We recognize that each TGS student is unique, and invite families to help us create an educational plan that accurately addresses their student’s support needs. Factors both within and outside our school community impact each student’s level of functioning, and TGS is committed to providing each enrolled student with the optimal level of support in order to ensure a healthy learning community for all students. In addition to the supports described below, TGS offers Behavior, Counseling, and Academic support for students needing more intensive or targeted support to function independently in the TGS learning environment.

Positive Behavior Support

TGS employs a school-wide Positive Behavior Support program to increase student awareness and practice of executive function skills in the classroom. The program includes a positive reinforcement system that is tracked using weekly point sheets. Students earn points in all academic classes for specific behaviors that reflect positive engagement with academic and social learning. In addition, each student identifies one behavior or skill to target for increased awareness and/or practice. Points earned in the Positive Behavior Support program are totaled each week and can be exchanged for items from the TGS Phoenix Store.

Executive Function Support

Most students at TGS will experience challenges in one or more areas of executive functioning. We help students surmount these challenges by providing direct instruction about executive functioning, and how it impacts them in social, academic, and school/workplace settings. The use of a school-wide shared vocabulary to describe these challenges paired with the foundational understanding that “everyone is working on something” helps students increase their awareness and acceptance of their need for executive function support. Students are guided to develop compensatory strategies which they implement daily with increasing independence. Improvements in daily functioning are tracked through TGS’ Positive Behavior Support points system. Long-term progress is monitored with twice-yearly administration of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF).

Advisory/GPS

At TGS, each student is assigned a staff advisor, known as a “GPS” or Guide & Problem Solver. The GPS is a safe adult who cultivates a supportive, trusting relationship with individual students. Students are encouraged to seek out their GPS for assistance in solving problems, whether big or small. GPS faculty can help students advocate for themselves with other teachers about issues or concerns, with a goal of encouraging the student’s increasing independence in this area. The GPS is also a conduit for parents to obtain the most current information about ongoing TGS activities, both school-wide and specific to their child’s program.