1. Ramaz Learning Center Overview
2. Receiving Accommodations Based on a Learning Disability or Psychiatric Disorder
3. Psychoeducational Testing
4. Communication and Confidentiality
5. Learning Center Services and Accommodations
6. Maintaining Academic Standards
7. Department of Education: Mandated Services
8. Contact Information
The Ramaz School is committed to providing academic support and appropriate accommodations to all students that meet specific criteria as outlined in this guide. Ideally, a learning difference should not interfere with a student’s ability to receive a meaningful educational experience based on Ramaz’s academic standards. Ramaz supports the education of students with special learning needs; The Ramaz Learning Center program offers individualized, curriculum based support in both secular and Judaic studies.
Ramaz maintains a rigorous standard for defining and accommodating learning needs The goal of providing appropriate accommodations is balanced with the understanding that not all academic struggles that prevent a student from excelling indicate a “disability” or require accommodations. Students are referred to neuropsychologists for full evaluations as part of the process of determining whether a student requires accommodations and/or Learning Center support (see Section III below). A psychoeducational evaluation diagnosing a formal learning disability, ADHD or a psychiatric diagnosis is required in order to receive accommodations at Ramaz. In addition, the Ramaz Student Services Support Committee (composed of the administration, Learning Center Directors and school psychologists), will also analyze the child’s functioning in a broader context, considering actual performance at Ramaz, progress reports, portfolios of the child’s evaluated work and clinical interviews. The Committee then determines whether the recommended accommodations will be implemented on a case-by-case basis. If a proposed accommodation is inconsistent with the evaluation’s data or School's program, it may not necessarily be implemented.
When a student is diagnosed with a “psychiatric” disorder, such as ADHD, or anxiety or mood disorder, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders–V (the standard classification for learning and other psychological disorders), which interferes with academic performance, a full psychoeducational evaluation is still required. The accommodations in the evaluation must sufficiently specify how the psychiatric disorder functionally impairs academic performance. The School requests that a student who is diagnosed with a psychiatric diagnosis is receiving appropriate treatment as a student’s circumstances can change during the school year Accordingly, an annual update from the mental health professional treating the student is required to continue the accommodations from year to year
In middle school, a member of the Ramaz professional team may contact parents of students to discuss learning related concerns. The School, after discussion with the teachers and parents,
may recommend a complete neuropsychoeducational evaluation. This assessment will provide a better understanding of the student’s learning profile.
All psycho-educational assessments must be conducted by a licensed clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, educational psychologist, or school psychologist with expertise in educational and psychological assessment. All psycho-educational evaluations must be submitted on the professional's letterhead and signed.
Upon request, Ramaz can refer parents to private evaluators and university testing clinics with sliding payment scales. At the minimum, a thorough evaluation should include a reason for the referral, a comprehensive developmental history, measures of cognitive ability, written and oral language functioning, memory, executive functioning, academic achievement, processing speed tests, neuropsychological tests, grapho-motor ability, visual motor skills and emotional functioning. In addition, the evaluation must specify how a) the specific learning disability (or ADHD) functionally impacts the child's academic life and b) the proposed accommodation(s) would remediate the disability (or ADHD).
The Department of Education provides evaluations at no cost; however, these evaluations may not include all of the information necessary to best serve Ramaz students. In addition, some reports may omit information about the child’s emotional or executive functioning and memory. The School may then require supplemental testing or analysis to provide a fully comprehensive picture of the student’s learning profile.
For the purposes of standardized testing during the high school years, the College Board website (www.ets.org) and the ACT website (www.actstudent.org/regist/disab/chart.html) provide criteria and further guidance about what qualifies as a disability and the requirements for a complete evaluation.
Questionnaires or behavior rating scales provided by the testing psychologist to the student’s Ramaz teachers are considered the data of the testing psychologist and, as such, will be returned from Ramaz directly to the evaluator and not to the student’s parents.
