What Makes Gow Unique

The Gow Method

The Gow Method of Reconstructive Language is ours alone. It was developed here, it has been refined here for 100 years, and it is taught only on our campus.

For many bright students, language has never quite made sense. They have memorized rules and pushed through, but nothing has really stuck. The Gow Method removes the guesswork. Students are shown exactly how language works, step by step, in a way that is clear and consistent.

What Makes It Different

• Born at Gow. The Gow Method was developed here with input from Dr. Samuel T. Orton, and has had a century of daily classroom practice since.
• A class of its own. Every student takes The Gow Method as its own class, every year.
• Woven into every subject. Every teacher is trained in it, so its practices carry into English, math, science, and history alike.
• Multisensory and structured. Students learn through sight, sound, and touch at the same time, moving step by step through phonics, spelling, and vocabulary. Nothing is skipped and nothing is left to chance.
• Understanding, not memorizing. Students learn patterns like prefixes, suffixes, and roots, so they can make sense of new words on their own.
• Grouped by skill. Each student is assessed on arrival, learns with peers at the same level, and is regrouped as their skills advance.

Taught by Trained Experts

Our teacher preparation program is accredited by IMSLEC (the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council) and includes a supervised practicum. Gow faculty also present at national conferences, including the International Dyslexia Association.

College Advising

Every Gow senior is accepted to college. Our College Advising Center helps each student find the right fit and apply with confidence.

College advising at Gow is about more than applications. The College Advising Center (CAC) teaches students to understand their own learning, speak up for what they need, and choose colleges where they will thrive.

Advising begins in 9th grade and builds each year. By senior year, students lead their own search, with an advisor beside them at every step.

100%

Of seniors accepted to college each year

7

Target number of applications (5 to 10)

45 min

Weekly college class for juniors and seniors

Things to Know

• Every senior is accepted. 100% of Gow seniors are accepted to college each year.
• A weekly class. The CAC teaches a weekly 45-minute class for juniors and seniors.
• Testing on campus. The ACT and SAT are given right here at Gow, in a setting students know. The ACT is our default test.
• How many applications. Students apply to between 5 and 10 colleges. We aim for 7.
• When applications start. Students begin applying in September of senior year.
• Early Action and Early Decision. Early Action is non-binding: a student applies early and hears back early but is free to choose. Early Decision is binding: if admitted, the student commits to attend.

Testing Accommodations

Students with learning differences can request accommodations on the ACT and SAT, such as double or triple time, small-group testing, testing over multiple days, or having the text read aloud. The testing agencies require recent, complete documentation:

• Testing completed within the last three years
• A cognitive assessment (for example, the WAIS-V) and an achievement assessment (for example, the WJ-A-IV)
• An explicit DSM-V diagnosis
• Specific recommended accommodations

Documentation goes to College Counseling. Questions about documentation go to Dr. Mari Jo Renick, Director of Research and Assessment, at [email protected].

College Advising Timeline

Grades 9 and 10

• Spend summers on community service or a job.
• Find the study methods that work best.
• Take the Pre-ACT.
• Start exploring colleges with the Director of College Counseling.

Grade 11

• Build a two-year plan with the CAC.
• Attend a college fair.
• Consider optional, paid ACT or SAT prep.
• Begin college essays and a resume.
• Set up Common App, ACT, and SAT accounts.
• Ask teachers for recommendations.
• Complete an accommodations inventory.
• Visit colleges over spring break.
• Take the ACT in April.

Grade 12

• Parents complete the parent information form.
• Students complete applications, starting in September.
• November 1: most early deadlines.
• February 1: most regular applications close.
• May 1: national enrollment deposit date. Students place one enrollment deposit.
• Graduation, then final transcripts are sent in early June.

Executive Function Coaching

Weekly one-on-one coaching that teaches students to organize, plan, and speak up for themselves, until they no longer need it.

For many students with dyslexia or ADHD, the hardest part of school is not the content. It is keeping track of assignments, breaking a big project into steps, and getting started. Executive Function Coaching (EFC) teaches those skills directly.

How Coaching Works

1:1

Student and coach

Weekly

Sessions with a coach

45 to 60

Minutes per session

Each student in EFC meets one-on-one with an executive function coach once a week for 45 to 60 minutes. Together they set goals that fit the student, and they work toward them week by week.

Goals That Start Where Your Child Is

Goals range from the very practical to the long term. One student may start with organizing a backpack and keeping a planner. Another may work on managing a research paper from first notes to final draft. As each goal is met, the next one builds on it.

Knowing How You Learn

Coaches use a learning styles inventory to help each student understand how they learn best. That knowledge shapes the strategies they practice, from how they study for a test to how they take notes in class.

Learning to Self-Advocate

A big part of coaching is learning to ask for help. Students practice explaining what they need to teachers, so the habit goes with them to college and beyond.

Graduating from EFC

Coaching is meant to end. Most students graduate from EFC after a couple of marking periods, once they have met their goals or earned a place on the Honor Scroll. They leave with skills they use on their own.