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Groves Academy Summer School continues to attract students with learning disabilities from around the region

Largest number of applicants ever highlights growing reputation of this center for educational excellence

St. Louis Park, Minnesota (June 26, 2013) – Imagine kids who are excited about summer school, learning how to read and write and even practice these skills at home! You’ll find them attending Summer School at Groves Academy in St. Louis Park where school administrators say they’re attracting the highest number of applicants—ever—for this unique 1-12 program designed to help “jumpstart” kids with learning and attention disorders.

In fact, Groves’ teachers are working with more students in the summer than they did during the previous school year: 145 students are enrolled in the four-week program, 83 students come for individual tutoring in reading and writing, and dozens of students come to Groves Academy for Diagnostic Testing. The school draws almost 90 percent of its students from outside of Groves Academy. They hail from public school districts and independent schools around the Greater Twin Cities area and Wisconsin.

School officials say they’re developing a national reputation for using teaching methods that work—proven techniques that open doors for students who just can’t catch up in the classroom.

“By using our scientifically-based approach in small, personalized group settings, we tackle these students’ stumbling blocks to reading and writing, and prepare them to excel in their own schools next fall,” said Head of School John Alexander. Alexander is a national expert and Minnesota leader in reading reform with a Master of Education from Harvard University specializing in reading and language disabilities.

Students achieve progress that amazes their parents. After second grade, Brianna Seaman was a candidate for Groves Academy’s Summer School because she was lagging so far behind in speech. “We knew we needed to do something besides what her regular school could do,” said Brianna’s mom, Amy Burns.

Brianna’s mom marveled at watching the changes in her daughter thanks to Groves’ small group instructional approach. “She loved getting up every morning to go to school. She moved up in math after the first day or two. She did great at reading and was even inspired to read more at home,” said Burns. “Groves turned on the academic switch in her,” she said. “It was amazing that one summer session turned her around!” Burns says her daughter went up 30 points in MAP assessment testing, and now at the age of nine is happily ready for 4th grade.

Thirteen-year-old Brianna and 15-year-old Alisha Bullard-Green struggle with a language processing disorder and attend Groves Academy during the school year. Their mother says she was surprised when both her daughters told her recently they couldn’t wait to go to summer school. “It’s been fantastic and they think it’s fun,” said Jennie Green. “The teachers really enjoy being with the kids, they’re teaching effectively, they get to know the students and they develop this bond with them.” Green says the most striking change is how much better her younger daughter feels about herself. “That she is smart and can do academic work well,” she said.

School leaders point to these families’ experiences and Groves Academy’s record numbers of applicants as just the latest example of how the school is becoming a “go-to” resource for learning in the region, impacting the lives of thousands of students.

About Groves Academy

Groves Academy is a national leader and pioneer in educating students with learning disabilities and attention disorders, and is the only school of its kind in Minnesota. This premier 1-12 school in St. Louis Park was founded in 1972 and currently enrolls 240 students from Minnesota and across the U.S. Through research-based curriculum and personalized instruction, Groves Academy helps students with learning and attention disorders succeed in the classroom.

The school also functions as a key resource center in the Midwest, providing literacy training for teachers in more than 50 school districts and holding dozens of workshops annually for the public, attracting 5,000 attendees. Groves Academy provides diagnostic assessments for students from preschool-age to college, tutoring for 1-12 students, a summer school program for students from other districts and specialized college counseling for high school students and adults with learning and attention disorders.

For more information about the innovative work at Groves Academy, visit http://www.grovesacademy.org or to schedule interviews contact media liaison Robb Leer 612.701.0608.

 

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