forward to visiting with you soon.
For His Glory,
The Academic Resource Team
Anne Poole, Jennifer Hubbard and Debbie Hammett
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ARC SERVICES
ARC SERVICES
Educational Therapy addresses cognitive and perceptual processing deficits associated with learning disabilities and targets the underlying causes of learning problems, not only subject-based difficulties.
NILD Educational Therapy is founded upon the theory and research of the Mediated Learning Experience and includes 26+ techniques combined with individualized instruction for each student. NILD Educational Therapy comprehensively addresses cognitive and perceptual processing deficits that are associated with the following learning difficulties:
- Visual/Auditory Perception, Memory, or Sequencing
- Visual-Motor Integration
- Processing Speed
- Spatial and/or Temporal Relations
- Cognitive Processing with emphasis on Critical Thinking/Abstract/Logical Reasoning
- Receptive/Expressive Language Processing
- Verbal/Nonverbal Reasoning
- Specific Academic Area (Spelling, Reading, Writing, Math)
Click here for more information on NILD Educational Therapy or contact our ARC team.
Tutoring is considered to be a specific subject area focus for short-term intervention or remediation. In addition to the 3:00-3:30 tutoring time offered by classroom teachers, students can contact HHCA’s Academic Resource Center for additional classroom support. ARC teachers can assist in matching students with tutors who meet their needs. A list of outside tutors is available upon request as well.
ARC Services & Fees:
Tier 3
This is our highest level of support and intervention.
Students in this tier receive individualized educational therapy from our NILD certified instructors. They also receive support in the form of study strategies, organizational strategies, and targeted tutoring as needed in specific content areas. Students in this tier attend the ARC for support five days per week in lieu of an elective period. Students in this tier receive classroom and testing accommodations as indicated in their psychological report.
Cost: $3,600 per year
Requirements: A current (within two years) Psychological Evaluation
Tier 2
This is our most common level of support and intervention. Students in this tier do not receive educational therapy. Rather, they receive support in the form of study strategies, organizational strategies, and targeted tutoring as needed in specific content areas. It is not uncommon for students in this tier to be able to work within small groups of similar students led by our ARC instructors. Students in this tier attend the ARC in lieu of an elective period. Students in this tier receive classroom and testing accommodations as indicated in their psychological report.
Cost: $2,700 per year
Requirements: A current (within two years) Psychological Evaluation
Tier 1
This tier is for students who could benefit from additional academic support structures. Unlike the other tiers, there is no psychological report required for this tier. However, sessions are scheduled and billed on an individual basis and are subject to scheduling and space limitations. Students in this tier can take advantage of additional coaching in study and organizational strategies. They can also receive subject area tutoring as available from our ARC instructors. Sessions are scheduled during the student’s elective period as a pullout activity. In cases where a student does not have a psychological report indicating the appropriateness of classroom and testing accommodations, accommodations cannot be given.
Cost: $40 per session
Requirements: An interview between the student’s parents and ARC staff is required. Tier 1 services are subject to availability once the needs of all Tier 2 and Tier 3 students have been met.
Lower School Track
Students in Lower School track receive individualized educational therapy, subject area tutoring, and classroom support. Students in this track will work with our ARC instructors during times scheduled as pullout sessions from their specials periods. ARC staff will work with parents and the student’s teachers to schedule the sessions in a manner most beneficial to the student.
Cost: $2,700 per year
Requirements: Students may be admitted to the Lower School Track if a Psychological Evaluation is being sought, but not yet completed.
ACCOMMODATIONS
According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, "accommodations are alterations in the way tasks are presented that allow children with learning disabilities to complete the same assignments as other students. Accommodations do not alter the content of assignments, do not give students an unfair advantage, or in the case of assessments, do not change what a test measures. They do make it possible for students with learning disabilities to show what they know without being impeded by their disability."
Accommodations that HHCA can reasonably offer students include:
- Permission for the use of laptop computers in the classroom.
- With permission from the instructor, the use of a recording device in the classroom.
- Assistance with note taking.
- Extended time for students to complete tests and classroom assignments.
- The use of a word processing program for spelling and composition.
- In cases of extreme disability in a given area, alterations in course requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Oral reading and/or interpretation of directions and test questions.
- Testing in a separate location.
External Testing Accommodations
ARC works with students and the guidance department on College Board (PSAT, SAT and AP) tests as well as ACT tests. There is a different process for College Board and ACT applications and require additional time to process. See Academic Accommodations Guidelines for procedure.
Jennifer Hubbard
Academic Resource Center
(843) 681-2878
Debbie Hammett
If your child is struggling in school and you are concerned that he or she may have a learning disability, contact our ARC Team for more information.
In addition, here are a few resources to help answer any questions:
- Learning Disabilites: Causes, Effects, and Diagnosis
- Types of Learning disabilities
- Other Resources
- ADHD
- Barton Reading & Spelling System
- Scholarship Funding: Exceptional SC is the new face of the Educational Credit for Exceptional Needs Children. It is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting exceptional needs students and families in South Carolina, created by the passage of the Exceptional SC Law of 2018.