When was Arrowsmith School founded?

Arrowsmith School was established in Toronto in 1980 and has operated continuously in Toronto since then and since 2005 in Peterborough. The cognitive exercises that are the foundation of the Arrowsmith Program were first offered to students with learning disabilities in 1978.

Where is Arrowsmith School located?

Arrowsmith School is located in two buildings at 243-245 St. Clair Avenue West, two blocks west of Avenue Road in mid-town Toronto. Arrowsmith School Peterborough is a wholly owned affiliated school that is located in Northview Commerce Court, Units 3 and 4, 1434 Chemong Road North.

Is the Arrowsmith Program available in other schools?

The Arrowsmith Program is also available in seven elementary schools in the Toronto Catholic District School Board and in a number of independent schools in Ontario, British Columbia, New York, New Jersey, Florida and California that are listed on our Home page. 

What are the criteria for students entering the Arrowsmith Program?

Our typical student is of average or above average intelligence and has a combination of the learning dysfunctions that are described in our literature. Please visit our Admissions Page for further information.

How do you determine if a student is suitable?

Students entering Arrowsmith School have ordinarily been experiencing a range of problems including reading, writing, mathematics, comprehension, logical reasoning, visual memory, auditory memory, dyslexia, non-verbal learning, auditory processing and attention.

We suggest that parents review the description of the 19 learning dysfunctions in the Learning Dysfunctions section of our website.

What are the ages of the students?

The students at Arrowsmith School range in age from six years old to young adults and work with their peers in age related classes.

Do you have adult students?

We have a class of young adult students who have taken time out from their college or university studies, or in some cases careers, to address their learning dysfunctions.

Do you have students with ADHD?

We have worked with such students but only if they have learning disabilities that accompany their ADHD which fall within the range of the 19 learning dysfunctions addressed by the Arrowsmith Program.

Do you have students who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome or high functioning autism?

We have worked with such students where they have accompanying learning disabilities that fall within the range of the 19 learning dysfunctions addressed by the Arrowsmith Program. In such cases, we are careful when assessing their appropriateness for admission to ensure that they will be suitable candidates. The Arrowsmith Program does not address the autism spectrum disorders.

How do I obtain information about admissions?

Please visit the Admissions page. You may also contact Daina Luszczek, Arrowsmith School Secretary, at 416 963-4962 or by email to dluszczek@arrowsmithprogram.ca and she will be pleased to answer any questions you may have about admissions and enrolment.

Do you accept students during the school year?

Arrowsmith School and the other schools that offer our program accept enrolment during the year subject to availability. Please contact the school you are interested in for further information.

Are all incoming students assessed?

All students enrolling in a cognitive program at Arrowsmith School are assessed. The motor symbol sequencing program (available on alternate Saturdays through the year at the Toronto school and available as a part-time program at some other locations) does not require an initial assessment. Please visit our assessment page for further information.

What is the purpose of the initial assessment?

The assessment enables us to identify each student’s learning profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses and provides the basis for designing individual programs for each student. The assessment is not used as the basis for determining suitability for the Arrowsmith Program as suitability is determined through the telephone pre-screening discussion.

Who conducts the assessment and analyzes the results?

The assessment of students entering Arrowsmith School in Toronto is conducted by a member of our staff who is a trained psychometrist and the tests are scored and analyzed at Arrowsmith School.

What does the assessment involve?

Students are tested using a number of standardized achievement tests to evaluate academic levels as well as tests designed at Arrowsmith School that are used to identify strengths and weaknesses in each of the 19 learning dysfunctions that are addressed by the Arrowsmith Program. 

Can assessments performed elsewhere or other reports be used in place of the Arrowsmith assessment?

While it is beneficial to review any previous test reports, if available, we need to administer our own assessment to assess the student’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a learning profile which is the basis of creating a program for each student.

How are new students assessed at the other schools that offer the Arrowsmith Program?

