Academic Support Center
Supporting Every Scholar. Strengthening Every Learner. Caring for the Whole Child.
At Innovate Academy, we believe every scholar is uniquely designed—and deserves support that recognizes their strengths, challenges, and potential. The Academic Support Center partners with families, mentors, and specialists to ensure scholars flourish academically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Our approach is personalized, collaborative, and whole-child oriented, helping scholars grow in confidence, competence, character, and well-being.
Our Academic Support Services
We offer a tiered model of support that reflects best practices in classical and private education:
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Our offerings align with best practices seen in high-quality private, classical, and Christian schools:
Tier 1 – Classroom-Based Supports (All Scholars)
Differentiated instruction
Small group rotations
Mentor check-ins
Behavioral expectations rooted in virtue formation
Flexible movement among groups as concepts are mastered
Classroom accommodations (as appropriate)
Tier 2 – Inclusion Supports (Push-In / Moderate Support)
Reading / Math Help (push-in sessions to close academic gaps)
Short-term intervention groups
Mentor collaboration with families
Strategic scaffolding during core subjects
Tier 3 – Specialized Small-Group Services (Pull-Out / Targeted)
Targeted pull-out Intervention in Math and Language Arts
Small-group reading support
Targeted math reinforcement
Skill-building labs for organization, assignments, and tests
Services through specialists or the Intermediate Unit (DCIU)
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Reading Replacement
Designed for scholars 1–2 years below grade level.
Identification includes:
Psycho-educational evaluations
Acadience data
Standardized assessments
Classroom performance
Mentor recommendations
Features:
Meets 4 days per week
Modified curriculum for upper elementary
Instructional goals included in the scholar’s Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs)
Reading grades provided by the Academic Support Center specialist
This is one of our most intensive academic supports.
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For scholars with current psycho-educational evaluations. Support may include:
Study and organizational skills
Assistance with assignments, projects, and homework
Concept reinforcement through targeted small group pull-out
Executive functioning coaching
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Push-in support during reading instruction for Lower School scholars. Identified through:
Acadience Reading assessments
Classroom assessments
Report card trends
Mentor recommendations
Standardized testing
Focuses on confidence-building, decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
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Push-in math reinforcement is offered during the regular math block.
Identified by Curriculum & Acadience Math results, classroom performance, and recommendations.
Strengthens foundational skills, conceptual understanding, and confidence. -
Small-group literacy intervention for grades 1–2. Based on:
Acadience benchmarks
Mentor recommendation
Reading progress indicators
Uses targeted instruction to strengthen phonics, decoding, fluency, and early reading foundations—flexible entry and exit throughout the year.
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Provided on campus for qualifying students:
Evaluations
Other services are coordinated through the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and integrated into the scholar’s schedule.
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PLPs replace the IEP model found in public schools and serve as a flexible, individualized roadmap for scholars with diagnosed learning differences or documented needs.
PLPs include:
Recommended accommodations
Support plans
Instructional goals
Executive functioning strategies
Regular progress reviews
PLPs ensure every scholar receives consistent, tailored support that evolves with them.
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Academic growth cannot be separated from emotional and social well-being. Our supports reflect this holistic view.
“Innovate Academy showed me that a learning difference does not limit a scholar’s potential. With the right support, rigor, and vision, dyslexia did not hold me back—it shaped me into a deeper reader, thinker, and learner.”
— Georgia A.,
2023 Alum
Wellbeing & Formation Supports
School Counselor
Emotional and Social Wellbeing
Provides:
Short-term counseling
Friendship skills and conflict resolution
Emotional regulation tools
Coping strategies
Preventative lessons in classrooms
Family consultations
Referrals when needed
The counselor helps scholars grow in confidence, resilience, and relational health.
Life Architect and College & Career Counselor
Identity, Purpose, & Career Readiness
A signature Innovate service designed to help Upper School scholars understand how God uniquely created them.
Offerings include:
• Personality assessment, spiritual gift inventory, and natural abilities testing within the whole-person framework of the Highland Battery
• Learning style profiles
• Strengths identification
• Career interest surveys
• 1:1 coaching on calling, purpose, and future readiness
• Integration into PLPs and upper-grade planning
The Life Architect and College & Career Counselor help scholars recognize their uniqueness, connect strengths to future career pathways, help select high school or dual enrollment courses, prepare for college (including CLEP exams), and develop an overall sense of purpose within God’s story for their lives.
Collaboration with Outside Providers
With administrative approval, Innovate may coordinate with:
Behavioral therapists
Mental health counselors
Occupational or physical therapists
Dyslexia specialists
Executive functioning coaches
This ensures continuity between home, school, and therapeutic services.
Flexible Fridays
For families who need on-campus support on Fridays, our Academic Support Center provides small group and individualized help with Friday coursework for 2nd–8th Grades:
Full Day: 8:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (includes lunch & recess)
Half Day: 8:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Mentors offer:
Guided study blocks
One-on-one academic help
A calm, supportive environment
Assessment Philosophy:
At Innovate Academy, education is about more than test scores. We aim to form scholars who think and read deeply, communicate well, and love what is true, good, and beautiful. Since no single standardized test fully measures these goals, we use two complementary assessments: the Iowa Assessments and the Classical Learning Test (CLT).
The Iowa Assessments:
These nationally recognized tests help ensure our scholars are building strong academic foundations. The Iowa Assessments:
Measure progress in essential academic skills such as reading, language, and math
Track academic growth over time
Compare performance to national norms
Meet expectations for accreditation and accountability
Identify areas where scholars may need extra support
The Classical Learning Test:
The CLT is designed specifically for classical schools and better assesses deep thinking and reasoning that we cultivate through our classical, Christian curriculum, especially in the upper grades. The CLT emphasizes:
Logic and critical thinking
Careful reading of meaningful, classic texts
Reasoned writing and analysis
Thoughtful engagement with ideas
We use the IOWA assessment for our Lower School (grades 2-6) and the CLT for our Upper School (grades 7-9). By using both assessments, we remain faithful to our mission while also measuring benchmarks and national norms. The Iowa Assessments show that our scholars are mastering essential academic skills, while the CLT demonstrates their ability to reason well and engage ideas thoughtfully. Using both assessments prepares our scholars to perform well academically and develop the skills necessary to think critically and deeply over time.
How Parents Partner with Us
Parents play an essential role in the success of every support plan.
Partnership includes:
Ongoing communication
Support meetings and periodic check-ins
Home strategies
Friday home-study involvement
Collaboration with the Life Architect
Sharing external feedback with therapists, evaluators, or tutors
Together, we create consistency, confidence, and clarity for each scholar.
Our Commitment to Every Scholar
The Academic Support Center ensures that no child falls through the cracks. Every scholar receives attention, encouragement, and support with their unique design in mind. Our goal is simple and unwavering: to help every scholar flourish as a thoughtful, capable, purpose-driven culture-maker.
Meet the Mentor
INNOVATE ACADEMY SPOTLIGHT
Emma Mahalik serves as Innovate Academy’s Instructional Support Coordinator, bringing over eight years of experience supporting scholars and families. With degrees in Elementary and Special Education, Emma partners closely with parents to create learning strategies that help each scholar grow in confidence, skill, and a love of learning. Her work in the Academic Support Center reflects her deep commitment to advocacy, collaboration, and helping every scholar reach their full potential.
