The DEN: Grades K-6

• Led by Dr. Melissa Sutherland

• Provides literacy intervention and support for students in Grades K-6 and math intervention and support for students in Grades 1-6.

• Literacy services for Kindergarten are included in tuition cost.

Student Success Center: Grades 7-12

• Led by Kim Sorise

• Offers individualized and small group support for students in Grades 7-12

• Provides targeted intervention for literacy, math, and executive functioning for students in Grades 7-12

Grades K-6

• All students in Grades K-4 are assessed in literacy by either the classroom teacher or Dr. Sutherland. All 1st Graders are assessed by Dr. Sutherland and all new Walden students in Grades 2-6 are assessed by either Dr. Sutherland or Mrs. Cobb.

• All students in Grades 1-6 are assessed in Math by Mrs. Vogt. 

• Based on assessment results and identified benchmarks children will be identified as:

  • A) Needing no additional support

  • B) Requiring progress monitoring by the classroom teacher

  • C) Needing small group or 1-on-1 intervention in the classroom provided by the classroom teacher

  • D) Needing intervention pull-out instruction. Families will be notified if their child needs any type of intervention and parents will collaborate on a Student Support Plan to identify learning goals and any necessary accommodations.

• Students who have an identified diagnosis of academic learning differences will be evaluated to determine if they are in need of services; if a need is determined, the student will qualify to receive services through The Den.

• If at any point during the school year a teacher identifies a child who might benefit from intervention support, the teacher will contact the family and with parent permission will begin the referral process for literacy and/or math intervention.

• Before any intervention services (outside of the classroom) begin, parents will be notified of the frequency of intervention, the schedule, the learning goals, and the cost of services. 

Grades 7-12

• Students with a diagnosed learning difference, an up-to-date (3-4 years) psychological/educational evaluations, and who are currently receiving academic services at Walden will be prioritized to receive support each school year as needed.

• Additional data we will use to determine the level of support is as follow:

  • Assessment data (MAP scores / PSAT / ALEKS diagnostic)

  • Teacher referral

  • Parent feedback

  • The referral process is not parent driven but parent feedback is welcome.

  • Transfer students: IEP, 504 plan, or formal learning plan

K-12 Referral Process

Current students who are not receiving services and do not have an identified academic need:

• Teacher observes and documents academic areas of concerns

• Teacher meets with the DEN Director to determine classroom intervention strategies and goals for the child - family members are brought into this conversation

• Teacher implements intervention strategies and follows up with the DEN Director

• If the intervention strategies are not effective, the DEN Director observes in the classroom, and the learning support team may further assess the child.

• The classroom teacher and the DEN Director meet with the family members to discuss the interventions to date, the observations, and the assessments which may include a recommendation to pursue psychoeducational testing. An individual learning plan is created for the child that includes the plan for intervention services.

• If the school has received a professional testing report, the DEN Director will develop an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) aligned with the recommendations made by an outside professional, observations, and parent feedback. The ILP will include accommodations and strategies recommended for inside and outside the classroom. The ILP will be shared with the student’s support team (interventionists,

• As determined by the student’s learning team (e.g., parents, grade-level teacher(s), the DEN Director, Learning Support Specialists, and Division Director), once a student has met his/her/their goals/academic benchmarks and no longer need additional learning services, families will be notified and services will be discontinued.

All Walden students’ learning profiles may include one or more of the following plans, depending upon diagnosis, intervention, and accommodations within the classroom:

• Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) are plans that are uniquely designed for each child to set 1-3 specific learning goals that are addressed by the DEN faculty and monitored for achievement. Families are included as part of the learning team that establishes the ILP goals and there are monthly meetings to monitor and adjust the learning goals.

• Student Support Plans (SSP) are a continuation of Student Services for Grades 7-12. The SSP is individualized for a student’s needs while working to build self-advocacy and accountability. In addition, the plan will utilize strategies for combating inattentiveness, impulsivity, emotional regulation, building executive functioning skills, techniques for increasing processing speed and working memory, diminishing social and test anxieties, as well as employing time management, organizational, and study skills to keep students working smarter rather than harder.

Supports provided to students at no additional cost:

• Implementation of research-based best practices in all K-12 classes.

• All students will be provided the opportunity to have a study hall for Grades 6-12.

• Kindergarten-6th Grade core teachers will provide social-emotional and executive support through Responsive Classroom meetings and advisory.

• The 7th-12th Grade Advisory program will provide social-emotional and executive function support.

• Incoming 9th Grade students will enroll in a success class developed to support executive functioning, increase productivity, and reduce stress.

• In High School, students who are struggling academically will be provided additional support through the Common Work Period.