Inclusion is a commitment to welcome, embrace, value, and educate a diverse range of learners at VIS.
A Journey to Fluency
Our English Language Acquisition (ELA) Program at VIS is a welcoming passage for students new to the language. We believe that true learning happens through connection, which is why our Sheltered Immersion model places students directly into mainstream classrooms with their peers. This provides an immediate, natural immersion in English.
ELA specialist teachers act as a dedicated support system, offering a gentle hand and expert guidance in both the classroom and in smaller, focused groups. This dual approach ensures every student can navigate their studies with confidence, helping them find their voice and thrive as a vital part of our community.
The English Language Acquisition Program (ELA) falls under the umbrella of the SST and includes both the Primary and Secondary division.
As English is the language of instruction at VIS, developing competence in the English language is crucial to students’ success at VIS. English language learners are students whose personal home language is not English and who are becoming multilingual. They are learning English and using English to learn in all their classes. The goal of the program is to equip students with the English language skills necessary to operate independently within the classroom at a level that reflects their age.
Language learning is a collaborative and social process that takes place most effectively in situations where the context is authentic and meaningful. The best place for this to happen is within the regular classroom where students can use the learning experiences provided to all students as the “vehicle” for acquiring language. English language learners receive support and specialized instruction in English language acquisition from a qualified ELA specialist teacher on a regular basis. Beginning and progressing English language learners benefit from an individualized program of language support designed to meet their academic and language acquisition needs, while participating in their regular classes as much as possible. They also receive differentiated support within their grade level and subject area classes from their teachers.
This service model is consistent in both the Primary and Secondary schools. Please refer to the VIS Language Policy Guidelines for details of the ELA program framework, instructional philosophy, entry and exit criteria, assessment, monitoring and reporting.
Students are considered for Tier 3 support when their individual needs cannot be met through high-quality classroom instruction (Tier 1) or targeted small-group interventions (Tier 2). This determination is based on multiple sources of evidence, including teacher observations, progress monitoring data, academic performance, standardized assessments, and, when relevant, psycho-educational evaluations. Tier 3 support provides more intensive, individualized instruction and services to help students make meaningful progress.
Inclusive Learning Specialists (ILS) provide this level of support for students whose learning differences, disabilities, or other needs significantly impact their academic growth. They partner with teachers to adapt instruction, gather and analyze student data, and implement interventions tailored to each learner. ILS also work closely with parents and contribute to professional learning within the school, ensuring that all students have equitable access to the curriculum.
Inclusive Learning Specialists embody VIS’s commitment to inclusion by fostering strong partnerships, developing personalized supports, and helping every student reach their fullest potential.
Counseling at VIS takes a three-pronged approach in that not only is emotional support available to students but also to the care takers of children, the parents and the teachers. The philosophy behind the counseling of students at VIS is that the emotional needs of children go hand in hand with the academic needs. In other words, if students are distracted by an emotional concern it will be difficult to focus their energy and attention on the academic task at hand in the classroom.
VIS feels that it is important to have available an adult who is viewed as safe and trustworthy by students so that they can talk through troubling issues of concern. Being able to express their worries often allows them to return to the classroom with a greater degree of emotional balance which enables them to work more enthusiastically in the academic realm. It is important to be aware that young people from the ages of 11 to 18 are experiencing profound physical and psychological changes as they move through puberty and into early adulthood. Because of these changes, issues that may seem trivial to an adult take on huge proportions in the mind of an adolescent.
Primary care is provided by teachers and the counselors support the teachers by meeting with the student at any time via teacher, student or parent request.
Inclusion is a commitment to welcome, embrace, value, and educate a diverse range of learners. We believe diversity enriches our community and creates a learning environment that reflects the natural complexity of our world. Inclusion fosters opportunities for all members of our community to grow and thrive. To foster inclusion our admission policy considers these factors:
A diverse student body is welcomed without discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual identity, religion, physical ability, race, and ethnicity.
A diverse student body shall be admitted based on the school’s capacity to meet the educational needs of the applicant.
VIS is committed to making a good faith effort to accommodate the individual needs of students through thoughtful consideration of both admissions and classroom resources. Each grade level has a limited number of spaces available for students who require support services, which may include academic support, classroom guidance, and individual counseling. Admission decisions are based on the alignment between the student’s needs and the level of support services the school is equipped to provide.
At VIS, the Student Support Team (SST) is a collaborative, multidisciplinary group dedicated to ensuring every learner thrives. The team includes the Director of Student Support, School Counselors, Inclusive Learning Specialists, English Language Acquisition Teachers, classroom teachers, and other relevant staff who work together to address students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs. Guided by research-informed practices and the Adaptive Schools philosophy, the SST emphasizes trust, shared accountability, and results-oriented dialogue. By partnering closely with teachers and using strategies such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), differentiated instruction, and flexible co-teaching models, the SST provides proactive, student-centered support that fosters belonging and success for all learners.
