FAQs

Do the students at Summit wear uniforms?

Yes, Summit students have a dress code. Information is available in the Student Handbook.

Does Summit offer transportation?

Transportation is available. In addition, many families form carpools. More specific information is available upon request.

Does Summit offer before and after school care?

The Summit School provides an after school program until 5:30 p.m. at an additional cost. Before-school care is not available at this time.

Do students who attend Summit do tutoring outside of the school day?

No, Summit’s program is designed to fulfill each student's academic profile needs during the school day.

How are Science, Technology, Arts, and Extracurricular activities addressed in the program?

Our students experience a well-rounded program.  Science and Social studies are part of our core curriculum and we follow the MSDE curriculum.  Technology instruction is integrated across the curriculum with specific skill competencies assigned to each grade level. Laptops are used in many classes for group and individual projects. A 1:1 iPad program is in place for six, seventh, and eighth graders.

Will my child be prepared for high school after leaving Summit?

The Summit School’s program is designed with the intention that our students can ultimately attend a private or public mainstream school.  For more than 25 years, Summit has successfully transitioned our students to high school, college, and beyond.

Does Summit help students and their parents with the transition to other schools?

Yes, Summit has carefully designed a guidance program for every student that begins during his or her seventh-grade year (and before if students leave earlier).  Parents are very involved in the process and are given many resources to help make the best choices for their student.  Some activities include an evening with a panel of former Summit students, who are now in high school, meetings with school leadership, and educational evaluations for the students.

What schools do Summit students attend after graduation?

Upon leaving Summit, our students go on to be successful in high school. Click here for a sample list of high schools our students attend.

Will Summit accept my child mid-year?

Yes, Summit accepts applications on a rolling basis.  Students are admitted to Summit throughout the school year.

Does The Summit School offer financial assistance?

Yes, Summit offers financial assistance through FACTS™ on the basis of demonstrated need and how much scholarship money is available.

Do financial aid awards to individuals change from year to year?

Once financial assistance is awarded, The Summit School strives to continue financial support in subsequent years, on the basis of demonstrated need.

Are there any school costs beyond tuition?

Yes, fees associated with enrollment are listed on the Tuition & Financial Aid page.

Does the admissions process include a visiting day for my child? What can they expect on that day?

Yes, once you have submitted your application, your child will visit Summit during a regular school day for an admissions screening and to participate in classes with their peers.

Does Summit accept students who are funded by their county school system?

Yes, please click here to read more about the non-public placement referral process.

What opportunities does Summit offer to learn about the school?

Summit welcomes your phone calls or emails at any time. You may also schedule a personal tour or attend a scheduled Drop-in Tour. Click here for more information about visiting Summit.

Does my child have to attend The Summit School to use the services in The Summit Resource Center?

No, the services offered by The Summit Resource Center are for all students, regardless of which school they attend.

Does The Summit Resource Center accept insurance for testing, comprehensive evaluations, or tutoring?

No. However, you may check with your insurance to see if an out-of-network evaluation will be reimbursed according to the terms of your policy. Insurance does not reimburse for tutoring.

Do I need to bring my child to Summit for their testing and evaluation?

Yes, Summit testing takes place on our campus in Edgewater, Maryland.

Do I need to bring my child to Summit for tutoring?

No. Tutoring can take place at a location convenient for you and your family.  Our tutors can meet you at your child’s school, The Summit School, your home, or the local library.  We work around what is best for you.

When should I have my child tested/evaluated?

A parent knows best.  If you feel that something is not right, it is helpful to seek answers through a comprehensive evaluation.  If your child demonstrates delayed speech or speech sound production issues that causes his or her speech to be difficult to understand, a speech/language evaluation at the age of two or three is very appropriate, and certainly, not too early.  If early oral language symptoms are not evident, but if your child shows difficulty learning to read, a thorough evaluation should be completed.   First grade is not too early to have your child assessed, especially if you receive teacher reports that your child is struggling and if your child comes home from school very frustrated, shies away from reading and writing tasks, and expresses doubts in his or her ability to do well in school.  And, if you do not have your child evaluated early in their school career, don’t worry!  It is never too late; many bright students have made it to high school, and are diagnosed for the first time as a teenager.  For information about having your child tested at The Summit Resource Center call 410-798-0005.

