Academic Support

Hard work doesn’t have to be so…hard. At Oliverian, we combine small classes, highly experiential approaches, and warm, supportive teacher-student relationships to make learning irresistible. Our classrooms are comfortable yet challenging places of discussion and inquiry where bright and often unconventional thinkers are safe to find their own best style of learning. Many students who have not thrived in traditional schools finally catch their stride academically at Oliverian, discover their intellectual interests, and learn how to learn.

our leaners

Our Learners

Our students are bright and college capable, and best of all, they think differently! Some are creators and innovators, others analytical observers. Some are slow and deliberate cogitators, others are impulsively inquisitive. Some see patterns and systems naturally, others attend to detail first. Some are social learners, others work best independently. Some of our students also have diagnosed differences that impact their learning style, such as ADHD, executive dysfunction, slow processing speed, anxiety, NVLD, or depression. In the Oliverian classroom, we view this diversity of learners as a great opportunity for mutual enrichment and cross pollination.

Office Hours and Learning Labs

Office Hours. Sounds like college, right? That’s no accident. At Oliverian we have built a time into the schedule when all teachers are available for support outside of class. Students start this period in their academic advisor’s classroom, where they review their grades and upcoming assignments and can get support with organization and time management. After checking in, they are free to visit any other teacher for extra help. Confused about that math problem? Stuck on the outline of your term paper? Your teacher is available to coach you through it.
Learning Lab provides a structured, teacher-led time every school night for students to do homework and study. Hard work isn’t so hard when a teacher is there to coach and support.
female student learning science
spanish class high five

Executive Functioning and Study Skills

Oliverian has discovered that an individualized approach to executive functioning and study skills best fosters growth and lasting skill acquisition. So we partner with our students to ask: “What’s working for you as a student and what isn’t?” This mutual curiosity yields experimentation (iteration) with a variety of tools — be it a paper planner, a phone app, or a simple to-do list.

We teach our students to be students

While executive functioning is a broad term encompassing many cognitive skills, experience has taught us that there are four primary skill areas our students need to develop in order to function as effective students: organization, time management, note-taking, and studying. We offer organization and time management coaching during office hours and study hall so that students can work experientially to manage their academic tasks. Advisors and proctors help set up materials that work for each student and coach them to maintain specific strategies over time. They also help students identify what needs to be done, prioritize, break big projects down into manageable pieces, and set up a work environment conducive to effective use of time.
We teach our students to be students
student in science class

Encouraging Independent Learning

Whether a student struggles with school anxiety, executive functioning, or another learning challenge, our teachers strive to produce independent learners who can self-advocate and self-accommodate. This works best when we offer highly personalized but minimalist accommodations in direct partnership with the student. By balancing customized support, self-advocacy coaching, and a rigorous curriculum, students build a transferable and confident sense of themselves as learners.

College Counseling

At Oliverian, we believe that post-secondary planning is more than just gaining admission to college. It is also an important opportunity for meaningful self-discovery. A good understanding of one’s own interests, strengths, and weaknesses is an essential foundation for the process. So we treat the college planning and application process as an invaluable opportunity for students to practice many of the skills that college itself will demand of them: time management, initiative-taking, follow through, and interpersonal skills, among others. Our college counselor works with students both individually and in small groups to support every step of the college application process.

Our Approach

Our Approach

We help every student proactively engage and prepare for the customary college admissions milestones, such as PSAT/SAT/ACT preparation, college research, college visits, college application, and college selection. Along the way we work to foster the self-knowledge and critical thinking necessary to make the best choice of college possible. In the spirit of encouraging autonomy, engagement, and confidence, the level of support we provide differs for each student depending on their ability to navigate the process on their own.

College Acceptance List

Over 90% of Oliverian graduates matriculate directly to college or university; Oliverians have attended a wide variety of post-secondary institutions, including:

Albion College
American University
Antioch College
Becker College
Bennington College
Boston University
Burlington College
Charleston Southern University
Claremont Colleges – Pitzer
Clark University
Colby-Sawyer College
Colorado State University
Columbia College
Connecticut Culinary Institute
Cornell University
Curry College
Dean College
Denver University
Dickinson College
Drew University
Johnson State College
Keene State College
Lafayette College
Landmark College
Lasell College
Lehigh University
Lesley College
Loyola University of Chicago
Lynchburg College
Lyndon State College
Manhattanville College
Marlboro College
McDaniel College
Millsaps College
Mitchell College
Montana State University
Montclair State University

Stetson University
St. John’s College
St. Mary’s College of MD
St. Olaf College
Stonehill College
Syracuse University
SUNY – Alfred
SUNY – Albany
SUNY – Binghamton
SUNY – Plattsburgh
Temple University
The College of Mount Saint Vincent
University of Alaska – Fairbanks
University of Arizona
University of Colorado – Boulder
University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
University of Hawaii – Hilo
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Kentucky
Eckerd College
Elon University
Evergreen State College
Fairfield University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Ferrum College
Florida Southern College
Green Mountain College
Goucher College
Guilford College
Immaculata University
Hampshire College
High Point University
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Hollins University
Ithaca College
Manhattan College
Montevallo University

Mount Saint Mary College
New College
Newbury College
Northern Arizona University
Norwich University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Oregon State University
Pace University
Pratt Institute Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Roger Williams University
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of Visual Arts, NYC
Shenandoah University
University of Maine – Orono
University of Massachusetts
University of Montana
University of New Hampshire
University of Northern Colorado
University of Puget Sound
University of Rhode Island
University of South Carolina
University of Vermont
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Wesleyan College
Warren Wilson College
Washington College
West Virginia University
Western State College
Wheaton College

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