Located in the heart of Mumbai, India, the American School of Bombay is a coeducational, independent, IB day school from Pre-K to Grade 12.
We are committed to appropriately planned and managed programs for students attending ASB. Using a multi-tiered system of support, ASB recognizes that some students may need small group or individualized learning services in order to work toward, meet or exceed grade-level proficiency. Others may need a modified program that runs alongside that of their peers. ASB believes in the importance of a collaborative approach to best serve students. It is essential to include parents/guardians, classroom teachers, ILS service providers, and administrators in implementing and monitoring for growth/success.
At ASB, inclusion is both an attitude and approach. It is an ongoing commitment to valuing, empowering, and supporting the individual learning needs of all students. We aim to provide students access and engagement in our inclusive environment through the removal of barriers that may lead to exclusion; assuring that all viable support systems are available, provided, and maintained.
ASB utilizes programmatic characteristics, categorical definitions, and related needs qualifiers consistent with individualized learning support plans and diagnostics, based on current research.
Generally, ASB provides a student with an individualized learning support plan based on the student’s current and/or historical performance at school, the student’s patterns of strengths and/or weaknesses, and/or the student’s diagnosis and related level of need to be successful within the educational environment. ASB has the capacity to support students with mild to moderate needs. A student may have converging needs in which both mild and moderate supports are necessary.
ASB’s divisional School counselors provide short-term personal and academic counseling to support students in addressing the issues impacting their learning and/or their emotional/ social well-being in a developmentally appropriate way.
Through counseling services, students receive support and learn important life skills needed to resolve their unique problems. The counselor partners with the advisory Grade Level Leaders as well as the PE team to teach guidance lessons. The counselor regularly collaborates with parents, teacher school administrators and outside professionals to optimally address the educational, emotional and social needs of students at ASB.
All students focus on acquiring the language necessary to perform successfully in academic and social settings. Students will work on developing the four language domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The students’ grade-levels and English proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) are critical factors that are considered when planning a student’s program.
EAL teachers work closely with mainstream classroom teachers to teach the content, strategies, and skills to each student. Research supports that students learn English best when they have access to complete grade-level experiences and programs. For this reason, most servicing comes through the EAL and class teachers planning together, as well as the EAL teacher supporting within the regular class environment.
We recognize the importance of the home language and the invaluable place it has in setting a foundation for second language learning. In the Middle School all students in the EAL program attend the same classes as their peers. EAL beginner students attend an EAL class instead of French or Spanish.
The Speech and Language Program offers support for students with mild to moderate speech-language difficulties. The areas of intervention may include: articulation, receptive and expressive language, voice, oral-motor, and fluency. Examples of skills addressed can include: vocabulary, grammar, listening skills, comprehension strategies and organization of ideas are also addressed in addition to verbal reasoning and problem solving strategies.
Our Learning Coaches provide learning support to students with identified learning differences, and needing long-term support academically, behaviorally and/or emotionally to reach their potential. The Learning Coaches provide teachers with resources and support for students who are working below grade level standards and those who are high ability.
High achieving students show that they are working above our grade level expectations, in any core subject area or specific concept/unit. The level of support depends on the determined need. For those who are more formally identified, and/or show particular strength in an area, a formalized will be developed and a more personalized program will be constructed, while keeping the student with their peers as much as possible. Service development and delivery is a team process in which the student, parents, teachers, support specialists, and administrators work collaboratively to determine the support necessary for the student to make expected growth.
The School Psychologist collaborates with counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, and students themselves to promote and support the social-emotional well-being of the ASB student community.
For students with more intensive or specific learning, social-emotional, and/or behavioral needs, the School Psychologist provides consultation and collaborative services. The School Psychologist conducts formal psycho-educational assessments and plans for crisis response. In addition, the School Psychologist also provides individual, short-term counseling.
Middle School/High School iCommons is an educational sharing space for collaboration, content creation, readings and study. It replaces the concept of a “Traditional Library” by expanding its uses in form and function.
ASB Learning Commons’ mission is to inspire and support its users towards creative and intellectual achievement while responsibly and ethically learning the value of information, its acquisition, and its usage. We inspire our users to create and communicate through local & global collaboration while striving towards cultural proficiency.
The Learning Commons houses a wide collection of databases, eBooks and over 15,000 print books to engage students in critical thinking and to develop sophisticated literacy and information literacy skills. All ASB students, parents, faculty and staff are considered ASB patrons and are welcome to use all our resources.
