College
Access Program
For Students
with Language-Based Learning Disabilities |
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In 1978,
Montgomery College established the Learning Center Program
through Disability
Support Services on the Rockville campus. Now known
as the College Access Program (CAP), it serves students
with specific language based learning disabilities who
have the potential and motivation for success in college
classes, but who first require a developmental program
in language skills.
The
College Access Program (CAP) helps students with language
based learning disabilities develop reading and writing
skills, learning strategies, and study techniques, so they
are better prepared to succeed in college classes. Students
in the program receive assistance through designated sections
of developmental classes in English and reading, laboratory
and tutorial sessions, and counseling support.
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The
primary objectives of the program are to improve students'
reading and writing skills and to teach academic coping
strategies. The program's ultimate goal is to teach students
academic and study skills that will enable them to function
independently, both in the classroom and in the job market.
College
Access Program (CAP) counseling and instructional faculty
and staff work as a team to monitor the students' progress
at Montgomery College. They serve as liaisons between students
and faculty members. In addition, the staff assists students
in their transition to a four-year institution or career.
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WHO
WE SERVE:
A team of CAP faculty
reviews each applicant; eligibility includes:
- Diagnosis
of a specific language based learning disability
- Average or above average
intellectual ability
- Reading comprehension
level of at least sixth grade
- Motivation to commit
the time and effort necessary to complete the program
- Absence of an emotional
or behavioral disorder as the primary disability
Qualified students
who do not meet the above criteria or who apply after the program is full
may still be eligible to receive support services and authorization for
classroom accommodations from Disability Support Services.
APPLICATION
AND ACCEPTANCE INTO THE COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM:
Students may enter the
College Access Program in either the Fall Semester (September) or the Spring
Semester (January). We do not have a summer program.
Application to the program
involves the following steps:
Since space in the College
Access Program is limited, candidates are encouraged to apply early. A team
of College Access Program faculty reviews and evaluates information compiled
on each candidate and selects eligible applicants. After notifying students
of their acceptance into the program, CAP faculty recommend course placement.
The entire selection process takes several weeks to complete. Students accepted
to the program after classes are filled will have their names placed on a
waiting list.
COLLEGE
ACCESS PROGRAM CLASSES:
There are six College
Access Program classes; four are designated sections of non-credit developmental
classes in English and reading. These designated sections have the same requirements
as other sections, but they are smaller, have classroom assistants, use individualized
and small-group instruction, and use a multi-sensory approach to learning.
Mandatory tutoring sessions and an individual skills laboratory designed
by the learning and reading specialists support classroom instruction. The
remaining classes are designated sections of one-credit Student Development
courses that are especially adapted for students with language based learning
disabilities and taught by counseling faculty.
EN001 - Basic English (no
credit - 5 contact hours)
Reviews basic principles of English usage including grammar, punctuation, mechanics,
sentence structure; provides an introduction to writing short paragraphs and
brief essays. Five hours class time, plus two hours required in Learning
Center each week.
EN002 - Basic English
II (no credit - 5 contact hours)
A more intensive review of English usage including sentence structure, grammar,
punctuation, and techniques of writing well developed paragraphs; emphasized
writing college-level essays. Five hours class time, plus two hours required
in Learning Center each week.
RD095 - College Reading
Skills I (no credit - 5 contact hours)
Develops ability to read and understand simple paragraphs, including reading
for main ideas and supporting details, recognizing patterns of organization
and reading for inference. Students develop strategies for word attack and
for building vocabulary. Five hours class time, plus two hours required
in Learning Center each week.
RD099 - College Reading
Skills II (no credit - 3 contact hours)
Continues to build upon the skills or RD089. Emphasizes developing an ability
to read and understand college textbooks, developing critical reading skills
and effective study strategies. Three hours class time, plus two hours required
in Learning Center each week.
DS102 - Study Habits
Development (one credit hour)
Develops positive attitudes to learning and improves basic learning habits.
Instructs and provides experience in test taking, note taking, highlighting,
and study techniques. Emphasizes organizing materials and using time effectively. Three
hours lecture per week for five weeks.
DS 107 - First Year
Experience (one
credit hour)
Assists students in adjusting to college. Includes an orientation to available
academic and student services. Addresses study techniques and educational and
career planning. Three hours lecture per week for five weeks.
ADDITIONAL
COMPONENTS OF THE COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM:
EDUCATIONAL PROFILES:
The prescriptive specialist develops an Educational Profile for each student
enrolled in the College Access Program classes. The Educational Profile
includes the student's educational evaluation; information about the student's
strengths, weaknesses, and learning style; and recommended strategies,
materials, and activities for classroom instruction, tutoring sessions,
and Individual Skills Lab.
TUTORING:
Regularly scheduled individual peer tutoring sessions to reinforce the reading
and English classes are required. Tutors, either student assistants or
community volunteers, participate in ongoing, in-depth training and are
supervised by the College Access Program faculty and staff.
INDIVIDUAL SKILLS LABORATORY:
Regularly scheduled weekly sessions of Individual Skills Lab to support specific
skills and strategies presented in class are required. The learning and
reading specialists establish the content of each lab session.
COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION:
A well-equipped Assistive Technology Laboratory with computers, educational
and disability-specific software, and assistive equipment is available
to students
enrolled in CAP classes.
COUNSELING/ADVISING:
DSS offers academic, personal and career counseling services by appointment
and on a walk-in basis. Counselors work with individuals and classes to
address student adjustment to and experience at Montgomery College. Academic
advising is available through individual appointments, walk-in times and
pre-registration workshops. New student orientations are offered at the
beginning of each semester.
ACCOMMODATION LETTERS:
Each semester if a student requests accommodations, a College Access Program
counselor composes an Accommodation Letter for each of the student's instructors.
The letter provides information about the student's specific disability
and authorizes appropriate classroom and testing accommodations. The student
delivers the letter directly to the instructors and discusses arrangements
for accommodations. When necessary, College Access Program faculty will
personally contact an instructor. Although academic adjustments may be
necessary based on a student's documentation, instructors maintain the
content, requirements, and standards of a course or curriculum.
TO
RECEIVE AN APPLICATION PACKET:
For an information
packet,
Call DSS: 240-567-5058, TTY 301-294-9672,
Email
DSS: dss@montgomerycollege.edu
Print
out the information packet from the DSS website,
or write to:
Disability Support Services,
Counseling/Advising Building, Room
122
Montgomery College
51 Mannakee St.
Rockville, MD 20850.
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