Last updated: September 2023
Last reviewed: January 2024
FIS operates learning support services in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), to which Germany acceded in 2009, and is therefore committed to ensuring the participation of persons with disabilities in the general education system.
Inclusion involves removing/reducing barriers so that students receive an education that is rigorous and accessible to the diverse student population. FIS thoughtfully manages the number of students it services with specific linguistic, physiological and neurodiverse needs to ensure high-quality learning opportunities toward successful personalized futures. Inclusion is embraced as a mindset that allows for flexible responses to individual student needs. Educating all students is our shared responsibility and provides significant mutual benefit to our community.
FIS’s Learning Support programs in conjunction with parents, students, teachers, specialists and assistants are part of a continuum of services that provide targeted instruction to students based on their individual needs. FIS Learning Support teachers value all kinds of learners and share the responsibility with all staff to teach students to become self-aware, confident, independent and responsible global citizens. The school’s aim is to help a student improve their skills in problem solving, self-advocacy, and to take ownership of their learning. It is also a goal of all teachers to help students establish routines and develop strategies to become independent learners.
Through the divisional student support team process of identification any student (FS-12) without a diagnosis may be recommended to receive support for a designated period of time. These short term interventions will be implemented over 8-12 weeks, and can be delivered by any team member. Students in grades 6-12 without a formal diagnosis are however, not entitled to academic accommodations.
If identified needs are not met within the initial intervention period, the student may receive learning support interventions for an additional prescribed period of time (not to exceed six months). If this further intervention does not support the learning needs, or improve the student’s academic success, the school may formally request educational testing to determine the root cause and related recommendations of the student’s learning needs.
To qualify for academic accommodations, and to be entitled to receive formal Learning Support services at FIS in Grades 6-12, students must carry a diagnosis of a learning, neurobiological, medical, or mental health need from a licensed psychologist or relevant, qualified medical practitioner. The procedures for identifying a diagnosis set forth in this regulation conform to standards set by external testing agencies such as the U.S. College Board and the International Baccalaureate Organization. The identified need must be documented through up-to-date testing (no more than three years old upon entering the Upper School.)
Assessment criteria
In order to serve the student effectively, the school requires a complete, detailed picture of strengths and areas of need. Formal assessments administered by qualified professionals serve the following purposes:
To provide a basis for educational decisions that will better meet the needs of the student with an understanding of the cause of the need.
To meet international diagnostic standards, enabling continuity in the student’s education, and legitimizing formal accommodations for external exams.
FIS requires licensed practitioners to provide a comprehensive report of assessment, written in English (or professionally translated into English from the original language). This report must:
Be completed by a licensed practitioner such as a psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist or other licensed professional or multi-disciplinary team, depending on the nature of the need.
Provide the child’s relevant educational, developmental and medical history
Describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis, including evaluation date(s) and complete test results.
Report subtest standard scores from known measures of cognitive ability (for example: Wechsler or HAWIK scale), and information processing.
Utilize standardized individual academic achievement assessments (for example: WIAT, Woodcock Johnson, etc..), in reading, writing and mathematics.
Describe the functional limitations (if any) supported by the test results
State a specific disability, (if diagnosed) citing DSM V and/or ICD 10 code *
Describe the specific accommodations required and (if appropriate) state why the disability qualifies the student for a modified educational program and/or accommodations on standardized tests
Establish the professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license, certification and area of specialization.
*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition (ICD-10)