Tutorial Program
The eligibility and placement of students into a Tutorial classroom is determined at an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. The purpose of Tutorial is to implement goals so that students may:
- Complete the graduation requirements of Vernon Hills High School.
- Become independent by learning study skills and applying them to daily coursework and assignments.
- Become a self-advocate within the school setting.
- Be able to achieve placement in the student’s post-secondary site of choice.
Students in Tutorial display a variety of learning characteristics. Many of these students exhibit a discrepancy between their intellectual ability and their academic achievement. Frustration and disorganization sometimes lead to a lack of motivation, behavioral problems, or minimal success within mainstream classes. Tutorial attempts to bridge student learning styles and traits with regular education classes and to foster academic progress.
Tutorial meets student’s special educational needs by providing services through:
- Tutorial is a regularly scheduled course attended by students daily for one fifty-minute class period. Students are taught study and test taking strategies and are assisted in applying them to actual course work. It is not a study hall, and for the most part, students will not be able to complete all school assignments without additional study time at home. Students will receive a .5 credit per semester and a grade of CREDIT or NO CREDIT for the course.
- Self-Contained Academic Courses are taught in English, Geography, Government, Mathematics, Science Skills, Consumer Education, Current Events, Critical Reading, and United States History. Self-contained academic courses follow the goals and objectives of similar general education courses. These courses are taught by special education teachers and class sizes are limited to allow each student to receive individual instruction. Students receive a .5 credit per semester and a letter grade for these courses.
- Consultation is for students who do not require Tutorial on a daily basis and who have demonstrated an ability to progress in school with little or no assistance from a special education teacher. Consultation students are assigned a special services teacher. This teacher monitors their grades, course accommodations, and IEP (when applicable).
For some special education students, a combination of Tutorial and self-contained courses are appropriate for meeting their educational needs.