Learning Disabilities

The Learning Resource Center is a full-service, comprehensive academic support program for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. The Learning Resource Center offers three levels of support services to students with disabilities: Comprehensive Support (Level I ); Enhanced Support (Level II ) and Entitled Support (Level III ). Level I and Level II supports are on a fee for service basis and are available to students with documented learning disabilities and/or ADHD. Students at Levels I and II work with Learning Specialists and Writing Specialists to develop skills and strategies for their academic work.

The LRC policy is to start all students who are eligible for academic support services at Level I for the first full academic year. The reason for this is that, based on our twenty-five years experience of providing support, we have found that students need that amount of time to:

• Learn the multiple skills and strategies available to them
• To develop an increased comfort level with asking for support
• To develop the habits of regular attendance at support sessions

Students with any and all disabilities are entitled to Level III support services by applicable state and federal law and there is no additional charge for this support. Level III support does not offer the same skills and strategies work as is available at Levels I and II.

LEVEL I: Comprehensive Support
Level I is a comprehensive academic support program offering intensive academic support services as students make the transition from high school to college. At this level of support, Specialists arrange up to FOUR weekly sessions of academic support on either an individual or small group basis. Individual sessions are designed for intensive work with a specific focus. The content and structure of the sessions are determined cooperatively by the student and the specialist to achieve the following objectives:

• Identify unique learning strengths, styles and challenges.
• Develop an individualized program of academic support
• Encourage self-advocacy and the transition to becoming an independent life-long learner.

Small group sessions are also used to help apply the skills and strategies acquired in individual sessions. Again, the content and structure of the small group sessions are determined cooperatively between the specialist and the students to achieve the following objectives:

• Learn how to work cooperatively with other students
• Demonstrate the value of group study and collaborative work
• Promote self-confidence and independence through working with peers

There is an additional fee for this level of support.

LEVEL II: Enhanced Support
Level II is an enhanced support program offering less involved and less dedicated support services to students who have successfully managed the initial transition to college level academic work. At this level, Specialists arrange up to TWO weekly sessions of academic support on an individual and small group basis. The Specialist will reinforce study skills and strategies, review overall progress, note improvements and needs, and discuss available resources. This level is designed for students in their second or third year at Mitchell College who are ready to assume increasing responsibility for their educational needs and goals but who still may need periodic support and encouragement. There is an additional fee for this level of support.

LEVEL III: Entitled Support
Level III provides support services to students with any and all disabilities to help them access those classroom, testing, and environmental accommodations to which they are entitled by applicable state and federal laws. Students at this level do not receive academic support services in the form of skills and strategies for learning or writing or coaching. There is no fee for this service.

Letter to Parents of prospective students in the LRC

Learning and Writing Specialists

Few colleges have specialists dedicated specifically to the areas of learning and writing. Mitchell College is the fortunate to have a large team of specialists who possess graduate and postgraduate degrees in the fields of English and education. At Mitchell College, two specialists, a Learning and Writing Specialist are assigned to each student enrolled in the Learning Resource Center. They meet with students one-on-one in scheduled mentoring sessions and work closely with professors to monitor student progress. All the while, they encourage independence, self-advocacy, and self-acceptance. Whether it’s strengthening skills in writing composition, test-taking strategies, goal-setting, time management or reading comprehension, Mitchell’s specialists are the core of students’ primary support teams.

Adaptive Technology

Mitchell College has an extensive array or assistive learning equipment and software. Some of this adaptive technology includes:

• Assistive Listening Devices
• Kurzweil Reading System
• Screen Reading Software
• Voice Recognition Software
• Inspiration Software

Academic Coaching for Empowerment

While most of us struggle to complete our daily laundry list of “to dos,” for the millions of people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (AD/HD), the task can seem all but impossible. At Mitchell, The Learning Resource Center addresses the hidden effects the disorder has on grades, attendance, and student success in the form of an innovative new coaching model called ACE – Academic Coaching for Empowerment. This program pairs students with individual LRC “coaches.” The coaches help students accurately evaluate and replace ineffective daily planning habits while allowing them to keep autonomous control of the coaching sessions. In the process, students learn about the effects of AD/HD and how it impacts their daily lives. The key to the success of the program lies in a daily ten-minute meeting between coach and student. Student and coach collaborate to:

• Set daily short term goals
• Assess the degree of completion of goals
• Reveal patterns of behavior
• Replace ineffective behavior with effective ones

Summer Transition Enrichment Program

S.T.E.P. is a four-week optional intensive summer program for incoming freshmen. S.T.E.P. enables students to transition into their fall studies by strengthening their study skills, improving basic academic skills, identifying their personal learning style and earning college credits.

Faculty Who Understand Learning Differences

Every college boasts about their ‘caring and committed faculty.’ At Mitchell College, this isn’t just an overused phrase, it’s a reality. Mitchell’s faculty are dedicated to one thing and one thing only – student academic success. Not only do they possess graduate and postgraduate degrees in their field of study, but they are also experienced and trained educational professional who are well-versed in the area of working with students who have different learning styles. With low student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1, Mitchell College classes are small and personalized. At Mitchell College you don’t have inexperienced teaching assistants, you have knowledgeable and caring professors.

The Dawn and Ric Brill Duquès ’64 Academic Success Center

In addition to unique programs and trained professionals, it is also vital that students have a learning environment in which they can feel safe and comfortable. Mitchell College is fortunate to have the Dawn and Ric Brill Duquès ’64 Academic Success Center, a learning facility dedicated solely to student academic success. Home to the Learning Resource Center, Tutoring Center, Career Center and Academic Advising, this brand new state of the art facility sits high on the middle of campus overlooking the water. The building has space designated for meetings with learning and writing specialists, classroom instruction, tutoring, testing, study, relaxation, reflection, and research.

Applying to the Learning Resource Center

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for applying to the college, students seeking admission to the LRC Program must also submit a complete documentation of disability. This documentation should include, but not be limited to, the following:

• The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WIAS-R or WISC-R) including subscale scores
• Standardized achievement testing, such as the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised (WJ-R), the Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK), the Test of Written Language 2(TOWL02), the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised, or the California Achievement Test (CAT).

Results of any testing designed to examine information processing strengths and weaknesses, as well as documentation of the classroom and/or test accommodations.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Peter Love, Director of the Learning Resource Center or Jennifer Mauro, LRC Admissions Liaison.