Academic Skills

Predictors of academic success

• It takes a combination of skills — organization, time management, prioritization, concentration, and motivation — to achieve academic success. Consider these tips from GreatSchools.org.
• The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) provides descriptions and lesson plan starters for effective practices and predictors that promote positive post-school outcomes for all students with disabilities. The website is a little hard to use, but full of good stuff. We recommend using their the search box, for example, “algebra”, to cut through to content that interests you.

Areas related to transition

• Curricula and lesson plans that cover areas related to transition, from Transition Tennessee. They have a searchable database you can search in different ways. Note that you will need to set up a free account to use it.

Study skills

• Top 10 study skills for high school students transitioning to college, from CampusExplorer.
• A different list of Top 10 Skills for High School Students, from the Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, AZ. Might be interesting for a student to compare the two lists.
• Tips for self-esteem, organizational skills, stress management, and self-advocacy tips from Friends of Quinn, an online community that offers resources and support for young adults with learning differences, as well as for the people who love them.

Reading & writing skills

Reading and writing go hand in hand and are basic to every academic subject and every job a student will ever hold. Two good pages from GreatSchools offer advice on mastering reading and writing skills:

• www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/330-middle-and-high-school-reading.gs
• www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/343-middle-high-school-reading-tips-for-students.gs

Asking for help

• Article from Education Week on how teachers can encourage help-seeking.
• Article from CollegeBoard about the role of the guidance counselor, starting with freshman year.
• See Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy page on our site.