Student Success Services

Student Success Services focuses on the academic success of every student at St. Ignatius in conjunction with classroom teachers, resource professionals, parents and the school administration. The goal is that each individual child reaches his or her full potential within our Catholic academic setting.

St. Ignatius has four dedicated Student Success Services professionals for the K-8 grade levels. Ms. Pearson focuses on kindergarten-2nd grade. Ms. Goodwin focuses on 3rd-5th grade, Mrs. Fairley focuses on middle school and Mrs. Bockerstett runs the testing lab for all students with academic accommodations.

There are three levels of Student Success Services. 

1.  Student Success Plans
   • A Student Success Plan is curated by the classroom teacher, resource teacher and parent to focus on areas of subject matter that a student may be struggling in.
   • All students are evaluated  and will receive support as needed throughout the school year. Evaluations are based on tests, quizzes, standardized tests,  and/or classroom behavior.
   • There is no fee associated with Student Success Plans.
   • Communications are shared quarterly or an as needed basis.
2. Full Enrollment- Student Success Services 
   • The SSS program provides direct, individual or small group instruction to reinforce and remediate skills taught in the regular classroom setting.
   • Students enrolled in the SSS meet daily for 45-60 minutes (depending on the grade level) with the certified professional his or her specific classroom.
   • Students fully enrolled in the SSS program must have a documented learning disability. The current psycho-educational testing report will be kept on file in the school office.
   • Students receive accommodations  based on their testing report.
   • The fee is $200 per month.
3. Extended Time Testing Only
   • Parents who do not wish to enroll their child in the full Student Success Services program can still choose to enroll in extended time testing with a documented testing report on file for $50 per month.
   • St. Ignatius has a dedicated professional and a dedicated space on campus  for all students enrolled in extended time testing to ensure a quiet and conducive testing environment.

Meet our Student Success Services professionals below.

K-2:  Ms. Lori Pearson:  pearsonl@stignatius.org

Ms. Lori Pearson is our certified reading specialist for kindergarten through 2nd grade students.  She has a bachelors and masters degree in special education. She is also certified in elementary education for grades K-6.  She has 33 years of experience in teaching all areas of special education. Ms. Pearson offers support to teachers and at-risk students, specifically focusing on students that are struggling with reading.

At present, Ms. Pearson is employed part-time at St. Ignatius. Her day is spent traveling to each kindergarten classroom where she works with the teachers to provide intervention to students who need additional assistance. In addition, she works with small reading intervention groups in 1st and 2nd grade daily. These services are provided to students on an as-needed basis. St. Ignatius does not charge any additional fees for this service. Ms. Pearson communicates with parents of students with whom she is assisting. In addition to this communication, Ms. Pearson sends monthly reports to parents detailing the “glows and grows” of her students.

The remainder of Ms. Pearson’s day focuses on students that are enrolled in the full Student Success Services Program on the K-2 level. She communicates weekly with parents of children enrolled in SSS to ensure that they are knowledgeable of the progress made each week. If you are interested in more information about the SSS program or complimentary success services for your K-2 child, please feel free to contact Ms. Pearson.

3-5:  Mrs. Karen Shirah- shirahk@stignatius.org

Mrs. Shirah focuses her time on 3rd-5th grade student’s academic success.  She graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English from Spring Hill College in 1997 and received her MS in Education from The University of South Alabama in 2000.   She has over 25 years of teaching experience and  experience teaching on the preschool level as well as grades 2-5.

During her time in public education, she served as a reading intervention teacher and a writing coach.  She has nine years of experience as a classroom teacher at St. Ignatius as well as four years of experience as a classroom aide.

She is finishing her post-masters certification in Educational Psychometry from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Upon completion she will have the ability to assess, provide individualized educational plans for, and provide intervention to students at St. Ignatius Catholic School who need those services. This will make St. Ignatius the only school in the archdiocese with a certified psychometric on staff.

6-8:  Mrs. Carrie Fairley:  fairleyc@stignatius.org

Mrs. Carrie Fairley began at St. Ignatius in August 2019. After two years of teaching math to middle school students, she transitioned to Student Success Services. Mrs. Fairley has bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and special education from the University of South Alabama. She has nine years of experience teaching in multiple settings including lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and special education. Her last five years have been in middle school.

Mrs. Fairley currently spends her days going to each middle school classroom on a rotating schedule, assisting at-risk students with the material that is being covered by the primary teacher. This assistance is part of the success plan for all students; not just students enrolled in the full Student Success Services program.

Beyond making visits to classrooms, Mrs. Fairley spends time in her own classroom in grade specific small groups that include those students who are enrolled in the SSS program. In the small groups, she reteaches the skills that were presented initially by the primary teacher. Mrs. Fairley also focuses on study skills, learning habits, organization, and time management. She communicates weekly with parents of children enrolled in the SSS program. Regular correspondence includes copies of student work that was completed during small groups and a progress report.

If you would like more information about the SSS Program or the complimentary success services for your 6th-8th grade child, please contact Mrs. Fairley.

Educational Testing Professional: Mrs. Allison Bockerstett   bockerstetta@stignatius.org

Mrs. Bockerstett has a master’s in education from Spring Hill College. She has worked in education for several years, most recently at Most Pure Heart of Mary.  Mrs. Bockerstett has a dedicated space on campus for students enrolled in testing accommodations. She works directly with our Student Success Services professionals and teachers to ensure students receive their specific accommodations.