Mission

Starpoint School is a laboratory school for learning disabled students located on the Texas Christian University campus. The mission of Starpoint is to serve as an on-campus training site for TCU School of Education students preparing to become teachers as well as a setting for educational research opportunities for faculty and staff. An important outcome of this mission is a quality educational program for a limited number of students with learning differences.

Starpoint's Relationship to TCU

TCU students are an active and vital part of Starpoint as observers, practice teachers, classroom aides and beginning educational researchers. TCU professors are engaged in research at Starpoint and are also available to offer their expertise and knowledge to the Starpoint staff and students.

History

Starpoint school is the tangible result of a dream of M.J. and Alice S. Neeley - a dream to have a school where children with learning problems could learn and, more importantly, university students could learn to teach them. Their dream was formulated as they watched their learning disabled grandson struggle academically in school. The Neeleys were determined that teachers should be trained to help children with special educational needs and, in 1966, Mr. and Mrs. Neeley initiated a laboratory school on the TCU campus, Starpoint School, for young learning disabled children. At Starpoint, the Neeleys wished to provide training for teachers so as to prevent the unfortunate academic experience of their grandson. In keeping with the original intent of the Neeleys, the Starpoint School is an active educational laboratory where TCU faculty, staff, and students are afforded the opportunity to observe, study, research and participate in a quality educational program for young learning disabled children.

Students

Starpoint School serves children six to eleven years old with learning differences and/or attentional deficits that interfere with academic progress.

Schedule

The children attend school from 8:15 until 3:00 daily, following about the same academic calendar as the Fort Worth Independent School District.

Curriculum

The curriculum is individualized to meet the needs of each child and includes the traditional academic subjects-language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and physical education. Art, music, and drama are offered as available and taught by university students as part of their course requirements. A distinctive feature of the Starpoint curriculum is an emphasis on organizational and study skill acquisition.

Accreditation

Starpoint School is accredited by the Commission on Elementary Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools, the Texas Independent School Consortium and the National Association of Laboratory Schools.

Admission

Each spring Starpoint School has a screening for fall applicants. The parents and child are required to attend for the purpose of reviewing test data, meeting the child to gain some insight into the child's academic skills and sharing information about the Starpoint program. An admissions committee then convenes to review all the information and decide whether Starpoint offers the type of programming the child requires.

Contact Us

If you are interested in having your child apply for the fall, Starpoint requires completion of some assessments. Please call the office at (817) 257-7141 for specific information about this requirement as well as the date of the spring screening. Tuition information can be obtained by calling the Student Accounts Office at (817) 257-7836.