Academics

Special Services

Bishop Ireton is proud to offer a variety of programs designed to provide a supportive and inclusive education.

Mindful of the belief that all human beings are made in the image of Christ, we seek to foster spirituality and inclusion among all members of our student body. Students learn together, worship together, serve together, and celebrate one another. Bishop Ireton’s Special Services Team collaborates with parents, content teachers, school counselors, and the school nurse, to provide students with the necessary differentiated supports to achieve success in all components of their school career. The Bishop Ireton Special Services Team approaches programming as Christ-centered and student-centered work, with the belief that all children have the right to access a high-quality Catholic education and reach their full potential. We offer several year-long special service programs to support students academically.

Additional Programs (Added Fee)

List of 3 items.

Academic Support Program

The Academic Support Program (ASP) is designed for students with a history of learning challenges or deficits in organization and planning, who, with support, can succeed with college-prep curriculum. The primary role of this program is to teach students the study skills necessary for student success. Students attend ASP during their scheduled study hall period, receiving individual and small group instruction.

ASP purposefully provides a more structured environment than study hall, where teachers model and teach effective approaches to workload management. Self-advocacy skills are an early focus so that students can work with teachers to ask for appropriate help when needed. These classes are purposefully kept small (1:8 teacher to student ratio) so that personalized support can be developed, resulting in limited accepted enrollment.

The fee for the Academic Support Program for the 2023-24 school year is $2,500 in addition to tuition.
De Sales Program

The De Sales Program (DSP) is designed to serve students with a diagnosed mild to moderate specific learning disability or developmental disability. Students take all core subjects in regularly scheduled classes and attend DSP in a resource classroom during their one study hall period. Ninth grade students attend DSP for two class periods, and delay taking a foreign language. The primary focus of DSP is to assist students with academic and organizational needs by providing them with specialized tutorial support to help meet the demands of academic course requirements.

Individual and small group instruction is provided to closely monitor academic progress and provide skill reinforcement in most subject areas. Emphasis is placed on improving executive functioning skills and study techniques. DSP staff communicate regularly with parents and utilize Parent-Student-Teacher conferences to establish and review individual education goals. DSP teachers work closely with students and their content area teachers to design appropriate adaptations and accommodations for the academic setting, and they help students develop self-advocacy skills in the classroom.

The DSP addresses the needs of students according to the resources available within Bishop Ireton High School. Not all recommendations and accommodations in a student’s psychoeducational evaluation are binding or feasible, but every effort will be made to meet the individual needs of each student.
The fee for the De Sales Program for the 2023-24 school year is $3,500 in addition to tuition.
The Options Program

The Options Program is a special education program for students diagnosed with moderate intellectual disabilities, providing students with an individualized inclusive, student-centered Catholic education. Students in the Options Program are included in college prep courses with their peers with coursework and assessments modified to align with the student’s goals and strengths. Small group classes (1:6 teacher to student ratio) are scheduled in the Options classroom for students to work on goals and develop skills needed to successfully transition into adulthood.

Options places a strong commitment on academics with an emphasis towards students’ vocation/transitional exploration, founded on the belief that all individuals can learn. An Individualized Catholic Education Plan (ICEP) helps us to determine each student’s level of inclusion. Each student’s needs are accommodated through a variety of instructional strategies and assessment tools in order to realize his or her potential.

Under the supervision of school staff, peer mentor students assist students in the Options Program in both special and general education classes, assisting with academics, providing positive behavior supports, facilitating inclusion in both academic and non-academic settings, serving as advocates and building friendships. A primary goal for each student is to be as fully integrated as possible into the total life of the school community. Options students do not earn a high school diploma but rather, receive an Options Program certificate of completion.

The fee for the Options Program for the 2023-24 school year is $3,850 in addition to tuition.

Support Included for All Students

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English Learner Support

Bishop Ireton does not have a formalized English Learner (EL) program, but does strive to support international students so they can be successful in the school’s fast-paced academics while continuing to develop their English language skills. Students are screened previous to enrollment for English language proficiency through standardized testing and an interview with school staff. If accepted for enrollment, students and parents complete a Home Language Survey and begin a process of identifying needed supports. Language-based learning accommodations can be provided to make sure the student has support for the unique task of learning core content in their non-native language.

If you have questions about English Learner supports, please contact the Director of Special Services, Aga Snyder aga.snyder@bishopireton.org.
Homework Center
The Academic Support Team has opened a new layer of support open to all students who need a place to get assignments done or study for a test. The Homework Center is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 3:15-4:30 pm in room 204.

What we can do for you and your student:
- Provide a structured drop-in space for any student who wants a place to do homework.
- Have multiple adults assist in the space and provide opportunities for direct support.
- Help prioritize or organize assignments.
- Provide peer tutoring in a variety of subjects.
While designed to be a proactive space, the Homework Center will also be a place where students on academic probation or students who need more regular support are strongly encouraged or even, eventually, required to attend.
Math Help Center
All students have the opportunity to receive support with their math coursework at Bishop Ireton. The Math Help Center is open during all study halls, and students may request to visit for any extra support. The Math Help Center is currently offered virtually for remote and hybrid students. Students should log into their portal account and look for the "Math Help Center Online" resource board for the online schedule and link.
What we can do for you and your student:
- Help students in all areas of math or refer them to which teacher can help with their specific topic.
- Provide instruction on missed lessons after an absence.
- Provide additional instruction on concepts not yet mastered.
- Help with homework or with specific areas of confusion so students can then complete the homework.
- Review returned assessments with the student to make sure they understand mistakes and know the content going forward.
- Help with studying for upcoming assessments.
Medical Accomodations

The School Nurse and Director of Special Services work together to provide students who have medical diagnoses that impact academics with accommodations needed to be successful in school. They also advocate for accessibility for school events and academic programming. Student services can be consultative or formal with Medical Plans and/or Student Assistance Plans developed to ensure the student is safe and can participate throughout the school day. When a student sustains a concussion, the Bishop Ireton Athletic Trainers collaborate to develop a Concussion Plan to assist with academics during recovery.
Testing Center

The Testing Center is a monitored classroom environment available for making up assessments when absent or completing additional testing as assigned by the teacher. The Testing Center is available for all students, but students who have Student Assistance Plans (SAP) with specific testing accommodations can use the Testing Center as part of their SAP.

Current Hours for the Testing Center:
Before School: 7-7:45 am Monday-Thursday
After School: 3:15-4:05 pm Monday-Thursday
Writing Center
The Bishop Ireton Writing Center, The Word Write Shop (WWS), is available as a standard support for all students. The WWS is designed to assist students in sharpening and reinforcing the writing instruction that they receive across the curriculum by providing help at every stage of the writing process. The goal is to improve students’ written communication skills by providing them with tutorial help in planning, drafting, and revising essays, research papers, reports, oral presentations, and college/scholarship applications. The WWS is staffed daily by Bishop Ireton English teachers on a rotating basis. The WWS is currently offered virtually for remote and hybrid students. Students should log into their portal account and look for the "Word Write Shop Online" resource board for the online schedule and link.
What we can do for you and your student:
- Help students improve no matter what his or her writing abilities are to begin with.
- Help at any stage of the writing process.
- Help foster an understanding of the discipline that is required to produce a well-written document/project/assignment.
- Read students’ work in a responsive, non-judgmental manner.
- Refer students to appropriate sources for help on matters we cannot solve in the conference.
- Show students critical thinking and analytical strategies for better self-editing.