Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, Lakeview Academy will open a brand-new program designed to support the specific learning needs of students with dyslexia or other mild language-based learning differences.
Led by program director Kelly Fields, Ed.S., The Keystone Program will offer its students specialized, multi-sensory instruction in language arts and math while also allowing students to benefit from the robust enrichment and social opportunities of a more traditional school setting, with nearly seven percent of the schoolaged population in the United States receiving some form of accommodation for language based learning differences, according to the to The International Dyslexia Association. As high as 20 percent of the overall population experiences one or more of the symptoms of dyslexia, including challenges with reading, writing, or mixing up words.
As a part of the school’s intentional implementation, Lakeview Academy is piloting The Keystone Program with a small group of elementary students for the 2024-25 school year. Program Director Kelly Fields, Ed.S., says, “Our focus at Keystone is student-first. The pilot program is an incredibly valuable opportunity for our team to fine-tune our approach so our students can experience the academic success they have not yet had the chance to elsewhere.”
Fields adds, “The kids in The Keystone Program are first and foremost Lakeview students. They are incredibly bright but due to their learning differences, have not had the opportunity to demonstrate their intelligence within the limitations of the traditional classroom setting. Our goal is to meet students where they are as learners and provide them the tools to be confident in the classroom.”
Beginning this month, Lakeview Academy will formally open enrollment for The Keystone Program for the 2025-26 school year for students in Grades 1 through 5. Specific highlights of The Keystone Program include:
- Class sizes of no more than 5-6 students in ELA and math.
- Ninety minutes of daily small group reading and writing led by an Orton-Gillingham trained educator.
- Sixty minutes of daily small group math led by a Level 1 trained Multi-Sensory Math educator.
- Thirty minutes of movement class twice a week, designed and led by an occupational therapist (in addition to regular PE class).
- Integration with grade-level peers for lunch, recess, enrichment classes, field trips, and all special events.
Lakeview’s Head of School, John Simpson, declared, “The Keystone Program has been a dream of mine for some time. I truly believe that this program is something that this community needs, and I am just excited that we are now better able to serve students and meet their needs.”
For anyone interested in learning more, Lakeview Academy invites you to visit the newly added Dyslexia Support section of their website: www.lakeviewacademy.com/keystone.
