Our goal is to create a caring environment where every student can reach their full potential. We provide personalized support to help each student overcome their challenges and prepare for college and beyond.

Our Learning Specialists are key to providing academic help, instructional support, and teacher consultations. They work closely with students and families to develop strategies that help students meet our college preparatory standards.

To create a Student Support Plan (SSP) that best meets your child's needs, we need the following:

• Please share your child’s current diagnostic testing and accommodation plan from his/her current school with us.
• We will develop a Student Support Plan (SSP) that best meets the needs of your future Cardinal.
• Diagnostic testing must contain both cognitive and achievement tests and is recommended to have been administered within the last three years. Documentation solely from a medical doctor that does not demonstrate a functional limitation to learning may not be sufficient to request a SSP or obtain accommodations from College Board and ACT.
• Diagnoses written on prescription paper are not sufficient. 

Contact Mr. Rock or Dr. McCorkle with any questions at cardinalsupportservices@jpiihs.org

• Mr. Mike Rock
• Dr. McCorkle

We offer a range of accommodations to support our students, including:

• Extra time on tests*
• Preferential seating
• Access to a copy of notes
• Scantron exemption/hard copy of tests
• Use of a laptop for writing assignments
• Testing in a separate location

*Note: We cannot provide a reader for tests.

Our Academic Coaching class gives students time to plan, organize, and review content with a Learning Specialist. Students can also schedule regular and as-needed check-ins with a Learning Specialist in our Cardinal Support Center. Although it is commonly used by students with diagnosed learning needs, it is available to any student who might benefit with a recommendation by a member of the JPII administrative and/or counseling team.

It is supervised by a JPII Learning Specialist who will review the student’s academic history, and diagnostic information and discuss the student’s academic history and current level of academic functioning with the student, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors. The class has no grades and students will not receive a credit, yet it does function as a class in their schedule.

Student will

• Monitor grades and assignments
• Discuss and resolve common obstacles to achievement
• Practice effective work habits
• Benefit from some content support
• Plan, prioritize, and organize

Cardinal Support Services Brochure

College Board Links

• Request Process
• Documentation Guidelines

ACT Links

• Request Process
• Documentation Guidelines

Mr. Michael Rock, Med

Email | Telephone

• Short Bio: With a background in dyslexia and over 20 years of experience working with students with learning differences, Mike is an expert and extra support to our staff. He is also pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction.

Dr. Laura McCorkle, PhD

Email | Telephone

• Short Bio: With a PhD in Educational Psychology and over 20 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, Dr. McCorkle provides top notch service to our Cardinal Family.