NILD
Our school is a member of the National Institute of Learning Development (NILD). Our educational therapist has been trained through this program. This unique program provides an intensive and intentional opportunity for students to strengthen vulnerable areas. The emphasis is not on teaching compensatory skills or on tutoring a student through a particular content area. It is not about passing a test or completing an assignment, but it is about teaching the student the skills to become an independent learner. At Trinity Oaks Christian Academy we offer the following academic support services: SEARCH & TEACH, Educational Therapy, Group Educational Therapy, Rx for Discovery Reading, and Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment.
Search and Teach (for children ages 5-7)
Within the first quarter of the school year, all students in kindergarten are screened using SEARCH. SEARCH is a scanning tool that helps identify young students who may have difficulty acquiring the basic skills necessary for reading and writing success. If enough areas of need are identified, parents can enroll their child in the TEACH program. The goal of this program is to build the pre-academic foundational skills of reading and language arts. The TEACH tasks are selected by the educational therapist based on the child’s profile of strengths and areas of need. The student will meet one-on-one with an educational therapist three times a week.
One-on-One Educational Therapy (for children age 7+)
Educational therapy is offered to students who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. Students in NILD Educational Therapy receive two 80-minute sessions (ET1) or two 45-minute sessions (ET2) of intensive one-on-one therapy per week. This program uses a variety of techniques designed to target a student’s specific areas of difficulty and to improve their overall ability to think and process information. While a student is in this program, accommodation is often made in the classroom until a deficit area is developed, at which point accommodation is no longer needed. The goal of NILD Educational Therapy is to help students develop the tools needed to be independent, life-long learners. Strengthening the learning skills and processing tools of a student is not a “quick fix.” Lasting changes in how one learns require consistent and persistent stimulation over a longer period. Most students will require 3–5 years in the program to reach independent learner status.
Group Educational Therapy (GET)
Group Educational Therapy uses the five-core techniques of individual educational therapy. Students meet in groups of two to four students for two 80-minute sessions per week.
Rx for Discovery Reading (for children ages 6-17)
Rx for Discovery Reading is a multisensory approach that builds and strengthens the foundational skills necessary for reading success. This small-group meets for two 45-minute sessions per week of reading instruction that includes activities for phonological processing, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension development.
Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) Standard (for children age 6+)
FIE is based on the theories and research of Reuven Feuerstein, director of the International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential (ICELP) in Jerusalem, Israel. This program is built on the idea that intelligence is dynamic and modifiable, not static, or fixed. This program will enhance cognitive skills necessary for independent learning by challenging deficiencies in thinking, sharpening critical thinking, and helping students learn how to learn more efficiently.
Trinity Oaks is the only school in McHenry County to offer this revolutionary and successful program. To learn more, call 847-462-5971.