Parents seeking support for children with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning differences should know about Benchmark School’s unique approach to education. Located in Media, Benchmark School offers a comprehensive program designed to empower students and transform their learning experience.

It is not enough to teach children how to read: Developing Executive Function Skills

For children and young adults, school is one of their primary environments. And with each passing year, a student’s academic and life successes depend more and more on mastery of executive function processes. Examples of executive function skills can include as goal setting, planning, organizing material, prioritizing, distinguishing main ideas, memorizing, initiating, self-monitoring progress, and reflecting on one’s own work. Effective self-regulation is the goal.

Unfortunately, the essential executive function processes required for school success are rarely taught systematically in classrooms. Assignments are given with the assumption that students have, at some time earlier in their school experience, learned the executive function processes they need to complete the assigned tasks such as how to take notes, study, take tests and complete long-term projects.

Beyond Teaching Reading: Developing Executive Function Skills

Benchmark School understands that teaching children how to read is just the beginning. Their program focuses on developing essential executive function processes crucial for academic and life success. These skills include:

• Goal setting
• Planning
• Organizing materials
• Prioritizing tasks
• Distinguishing main ideas
• Memorizing effectively
• Initiating projects
• Self-monitoring progress
• Reflecting on work

While many schools assume students have already acquired these skills, Benchmark School systematically teaches them, preparing students for long-term success.

The Benchmark Difference: Teaching How to Learn

What sets Benchmark School apart is its emphasis on teaching students how to learn and take charge of their own education. With 50+ years of experience working with struggling learners, Benchmark has developed research-based strategies to help students master executive function processes essential for success in school and the workplace.

“At Benchmark School, you will discover that our exclusive Benchmark Approach goes beyond basic reading programs to reach the whole child. This unique approach, set within a warm and supportive community, teaches children how to be critical thinkers with excellent emotional, social, and decision-making skills.”

– Chris Hancock, Head of School

Benchmark School

Benchmark Prepares Students for High School and Beyond

Benchmark School’s mission is to help bright students in first through eighth grades who have yet to reach their academic potential become confident and strategic thinkers, learners, and problem solvers who have who meet with success in school and in life. Benchmark School’s intentional first to eighth grade experience equips students with the tools to succeed in any academic setting. As our students develop into confident learners who take responsibility for their own outcomes, we believe that high school is the optimal time for them to take the next step, testing what they have learned and applying it independently while still in a supportive home environment.

You’re Invited to Visit Benchmark School

Parents interested in learning how Benchmark School can transform their child’s future are encouraged to attend an Open House, Saturday Small Group Rour, or Private Tour.

Open Houses at Benchmark School offer a comprehensive introduction to their program. These events feature informative Q&A panel sessions with parents, students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. Attendees will hear presentations by the Head of School and Division Heads, who provide valuable insight into Benchmark’s unique educational approach. These leaders explain how the school’s methods transform students’ futures, setting them up for long-term success. To round out the experience, visitors are treated to a guided campus tour, allowing them to see firsthand the environment where students thrive.

Saturday Small Group Tours cater to those considering placement for the current school year (1st through 6th grade) or the upcoming academic year (rising 1st through 7th grade). To ensure a personalized experience, Benchmark limits each tour to five families, with two time slots available: 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The school requests that these initial tours be attended by adults only, as students will have the opportunity to tour the campus later in the admissions process. This approach allows parents and guardians to focus on gathering information and asking questions without distraction, while also respecting the current students’ learning environment.

 

Photographs courtesy of the Benchmark School.