The Key School
The Key School is a unique experience; it is a school within a school established to serve the needs of students from the other three divisions of the Carolina Day community as well as students from other public and private schools who have very specific educational needs. The Key School's mission is to provide students who have language-based learning differences the educational opportunity to overcome their challenges and to achieve their maximum potential in school and life. The School uses a research-based teaching approach essential for this population and offers extremely low student-teacher ratios. A comprehensive college preparatory curriculum is in place to enable students to succeed in their transition from Key to other schools.
Established in 1997, The Key School is an integral part of our Carolina Day School community. It serves students in grades 1-8, offering both full-day and part-day programs. Some Carolina Day students participate in dual enrollment in the Key School; however, the Key School transcends the scope of our campus. It serves a broader, more diverse clientele from throughout the region. Many of the full-time students come from local public schools and will return to public schools when they have successfully completed our program.
Full-day programs include core classes in reading comprehension and math; a language tutorial block addressing decoding, encoding, written expression, and grammar; content classes such as social studies, science, and integrated projects; physical education, art, computer classes; and a special talents program. Students in Carolina Day's Upper School can receive additional support through a study skills class and/or a linguistics class.
ORTON-GILLINGHAM
The Key School uses the Orton-Gillingham approach based on over 60 years of research and practice (see www.interdys.org for more information). This unique curriculum, highly individualized and cognitive in approach, is anchored in multi-sensory language instruction that stimulates and builds auditory, visual, and tactile/kinesthetic pathways to learning. It teaches the structure of language and the tools that improve reading, writing, and spelling.
A UNIQUE SERVICE
The Key School offers an alternative to traditional education by providing a unique and essential service to bright children with language-based learning differences. Students who have this problem with language are often diagnosed with dyslexia. In order for a student with dyslexia to learn to read and process language, new information must be presented through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modes through a highly specialized approach.
By creating a teaching environment that removes major obstacles to learning, the Key School helps close the gap between students' achievement and their potential. In the core areas of greatest need, such as reading, writing, and spelling, Key students benefit from the unusually low student-teacher ratios of 3:1. In areas such as math, computer skills, science, social studies, physical education, and art, we maintain a low student-faculty ratio as well. Study skills, explicitly taught, focus on the management of materials, time, and information, and are an integral part of every class. In addition, we offer a talents program designed to enrich and stimulate the creative gifts and talents our children possess.
The Key Learning Center serves as a community resource to educators and parents in the Western North Carolina region. It includes a Tutoring Connection, Study Skills Coaching, and Teacher Training Programs.
BACK TO THE MAINSTREAM
The ultimate goal for the Key School is to equip students to go back to the mainstream. We make this possible by showing them they can be successful in ways they never before imagined. One parent says, "The kids at the Key School know they learn differently and find hope when they discover new ways to learn. They want to be at a school where they are understood and where they can achieve - some for the very first time."
