The Continuous Feedback System

Winston Prep’s Continuous Feedback System (CFS) was designed to gain a deeper understanding of our students, facilitating independence through continual assessment, remediation, and analysis of a student’s response to their individualized program.
The bottom portion focuses on the student’s ability to reflect, understand and internalize the skills practiced each day, leading to independence that results in outcomes that include, but are not limited to 80% of our graduates going to college.

List of 7 items.

  • Understanding

    The design and implementation of each student’s educational program begins with an understanding of their learning profile in the context of a neuropsychological model of learning disorders, such as dyslexia, NVLD, and ADHD. This model is a result of neuropsychological and educational research that describes the learning process as an interactive one that involves three-part processing; language processing, nonverbal processing and executive function. While it is merely a starting point in our ongoing assessment of students’ strengths and weaknesses, it is an important diagnostic characterization that allows us to begin to focus upon and investigate primary areas of learning difficulties.
  • Assessment

    Assessment at Winston Prep is meant to be a way to understand a child’s strengths and challenges so that we can most effectively help them learn through individualized curricular design. Assessment is not a ranking mechanism, an end-point, or used for creating labels and limits. It is constant, drives understanding, is individualized and highly focused. Assessment allows educators to measure skills, track progress, refine goals, give feedback, and realize potential and improve ability to learn.
  • Response

    The student is continually responding to the individually designed educational program. Responses come in many forms. A student’s response can be as informal as a contribution to a class discussion or conversation, how one navigates a challenging situation, or follows through with a plan. More formally, a response can be performance on an assignment or how one demonstrates the application of targeted skills. WPS learning specialists recognize that with everything we say or do the student then responds. The student works to become more aware of their own ongoing experiences and responses. This response leads us into further assessment which provides information for both the student and instructor, allowing a refined understanding, guiding individualized programming in an ongoing way.
  • Self-Assessment

    The student is empowered by learning how to continually assess their own experiences and responses, reflecting to develop an awareness and understanding of oneself. The student’s skill level in applying this process is measured and assessed through the CFS process as well, allowing instructors and the student to build an awareness of which facets require further development and how to approach the facilitation of such skills, as self-assessment and self-understanding are skills just as much as reading, writing, and math. 
  • Self-Understanding

    This multidimensional reflective process is explicitly discussed, modeled, and practiced as the instructor helps the student develop a meaningful understanding of their specific learning profile and how that relates to the process as a whole. 
  • Decisions, Actions, and Creations

    Through modeling, guidance, and support, the student applies this reflection and understanding to their future decisions, actions and creations. This support is systematically minimized as the student becomes increasingly adept in the application of the CFS, emerging into a sustainable and independent learner. 
  • Program

    Educational programs at WPS center on facilitating the independence of students with learning difficulties through assessment-driven individualized education. The typical WPSCT student has 50 minutes of daily instruction in Language Skills (decoding and/or written language instruction), Literature, History, Math, Science, Physical Education and an individualized Focus session. The Physical Education period alternates 2 or 3 days weekly with one of our enrichment courses which may include arts, music, or civics. Through our 'High School Partnership Program' with Norwalk Community College, students who qualify to take college-level classes at NCC are exempt from a corresponding class at WPSCT. They use that time during the school day to work on their NCC course assignments. In addition to the daily schedule, students may choose to participate in an array of after-school enrichment activities including various athletics,  Community Service, Garden Club and study hall, etc.

Components of Understanding

List of 3 items.

  • Language Processing Difficulties

    Difficulties with language processing typically result in Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is characterized by difficulties in working memory, phonological awareness and rapid automatic naming. These difficulties cause challenges with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, spelling, decoding, arithmetic, and following directions. Secondary consequences may include challenges in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
  • Nonverbal Processing Difficulties

    Students who struggle with nonverbal processing, may have a Nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD). NVLD is characterized by a combination of neuropsychological deficits. NVLD is characterized by variations in severity. NVLD is a pervasive and overlapping school and social problem characterized by difficulties with reasoning and comprehension, socialization and communication, visual spatial tasks, mathematics and executive functions. Primary assets frequently include auditory perception, rote verbal memory and some simple motor and psychomotor skills. Socio-emotional deficits include adoption to novelty, social competence, emotional stability and activity level.
  • Executive Functioning Difficulties

    Challenges with executive function impact many school and social activities. Students with these challenges are frequently diagnosed with ADHD. At Winston Prep executive functions describe the supervisory and self-regulatory mental processes involved in planning, organizing and responding in a flexible, strategic and appropriate way. Researchers highlight a variety of processes associated with executive functions, including (but not limited to), goal selection, planning, regulation of goal directed behavior, delay of gratification, mental and behavioral flexibility, metacognition, adjusting to changing rules, utilization of attention and decision making. Students who have executive function difficulties may exhibit challenges in many if not all of these processes.
Winston Preparatory School is a leading school for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, executive functioning difficulties (ADHD), and non-verbal learning disorders (NVLD).

WPS does not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. The Winston Preparatory School provides programs and services and equal opportunity in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, financial aid programs, employment, and the selection of its governing board without regard to gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, or any status recognized by federal, state and local civil rights and non-discrimination laws.