Student Support Services

We understand that each learner is unique. We provide support for the strengths and struggles that each student brings to the learning environment. A deep understanding of each student allows us to tailor our instruction in order to provide targeted intervention, remediation, and accommodation as needed. By utilizing a multi-tiered system of support, our general education and support services staff are able provide early effective intervention to students who are having difficulty meeting academic benchmarks. Using achievement data, students who demonstrate difficulties are identified early, provided with interventions, and monitored frequently for adequate progress.

Depending on a student’s response to receiving these targeted interventions, they may be formally evaluated to determine if there is a specific learning or other disability present. These students may then benefit from additional intervention, increased instructional support, remediation, and/or educational accommodations.

Each of our five campuses is served by an Academic Intervention Coordinator who is responsible for collaborating with general education staff to ensure that the educational goals for all students who receive additional support, remediation, and accommodations are fully met. In addition, we are blessed to have many staff members on our Support Services team who are hired as support aides to assist students within the general education classroom or in small-group instructional settings.

download a parent's guide to Response Intervention

We strongly desire our schools to be an inclusive community reflective of God’s Kingdom. We provide individualized services to learners of differing abilities. Students who have moderate to severe physical, cognitive, and/or emotional challenges are valued members of our school communities. 

As full members of general education classrooms, these students also receive additional support from inclusion staff who ensure that the appropriate accommodations and/or modifications needed for a successful school experience are provided.  

Each of our five campuses is served by an Inclusion Coordinator who is responsible for facilitating the educational plans of all students who receive inclusion services. In addition, we are blessed to have many staff members on our Support Services team who are hired as inclusion aides to assist students in working toward their educational goals.

Difficulty processing or tolerating sensory information is a characteristic that may be displayed by some students who have autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders, behavior disorders, anxiety, and/or issues with developmental coordination. Sensory-based therapy can be used as one component of a comprehensive treatment plan. 

For students who present with diagnosed sensory-based difficulties, we offer sensory instruction using brushes, swings, balls, and other specially designed equipment to provide vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory, and tactile inputs which can help to organize the sensory pathways.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Resource Center

It is our desire to deeply understand a student’s learning profile so that we are able to best serve each unique learner. Using a collaborative approach, we meet as teams of parents, teachers, support services staff, and other professionals to determine if there is a need to move ahead with a comprehensive psychological evaluation for a student. 

We work closely with the licensed psychologists of the All Belong Center for Inclusive Education  as well as several other area psychology offices to better understand the profile of a student’s learning strengths and weaknesses through an in-depth and multiple-perspective evaluation process.

A list of service providers is available through each campus' Educational Support Services (ESS) or Inclusion Coordinator.

School social work support is available to all students to promote educational success by helping students navigate the social and emotional challenges that arise throughout elementary, middle and high school. Students at each campus have access to a school social worker.

• GRCES Evergreen | Ginny Grit-Googe
• GRCES Iroquois | Grace Boyle and Ryan DeVries
• Rockford Christian | Ryan DeVries
• GRCMS | Kira Raquet
• GRCHS | Casey McMahon

The school social workers provide a range of interventions that are offered systematically and based on student needs. These services include consulting with school staff about student concerns, developing and implementing interventions to increase academic engagement, assisting students in crisis situations, providing preventative presentations to classrooms, and meeting with students one-on-one or in groups to help process various challenges in a safe and supportive environment. Parents and guardians of students who receive school social work services benefit from an open line of communication with the school social worker in order to monitor and advance student progress. 

While school social workers are unable to provide intensive therapy, a facet of the role includes communicating with counselors/therapists who provide therapy to students outside of school. If a student has a significant area of concern beyond the scope of a school social worker, families will be connected with resources in the community.

Speech and Language Services, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Audiology and Vision Services.

As required by the State of Michigan, students who qualify for these services through the public school IEP process are served on our campuses by itinerant staff from Grand Rapids Public and Rockford Public Schools. We respect and value the collaborative relationship we have with the public school professionals who provide these supplemental services to our students.

Non-Public Services Plan Notification Form
Michigan Alliance for Families