Whether or not your son has been enrolled in Structured Study Hall (regular or dyslexia-focused), there is more assistance available to Catholic High School students of all grade levels who may struggle in reading or literacy. We have a more individualized reading instruction opportunity, which some students need in order to reach their full potential. This tutoring can happen during school hours.
Reading impacts not only performance in English class (literature, grammar, vocabulary, essays, papers, novels), but also in History, the Sciences, Foreign Language, the directions in a word problem for Math, as well as testing instructions or reading passages on standardized tests such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT. We have observed that if a student enters high school performing below his grade level in foundational skills like reading, he will continue to struggle unnecessarily through high school and into college if these skills are not recovered.
The goal of individualized instruction is to recover these skills. We assess the student’s basic literacy skills to see what he has mastered and what he lacks. We would then utilize the most effective tools for filling those gaps in reading, writing, and spelling. This will impact your son for the coursework he is faced with now and into the future. Students will be paired with a highly trained specialist to begin on the skills they are lacking. Progress monitors would occur every 9 weeks using a norm-referenced national test.
University of Central Arkansas – BSE
Mrs. Michener has been working with Catholic High students since 2018. She earned a bachelors of science education degree in special education from the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to partnering with Catholic High, she taught in several states in the Southeast, before retiring in Houston, Texas. After traveling the country with her husband, she moved back to Little Rock.
University of Central Arkansas-BSE
Mrs. Stehle has been working with Catholic High students since 2016. She began her career in education as a Family and Consumer Service teacher, where she had the opportunity to teach students valuable skills that would benefit them throughout their lives. However, it was through her son’s dyslexia that she recognized the need for trained and experienced educators to support children with learning differences. Therefore, she obtained a dyslexia endorsement to complement her teaching license. Mrs. Stehle has undergone training in various programs to effectively assist diverse students. For the past eight years, she has been working as a reading specialist working with students from Catholic High School and other students in the community.
University of Arkansas – BSE | Arkansas State University – MSE
Ms. McClellan has been working with Catholic High students since 2019. She earned a bachelors in science education from the University of Arkansas. She then earned her Masters in Education from Arkansas State University. Prior to partnering with Catholic High, she was a classroom teacher for ten years and a counselor for 21 years. She has been an after school tutor for the past ten years. In addition, she has been a Counselor and Testing Coordinator for 20 years and an ESL Coordinator for 12 years with the LR School District.
Texas Christian University – BS
Mrs. Danforth has been working with Catholic High students since 2016. She earned a bachelors of science in environmental science from Texas Christian University. Prior to partnering with Catholic High, she taught grammar and writing to junior high and high school students as well as provided individual and small group instruction in other subject areas. Currently she also works as a magazine copy editor. She has tutored students at Catholic High in phonics-based reading designed for older dyslexia students for six years.
Growing up with an older brother that went to Catholic High, I knew I wanted to be a part of what he always referred to as “The Brotherhood.” I love that I’m able to explore so many of my interests, from joining Broadcast Journalism and JROTC my freshman year to becoming president of the drama club as a junior. As I get ready for college in two short years, I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given at Catholic High that will help me stand out in the application process.