What documentation do I receive when the testing/evaluation is completed?

At your closing appointment with the clinician who administered your child’s testing, you will receive a complete diagnostic report which reviews the findings of all of the tests that were administered and what that means for your child and his academic or speech and language profile. Suggestions for moving forward are included to help guide you towards academic success for your child. If applicable, accommodations are included as well, as a tool for your child’s school.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is not reading words backwards or writing letters backwards.  That is a common misconception.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) defines dyslexia as a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person’s ability to read. Individuals with dyslexia typically read at levels significantly lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia are difficulty with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds), spelling, and/or rapid visual-verbal responding. Dyslexia can be inherited in some families, and recent studies have identified a number of genes that may predispose an individual to developing dyslexia.

Many individuals with dyslexia have difficulty with word retrieval, working memory, and written language.  Since every individual is unique, common patterns exist, but no two children show the same symptoms exactly.  Most children with dyslexia are bright, many are gifted, and can compensate to a certain point until their level of confusion surpasses typical teaching methodology.  Nevertheless, most children with dyslexia struggle to recognize sounds that letters make, do not sequence the sounds in a meaningful way, and have to be taught to read in a systematized, multi-sensory, structured way with a reading system based on teaching the phonology (sound system) of our language.

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

A thorough evaluation must be conducted by a psychologist, neuropsychologist, speech-language pathologist, or a specialist trained in the administration of individual, standardized tests, or a team comprised of two or three of these professionals.  This comprehensive evaluation must include three parts to provide a thorough picture of the child’s learning strengths and weaknesses: a cognitive battery, an achievement battery, and an oral language battery The cognitive battery must include psychological processing testing to assess how the child reasons and analyzes (verbally and nonverbally), and how he or she has acquired facts and general knowledge.   The cognitive portion of the evaluation should also assess long-term, short-term, and working memory.

An achievement battery includes assessment of reading (decoding, comprehension, reading vocabulary) and should include timed and untimed tests.  The battery should also include assessments for math computation assessment and math problem-solving. The achievement battery must include written language skills assessments such as spelling, sentence structure, story writing, etc.

The oral language battery, a very necessary component to a comprehensive evaluation, is often not administered, but provides more detailed information that provides insight into the underlying language skills that can support or hinder achievement in reading.   An oral language battery should include assessment of receptive and expressive language knowledge and processing.  Specific components of the oral language battery assesses semantic knowledge and use of words (vocabulary, sentence, and conversational discourse), knowledge and use of syntax (word order) and grammar (word function) in sentences, and the child’s understanding of phonology (the rules the guide the way sounds are sequenced in the language).

A comprehensive evaluation is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together; all the pieces must be linked to make the correct diagnosis and to understand how to plan a course of teaching specific to the child.  For information about having your child tested at The Summit Resource Center, please click here.

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a broad term for severe difficulties in math that describes a learning profile that includes a difficulty learning basic arithmetic facts or retrieving them once they are learned, a developmental delay in the learning of arithmetical procedures, and poor comprehension of numeral magnitude (Butterworth, 2005; Butterworth & Reigosa, 2007; Geary, 1990; Geary, 1993; Jordan et al., 2003).  It includes math problems ranging from inability to understand the meaning of numbers to inability to apply math principles to solve problems. Dyscalculia involves inability to understand the meaning of numbers which means the quantities they represent. Students with dyscalculia cannot understand basic operations of addition and subtraction. They may not understand complex problems such as multiplication, division, and more abstract problems. Because they do not understand math concepts, they do not remember and cannot build on them to master more complex problems. As with other types of learning disabilities, dyscalculia is believed to involve the language and visual processing centers of the brain. Evidence suggests learning disabilities such as dyscalculia may be inherited or can be caused by problems with brain development.  There is some association between dyslexia and dyscalculia in children and adults.

What is dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability, impairs legible and automatic letter production by hand, which can interfere with written composing. It affects how easily children acquire written language and how well they use written language to express their thoughts. Dysgraphia can be a motor skill deficit, cognitive-linguistic disability, or a combination of both.

