CONNECTION IS KEY
coaches and parents. USPA students interact with teachers as needed, as well as learning coaches who meet with each student weekly. They can also participate in optional study sessions with peers. Parents have access to their students’ progress as well as teachers and learning coaches. “This is such a collaborative effort,” says McGillicuddy. The result is more kids learning in a way and at a pace that works for them, and fewer kids slipping through the cracks.
“Every diagnosis has assets and liabilities,” says McGillicuddy. She explains that some things schools try to remediate—ADHD, for example—may be the very things that make an individual excel athletically. The success of GOAL led to BOOST, a student development program available to any student—enrolled in USPA or elsewhere— who is seeking additional learning support. The concept of proactively meeting the needs of all learners permeates the USPA community, including teachers, learning The very flexibility that facilitates impressive athletic accomplishments also naturally brings along invaluable experiential learning. Smith explains, “What most college admissions directors are really interested in is the idea that we’re building the skills that kids typically have to learn and build in their freshman year.” EDUCATION FOR LIFE
model with instructional videos and a virtual class meeting. USPA’s 70 core and elective courses are a combination of direct instruction, videos, interactive learning tools, discussion-based assessments and collaborative learning opportunities. Strategically embedded checks ensure that students are understanding material along the way. Julie Glusker calls it, “a learning system that empowers students with real-time, actionable content and data, enabling easy monitoring of progress and achievement.”
For remote learning to work, it also has to offer ample support because flexibility, while liberating, can also become overwhelming. Smith explains: “If you don’t have multiple touchpoints that are supporting students in different ways, the wheels can come off.” USPA’s remote learning model is a far cry from the correspondence courses of yore, with mail-in assignments and minimal feedback; or the folder of worksheets that typically end up in a sorry heap on the car floor; or even the “upside-down” learning
In addition to individual athletes, USPA partners with sports organizations in the States and abroad. Among them are: Italy- based International Ski Racing Academy (ISRA); HPC Racing Austria; and recently APEX2100 in France. USPA also partners with Arizona State University to allow qualifying juniors and seniors to earn college credit and USPA credit simultaneously.
EMBRACING NEURODIVERSITY
increasing population of neurodivergent students. Her “neurodiversity-affirming” approach includes the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, whereby putting accommodations in place for people who need them benefits everyone. “My approach with GOAL,” says McGillicuddy, “is let’s take what works for our neurodivergent students and offer those same options to all of our students.” GOAL offers four levels of individualized support in everything from emotional regulation skills to executive functioning, to specific content areas with learning specialists, to life skills.
Another challenge for every school, and particularly sports academies with limited staff, is supporting students who are “neurodivergent.” Says Smith, “Everybody learns differently whether you’re labeled neurodivergent or neurotypical.” Rather than label kids, USPA helps them develop skills and tools that allow them to work best with their learning style. Carrie McGillicuddy is USPA’s Director of Student Development and Counseling. McGillicuddy designed a program called Guided Opportunities for Achievement and Learning (GOAL) aimed at helping an
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