Students are assessed at each school in accordance with procedures established by Arrowsmith and the tests are scored and analyzed at Arrowsmith.

How much is the annual tuition?

The annual tuition fee for the 2011 - 2012 school year is $22,000 and includes all program and academic fees and materials for the full school year. The $22,000 tution fee includes an activity fee of $250 that covers such things as the school yearbook, school trips and other special events. There are no other fees or charges.  Tuition fees are not subject to the Goods and Services Tax or Provincial Sales Tax.

Are the tuition and fees tax deductible?

Tuition fees at private schools are not tax deductible. Parents of students enrolled in the Arrowsmith Program in Canada (at Arrowsmith School and at other schools that offer this program) may claim the Medical Expense Tax Credit. This will result in a tax saving of approximately $3,000 based on a family income of $100,000.

Can fees be paid through private health plans?

This may be available in some limited situations for families who are part of a private health and medical benefit plan. They should contact their individual benefits insurer or broker for further information.

Do you offer bursaries or is there any other funding available?

We do not offer bursaries or other financial support for our students. There may be assistance available from certain private charities. One such organization is the Children First Grants which may be contacted at www.childrenfirstgrants.ca. Arrowsmith School does not receive any subsidies or outside funding.

How many years do students spend in the Arrowsmith Program?

The majority of students will usually require a three to four year program of full time attendance before returning to a full academic program in a public or private school at his or her appropriate grade level.

What is the student to teacher ratio?

The student to teacher ratio at Arrowsmith School is 10 to 1.

What academic subjects and school credits are offered? {back to top}

Most of our students have one period of English and one period of mathematics each day in our academic program.  We do not provide secondary school credits.

Why do you offer only English and mathematics and not other academic subjects?

Students come to Arrowsmith School because they have been struggling with the regular academic curriculum. Our cognitive exercise program is designed to strengthen their weak learning capacities and our academic program lets them experience their new learning skills and prepares them for a full academic program after they leave following a three to four year program.

We offer English and mathematics which are essential for the acquisition of other academic subjects.

Learning in all academic subjects requires reasoning, thinking, problem solving, conceptual understanding, retention of material (through both visual and auditory memory), and the ability to express oneself in writing, all cognitive areas addressed by the Arrowsmith Program. These cognitive improvements lead to effective learning in all academic subjects and the students experience the benefit of having the cognitive strengths available to apply to all future learning.

Do you offer part-time programs?

Arrowsmith School in Toronto offers an after school part-time program on Tuesday and Thursday which like the full-time cognitive program requires an initial assessment, as well as the Motor Symbol Sequencing Program on alternate Saturdays that does not require an assessment. You may obtain additional information about these programs on the Part Time Programs page.

Do you have a summer program? 

No. We believe that full time students need a break from their studies and that the two month summer period does not provide enough time to adequately address a learning dysfunction. The school is open during this time for student assessments, program development and the August teacher training course.

Research

Please visit the Research page of our website to read the reports referred to below and other studies on the effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program.

A study prepared by Dr. William A. Lancee, Head of Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, that was funded by the Donner Canadian Foundation and completed in 2005 concluded that all deficit areas identified by the Arrowsmith Program improved as a result of the application of Arrowsmith Program cognitive exercises.
Please click here for the complete study.

More recently, we completed a Report on the Effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program in the Toronto Catholic District School Board which showed that students improve in their rate of acquisition of academic skills as a result of their cognitive improvements. Please click here for a summary of this report.

Program Effectiveness

The study prepared by Dr. William A. Lancee referred to above concluded that all deficit areas identified by the Arrowsmith Program improved as a result of the application of Arrowsmith Program cognitive exercises. Please refer to the full study and in particular the concluding summary for an overview of the effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program.

Do students maintain their improvements?

Students that we have followed up to 20 years after completion of the program have maintained their cognitive improvements. Once the improvement is in place, the individual maintains this gain by using the cognitive area in everyday functioning.