MASCA: Learning Support

Jessica Montrella

Jessica

As the Learning Specialist, it is my goal to help student-athletes reach their academic potential. Whether I am coordinating tutors, mentors or providing direct service to the "at-risk" and learning disabled population, it is my hope that student-athletes will recognize their strengths and use them to develop effective learning strategies. I take great pride in my ability to build relationships with students and members of the PSU community with intentions of being a useful support for student-athletes and an advocate for their learning needs.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Neil. We both find joy in playing, coaching and watching basketball. I also love keeping up with friends and visiting my family in Altoona and Boston.

jlm85@psu.edu

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Learning Support: Overcoming Challenges

The Morgan Academic Support Center strives to support student-athletes in reaching their academic goals. In doing so, MASCSA has developed several programs designed to assist student-athletes falling within a spectrum of learning needs.

Jessica Montrella Cronin, the Learning Specialist, works directly with student-athletes with learning disabilities. Three to six percent of the general population report having a learning disability and this approximation can be applied to the student-athlete population at Penn State. The Learning Specialist assists student-athletes and counselors in identifying possible disabilities, coordinating appropriate testing and acting as liaison with the Office of Disability Services. In conjunction with mentoring staff, the Learning Specialist works directly with student-athletes with disabilities to identify their learning style and to create effective academic strategies.

In addition to working directly with student-athletes diagnosed with disabilities, the Learning Specialist coordinates the Peer Tutoring and Sue Paterno Mentoring programs. The peer tutoring program matches student-athletes having difficulty in a certain subject(s) with a qualified tutor who meets with the tutee at least once a week to supplement class instruction. The peer tutoring program fills approximately 400 tutor requests per semester and staffs nearly 120 tutors per year.

While the peer tutoring program functions well to meet many student-athletes' needs, there remain other student-athletes requiring both content tutoring and development of basic skills such as time management, organization, note-taking, reading comprehension, and test preparation. The mentoring program is designed to provide assistance with content support and skill development simultaneously because skill development is enhanced when taught in the context of existing class work. The mentoring staff is adept at working within this dual role while also supporting student-athletes to become goal-oriented, independent learners.

For Academic Trainer Session Report Form, click here.

For Tutor Report Form, click here.