Parents seeking accommodations should submit the evaluation to Dr. Atara Berliner, Middle School Psychologist and Director of Guidance or Ali Esses, Director of Social Emotional Learning and Coordinator of the Learning Center. It may not be edited in any way from the original report. We encourage parents to arrange with the psychologist who administered the evaluation, in addition to the parent feedback session, an opportunity to explain to the child his/her learning profile and strengths and weaknesses.
The Administration, the Director of the Learning Center, and the School Psychologist typically meet with parents to review the evaluation.
Ramaz considers evaluations current generally for four years after the date of testing. The parents are responsible for re-evaluating the student at the appropriate time.
In all three divisions, the administration, school psychologists, and Learning Center faculty regularly communicate with one another as well as with outside specialists. Ramaz holds transition meetings between divisions of the School to discuss students entering the Learning Center in each division. The Learning Center faculty meets regularly to monitor each student’s progress throughout the year. Ramaz treats psycho-educational evaluations and IESPs from the Department of Education as confidential materials and will summarize them for teachers with the parents’ authorization.
The Middle School Learning Center provides curriculum based support to students with learning challenges. Middle School Learning Center sessions are typically individual or in small groups. Students are paired with a Learning Specialist that can meet the needs of the students' learning challenges.
After the test report is submitted to the Learning Center, the Learning Center attempts, whenever possible, to implement accommodations. If the Learning Center is unable to implement an accommodation, parents will be informed.
Some accommodations recommended in an evaluation are more appropriate for a special education setting and not feasible to implement in the Ramaz mainstream setting. Some accommodations recommended in an evaluation, such as note taking buddies, modified tests and oral tests, are more appropriate for a special education setting and not provided. Accommodations are approved on a case-by-case basis by the School’s Student Support Services Committee as sometimes, a proposed accommodation is inconsistent with the School’s program. The Committee considers the recommendations of the evaluator, teacher reports and the academic functioning of the student when making a decision about the in-school accommodations.
The Middle School provides the following accommodations:
● Extended time for in-class and standardized exams (1.5) (but not concept checks)
● Reading and repeating exam directions (but not questions) aloud
● Translating portions of Judaic studies exams (except on Hebrew language exams and for those questions that are text-based)
● *Using assistive technology
● Breaks during tests
● Enlarging tests
● Taking ERB’s in a location separate from the rest of the class
● Preferential seating
In order to receive accommodations on standardized academic achievement tests such as the ERB, an evaluation must be submitted to the school at least one month before the test start date.
If, after providing support and accommodations, a student still does not experience success at Ramaz, the administration and guidance staff will assist the family in finding a more suitable educational environment.
Students may be entitled to various services as mandated by their IESP through the Department of Education. These services include speech and language, occupational and physical therapy, in addition to SETTS (Special Education Teacher Technology Specialists), SEIT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher) and professional counseling. All Ramaz divisions do not permit Department of Education or private providers to administer services to students on premises during school hours.
The Middle School Learning Center is pleased to respond to any questions parents may have regarding the delivery of Learning Center services to our students. Contact information is listed below:
Ramaz Middle School
Dr. Atara J. Berliner
Director of Guidance and Learning Center 212-774-8047 atarab@ramaz.org
Ali Esses, LCSW
Director of Social Emotional Learning and Coordinator of the Learning Center 212-784-3273 essesa@ramaz.org
The Ramaz School (“Ramaz” or the “School”) Learning Centers Program Handbook is published and distributed to members of the Ramaz community for the purpose of providing information on aspects of student and campus life so that students may gain as much as possible from their experience at the School. Students, parents, faculty, administration, and staff should all read and be familiar with the contents of the Handbook, so that each member of the community knows and understands our community expectations. While policies in this Handbook will generally apply, the School reserves the right to take actions that it determines to be in the best interests of the School, its faculty and its students. This Handbook does not limit the authority of the School to alter, interpret and implement its rules, policies and procedures, before, during and after the School year. This Handbook is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to create, nor does it create, a contract or part of a contract in any way, including, but not limited to, between the School and any parent, guardian or student affiliated with or attending the School. Ramaz reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to add, revise and/or delete School policies before, during and after the school year.