Drexel Program Students

Under the auspices of the Department of Special Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Drexel Program of Learning Strategies is a further development of the programs conducted in some elementary schools for students diagnosed with a specific learning disability.

In addition, the Drexel Program is designed to meet the needs of non-disabled students who are struggling in multiple courses across the curriculum. The goal of the program is to teach students the study skills and habits that are needed to meet the academic challenges of high school and to prepare for post-secondary education.

Program Coordinator: Mrs. Allie Esquivel
[email protected]

Admission Requirements

Parents may contact the school’s Admissions Department to arrange an interview with the Drexel Program Coordinator and their student. The SchoolAdmin Application must be completed before this interview. This personal interview is then scheduled with the prospective students and parent(s), at which time ability, achievement levels, motivation and emotional factors are explored. Students must also meet entrance requirements for the high school. After these requirements have been met, invitations for enrollment to the program may then be extended. As full time students of the high school, program members are expected to comply with all rules and requirements of the high school during the time of enrollment.

General Information

Students are rostered into regular high school classes for every period each day except for one. During the resource period, the program teacher meets with the students in the Drexel Program. Students have a full academic schedule; accommodations are developed through consultation between the Drexel Program teachers and the subject-area teachers. These accommodations are specified on the student’s accommodation list.

Special Curriculum

In the Drexel Program, a learning strategies approach is used. The goal is for the students to develop study skills, which will generalize across curricular areas. The topics include attention/concentration, organization, note taking, memorizing and test-taking techniques.

Staff

For each period, there is one full time teacher who has a background in special education, reading specialist, or study skills curriculum. 

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

IEPs specify long-term goals and short-term objectives. While the Archdiocese of Philadelphia does not accept IEPs, we do strive to make accommodations based off of IEPs and diagnostic testing.

Accommodations

Based on individual student need, necessary accommodations for the learning disability will be specified on the IEP. This information is shared with each of the student’s teachers.