Fountain Valley School | Academic Support

The Academic Skills Center is a hub on campus that offers easily accessible, relevant and timely educational support to accommodate students' academic and instructional needs*.

Fountain Valley’s Academic Skills Center offers individualized educational support for students, parents, guardians, and teachers. Students in need of short-term help with study skills, personal organization, time management, and test anxiety, or who wish to obtain information on educational testing, may meet with a staff member or in small groups via scheduled appointments. In addition, Academic Skills Center staff may help to assess students’ reading speed and comprehension, and preferred learning styles. Students with documented academic accommodations are also supported by their teachers in taking tests in the Academic Skills Center.

*The School likewise provides structured and regularly scheduled, long-term academic support through the Academic Skills Instructional Program (ASIP)–available to a limited number of students each year and for an additional fee.

Accommodations

Fountain Valley School offers reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students who have professional, current and formal diagnostic evaluations, and will consider recommendations from professional clinical psychologists’ reports. A letter from a physician stating a diagnosis and recommendations for accommodations is not considered a formal diagnostic evaluation. Please review these guidelines for submitting appropriate documentation.

In-class Accommodations

Testing Accommodations

Additional Accommodations

Accommodations and Modifications Not Offered

The list includes, but is not limited to the following:

Reduced and/or modified assignments or tests
Modifications to one's academic schedule and/or requirements for graduation
100% extended time
Untimed tests
Oral tests (unless given to the whole class)
Tests written differently than for other students in the class
Substitution of American Sign Language (ASL) for a world language requirement
Faculty lecture notes, lecture outlines, and peer notes

The Academic Skills Instructional PrograM

The Academic Skills Instructional Program (ASIP) provides specialized academic guidance to a limited number of students annually for an additional fee. Up to two students may be enrolled in one section of ASIP and are taught by an ASC staff member in an assigned block for 70 minutes every other day. The goal of ASIP is to help students develop the skills needed to become self-directed learners. Working closely with content-area teachers, Academic Skills Center staff align the ASIP curriculum with core academic coursework and expectations. Not a tutoring service, ASIP is designed to complement and support students as they acquire the necessary skills to become successful independent learners. With this objective in mind, ASIP students are expected to acquire the necessary skill set within two full academic years.

ASIP BROCHURE

English Language Learners PROGRAM

Fountain Valley School offers a comprehensive English Language Learners (ELL) Program for non-native English speakers. Students may enroll in ELL English for 9th and 10th grade while engaged in an ELL history practice course to complement their education in The American West and Modern World History. As their English acquisition increases, students transition to mainstream English courses. The international student director provides additional individual support and guidance to ELL and international students on a regular basis. Please refer to the Course Catalog for additional information on courses offered through the ELL program.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SUPPORT

Additional Support

Students are encouraged to meet with FVS faculty for extra help as needed; faculty may also direct individual students to attend extra-help sessions. Each faculty sets individual guidelines regarding the times and places they are available for extra help both during and outside of the academic day, including on evenings when their respective teacher is on duty.

Evening Study Hall

Participation in evening Study Hall is required of all boarding students each Sunday through Thursday, from 7:30 until 9:30 p.m. either in their dorms or in the John B. Hawley Jr. Library, Art Barn, or Kitson Music Room. Between the hours of 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., students are expected to study independently or to study with a faculty member on duty. Some students, including new freshmen and sophomores throughout the first quarter, may be assigned to supervised evening Study Hall during this period. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., students are able to work independently, as a group, or with a faculty on duty.

Humanities & STEM Center Peer Tutoring (HSC)

Oftentimes, educational guidance provided by peers is the most convenient and useful extra resource available. Peer tutoring is available during the academic day and at night in the second hour of Evening Study Hall. Students in the Froelicher Society — along with select students who have applied to become peer tutors — offer tutoring in specific subjects at no charge.

Professional Tutoring

When a student needs academic assistance in a particular subject area beyond the resources available at the School, outside professional tutoring may be arranged with one of FVS's vetted tutors who must pass a School-issued background check and other protocols and procedures. It is the responsibility of the students' parent(s)/guardian(s) and tutor to determine financial arrangements and scheduling. Note: Virtual tutoring from outside individuals apart from FVS-vetted tutors is not recommended or supported by the School; the integrity of the help being provided remains in question in these situations.