Upper School

Learning Support

By graduation, learning support becomes self-reliance

The goal of Upper School Learning Support isn't to carry students. It's to make sure they no longer need to be carried. These are the years a capable student becomes an independent one. Someone who knows how they learn, asks for what they need, and walks into college ready to thrive on their own.

That transformation is intentional. Our Learning Specialists guide students through a deliberate shift from coaching toward genuine independence, layering in the exact skills colleges expect: self-advocacy, organization, and the confidence to manage real academic demands. This isn't remediation. It's college preparation.

A step-down model that builds toward independence

Most support programs keep students dependent on the help they provide. Learning Support at Highland does the opposite.

Our Learning Specialists follow a deliberate step-down service model that hands more responsibility to the student as they grow ready for it. Early on, specialists offer more structure and guidance. Over time, they pull back, helping students set their own goals, build their own systems, and develop the readiness a successful college transition demands.

A student who leans on a specialist forever isn't ready for college. A student who learns to advocate for themselves, manage their own workload, and seek help on their own terms absolutely is.

Independence isn't a happy accident here. It's the design.

Support built into the school day

Support only works when it fits into real life. So we make it part of the regular schedule, not an extra burden on top of it.

Students in Upper School Learning Support are scheduled during one of their two study hall periods. During that time, they receive a focused mix of support built around their goals:

Academic and organizational support to stay on top of coursework across every class
Executive functioning coaching model based on the strengthening of specific goals each student is working toward
Proctored testing accommodations for quizzes and tests, provided as needed

Because it lives inside the day, support never feels like a detour. It becomes a steady rhythm, a place to sharpen skills, regroup, and keep moving forward.

Preparing students for college, not just the next test

Here's what sets Upper School support apart. It looks past graduation from the very start.

Our Learning Specialists do more than help students manage their current classes. They handle the practical, often confusing work that families rarely know to ask about. Click on the expanding boxes below to see some of the post-high school challenges our specialists guide students through:

Meet Our Team

List of 2 members.

Liz Gordon

Director of Learning Support
Jennifer Wood

Upper School Learning Support

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College search advising

Our learning support specialists advise Upper School students through all phases of their college search process. Our experts help students and families navigate the shift from IEP's/504 plans to to ADA guidelines found in colleges and universities. The goal is to ensure students find those best-fit schools where they'll be well supported through the next step in their academic journey.
College-level accommodations

Registering for accommodations at the college level, so support continues after Highland
Standardized testing accommodations

Navigating standardized testing accommodations on the SAT, ACT, PSAT, and AP exams

A student who already knows how to request accommodations, advocate for their needs, and choose the right environment doesn't just get into college. They're equipped to succeed once they're there.

When a student needs more: the Intensive programs

Some students benefit from deeper, individualized support than study hall sessions provide. For them, our Intensive programs offer small-group instruction tailored to where they are in their journey.

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Intensives in 9th and 10 Grade: Reading and Writing
Taught by Learning Specialists, the freshman and sophomore Intensive balances skill remediation with direct support of current coursework. The focus is reading and writing, reinforcing English and history classes through:
- Reading comprehension and vocabulary
- Grammar and written expression
- Study strategies, note-taking, organization, and time management
Junior and senior year: Math/Science Intensive

As coursework grows more demanding, the Math/Science Intensive supports classes like Algebra II and Chemistry. Worth 0.5 credits per semester and graded pass-fail, it lets students dig in without added pressure on their GPA.

Enrollment requires current private psychoeducational testing, and our specialists help your family decide whether an Intensive program is the right fit.

In a school where every student is known, no one slips through

Highland runs on a 7:1 student-teacher ratio, with classes averaging just 11 students. That isn't a number for a brochure. It's the foundation that makes real support possible.

When teachers know every student personally, learning differences don't go unnoticed and struggles don't get buried in a crowded room. Our Learning Specialists collaborate with teachers and families so each student's needs shape how they're taught in every class.

Your child is known, championed, and supported by a team genuinely invested in their independence.

College-prep advantage, not safety net

Let's say it plainly. Learning Support at Highland isn't about doing the bare minimum to get by. It's about preparing students to flourish without it.

By graduation, students who once needed close guidance are managing their own deadlines, advocating for themselves, and entering college already knowing how to access the help they're entitled to. They've built the self-knowledge and self-reliance that many students don't develop until well into college. For some, maybe not at all.

That head start is real, and it lasts. The journey matters. And for students who learn here how to own their own learning, the destination is independence itself.

See it for yourself

The best way to understand how we prepare Upper School students for college is to experience it firsthand. Come meet our Learning Specialists, see how support fits into the school day, and picture your child here: independent, self-assured, and ready for whatever comes next.