By Bella Gamboa
March 24, 2022
Here at Res, 21% of our students are in the Rankin Academic Support Program. What is the Rankin Academic Support Program? This program is designed to support those students who have learning differences that impact their academic ability. Of that 20%, about 95% percent of these students have been diagnosed with a learning disability. The other 5 percent of those students do not have a diagnosis, meaning they do not necessarily have a disability; however, they still battle with their studies.
Students with a diagnosis have a disability. Diagnoses can be given by a pediatrician/doctor as well as a licensed psychologist, who can test for learning disabilities specifically. The program receives specifics on the details regarding the disability, to help and support the student further; however, this is privileged information. The students with a diagnosis receive accommodations. Examples of different disabilities include adhd, dyslexia, autism, as well as anxiety and depression (though anxiety and depression are not given the credibility they deserve). There are also cases like post concussional syndrome, which affects student learning.
“Fair is not everyone getting the same thing…it is everyone getting what they need to succeed.”
-Ms. O’Donnell & Ms. Toomey
The program (run by Ms. O'Donnell & Ms. Toomey) is very hands on when it comes to the students that they support. All schools receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP or 504 Plan) when they have students who receive special education and similar services. IEP’s can be from 30 to 50 pages long, and they can be very lengthy and difficult to decipher. Kindly, the Rankin Academic Support program at RES reads and examines every student’s IEP, page by page, to understand the student. From there, they inform that particular student's teachers, personally, to let them know how to give them the guidance/support they need. They also monitor all the grades of the students in the program to make sure they are not falling behind (though grades are not a bulletproof indicator).
“An important thing to realize, that not many understand, is that their grades can be wonderful and they can still be struggling… They are working 10 times harder to receive the same results as their classmates. We like to call our job, ‘leveling the playing field’...”
-Ms. O’Donnell
Through the Rankin Program and its hard work, students are getting the opportunity they need to succeed. Their passion, drive, and determination have made this program the success it is. Ms. O'Donnell spoke about her specific experiences on how she got to this position and it was truly inspiring. She says, “I was not in honors or anything special, I was in average classes with average grades…I always wanted to be a teacher, I didn't necessarily know I wanted to go into special education, but when i was going to school at RES, I joined 'Understanding Disabilities' and it inspired me… I feel like I am making more of an impact, I was able to see when something clicks with a student.” She goes on to say, “I saw the value in an adult that understood the student and the adult that could help the student.” She truly enjoys her profession and comments on how both of them are fortunate to have a well-rounded job. They get to work with students, admin, teachers, and parents; they get to communicate with, assist, and support all parts of the RES community.
Ms. O’Donnell was kind enough to share the effects this program has had on the students. A specific story really made an impression on me and spoke to how vital this program truly is. She says,
“It was my first or second year here at RES and my student did not have a diagnosed disability. She was always getting in trouble… Her teachers came to see Ms. Toomey and I to seek consultation and advice on how they could help and support her better. She was getting in serious trouble for her behavior, her grades were suffering, and had many discussions with Ms. Bernardin. I ended up calling her mother and asked if she ever considered getting her tested for ADHD. The mom did end up having her daughter evaluated, and the results diagnosed her with ADHD… after the diagnosis, her life began to improve. She was on the Honor Roll, clubs, president of clubs…all of a sudden she was thriving! Now she is studying for law school and succeeding tremendously. This goes to my point that once you are getting the help and support you need, you can be successful. This girl…she shared that before this diagnosis…she thought she was just a bad person, but no… of course that wasn’t the case… and once she understood herself she was able to help herself and succeed…as well as find what she needed to work hard and succeed…”
Advice to “those outside of the program” from the Rankin Academic Support Program:
Ms. O'Donnell:
“The biggest thing to understand, sometimes when you think about people with disabilities, you believe them to have a severe disability… disabilities can be silent… you don't know about what others are going through… Everyone at RES has at least one friend with a disability and the thing is… they may not even know it. Don't talk about intelligence or joke about it because you don't know what others are going through and the battles they are facing alone.”
Ms. Toomey
“I would say…Be conscious about talking about your grades and things alike because though you may believe that your B+ or C+ is bad…someone else worked really hard to achieve their B+ or C+ and are proud of their grades.”
Advice to “those inside of the program and those who are experiencing difficulties” from the Rankin Program:
Ms. O'Donnell
"There is no shame in it and there is nothing you did wrong…Don’t be afraid to reach out… Reaching out is important…We are here to help you and we want to help you, we chose this career and it is our job and our pleasure to help you…I mean look at the story we shared… imagine where that student could have ended up without the necessary support… I have seen students coming in from grade school feeling shame or embarrassment because of the program they dealt with and how they felt isolated because there was not anyone like them, but there is a whole 21% here at RES…You are not the only one, there are others going through the exact same thing…"