OVERVIEW AND CONCLUSIONS OF A REPORT ON THE ARROWSMITH PROGRAM
IN THE TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

The Arrowsmith Program was first implemented in the TCDSB in 1997 at St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School and currently is implemented in seven elementary schools in the TCDSB.  This report tracks the progress of students in the Arrowsmith Program in the TCDSB on standardized achievement measures, on the amount of resource support needed pre Arrowsmith Program and post Arrowsmith Program, on reports from parents, teachers and students of specific observable cognitive and academic gains, and on reports from teachers, students and parents of the success these students have attained in high school and post secondary programs.

This report concludes:

The goal of the Arrowsmith Program, as we have stated, is to identify, intervene, and strengthen several of the cognitive capacities underlying learning disabilities that affect learning and the acquisition of academic skills and curriculum and to help students capitalize on their increased learning capacities and eventually reintegrate them into the full curriculum, enabling them to function with a minimum of special education assistance, program accommodations or modifications and, in most cases, without the need for any further special education intervention or program modification.

In this report on the effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program in achieving the above goals with learning disabled students in the TCDSB the following was found:

• an increase in the rate of acquisition of specific academic skills (Word Recognition, Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, Reading Speed) of between 1.5 to 3 times;
• parents, students and teachers observed and rated noticeable changes in cognitive abilities necessary for learning such as the ability to focus, understanding instructions, listening skills, organizational skills, remembering factual information, understanding ideas, and in skill acquisition such as reading comprehension, legibility of written work, telling time and in areas of  confidence, self-esteem and frustration level;
• students observed and noted specific changes in auditory memory, visual memory, comprehension, reading, spelling, mathematics, mental math, reasoning, writing, grammar, understanding concepts, improved grades in academic classes, doing work independently, and self-organization;
• teachers observed and noted specific changes in reading, writing, logical reasoning, understanding concepts, concentration and focus, visual memory, non-verbal problem solving, mental arithmetic, number sense, thinking and problem solving;
• a reduction in the amount of resource support required after the student left the Arrowsmith Program;
• a reduction in the amount of resource support required while the student was in the Arrowsmith Program;
• success in high school and post secondary programs with no or minimal resource support.

These findings, combined with previous research of the program, strongly support the effectiveness of the Arrowsmith Program for a wide range of learning disabilities. 

The results of this report confirm the results of previous research and the feedback we have received from parents, teachers, and students over the past nine years of delivery of the Arrowsmith Program in the TCDSB.

To read or download the full Report in PDF format, please click here

January, 2007