Dysgraphia manifests itself in poor writing performance and often slow written work production. Impaired handwriting can interfere with learning to spell words in writing. Occasionally, but not very often, children have just spelling problems and not handwriting or reading problems.

Dysgraphia can occur alone, or in children who also have dyslexia, other language disorders, or ADHD. It can contribute to emotional stress or anxiety. Although early intervention is desirable, it is never too late to intervene to improve a student’s deficient skills and provide appropriate accommodations.

For more information about diagnosis and treatment, click here.

What is verbal apraxia of speech?

Verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently. It is not due to weakness or paralysis of the speech muscles (the muscles of the face, tongue, and lips).

Developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) occurs in children and is present from birth. It appears to affect more boys than girls. This speech disorder goes by several other names, including developmental verbal apraxia, developmental verbal dyspraxia, and childhood apraxia of speech. DAS is different from what is known as a developmental delay of speech, in which a child follows the “typical” path of speech development but does so more slowly than normal.

One of the most notable symptoms is difficulty putting sounds and syllables together in the correct order to form words.  Longer or more complex words are usually harder to say than shorter or simpler words.  People with apraxia of speech also tend to make inconsistent mistakes when speaking.  The causes of DAS are not yet known, but often there is a family history of communication disorders or learning disabilities.

What are Executive Functions challenges?

Children who have executive functions challenges have a difficult time adapting to the teaching styles and rules of different teachers, conceptualizing, planning and implementing a research report (and even a simple book report), and performing tasks that have multiple layers (such as spontaneous writing and the need to integrate knowledge in spelling, capitalization/punctuation, sentence structure and handwriting).  Often, children with executive function difficulties become very frustrated because “they can’t do school” despite their ability to understand the concepts taught in the moment they are taught.

There are specific “hallmarks” of executive function challenges.  Some or several of the following list may be evident in a child or an adult:

Difficulty with working memory
Easily distracted by external or internal stimuli
Perseveration of response sets
Difficulty with initiating activity
Difficulty with maintaining effort
Difficulty with recognizing and/or utilizing feedback
Difficulty modulating activity without cues
Poor self-awareness of deficits
Anxiety issues despite seemingly grade level skills

Does dyslexia run in families?

Yes, research indicates that there are specific genes associated with dyslexia. Because no two people are alike, and because dyslexia is not a syndrome, the symptoms displayed by a parent could look very different for the child. When parents know that dyslexia or reading difficulties are present in the family, they should monitor their children’s progress carefully, starting at age two when children begin to develop spoken language, with continued careful diligence during the preschool years and early elementary school grades when pre-reading and writing skills are introduced.

How do I know if tutoring is enough?

Many children with dyslexia make progress with a tutor, but once a week is often not enough. The research has demonstrated that intensive remediation is necessary, and the tutor must be trained in a method developed for children with dyslexia. If your child is being tutored two or three times a week and progress is still very slow, it could be time to look for a specialized program that is even more intensive.

Are the Summer Camp Programs open to students that do not attend The Summit School?

Yes, in fact approximately 65% of the students who attend our summer camps are not Summit students.  Many parents find that our camps give their children the boost that they need to help them succeed for the next school year.

Does my child have to have a diagnosed learning difference to attend Summit’s Summer Programs?

For Camp Summit, our July academic camp, if a student has not had formal testing within the past three years, they will need to submit an Educator Questionnaire and the most recent report card from the child’s school. For all of our other camps, no diagnosis, screening, or testing is necessary! Please click here to learn more about Summer at Summit.

Why does The Summit School need to raise money?

Tuition alone does not cover the full expense for a student to attend The Summit School. As an independent school and nonprofit organization, Summit operates without the financial support of local or federal taxes. Summit relies on the generosity of our community to make up the gap between expenses and revenue from tuition and fees. Read more here.

IS my donation to Summit tax-deductible?

Yes. The Summit School is a nonprofit organization, officially a 501(c)3 corporation recognized as Human Development Corporation. You will receive a tax receipt, along with our deepest appreciation, when you make a gift.For more information about supporting The Summit School, click here.