Redding Adventist Academy is the only private school in the Redding Area to offer a special education program. The program caters to students with mild to moderate learning disabilities, including attention deficit disorders and dyslexia.

Since the program's inception in September 2004, RAA has seen some special ed students progress from D's and F's to A's and B's in just one quarter. One young student who had failed to move up a grade increased his reading speed in four months from 15 to 69 words a minute in the curriculum reading materials.

Special education at RAA is structured so that students remain with their peers in their regular classroom. Individual programs may include specific modifications to the student's work or regular visits to the special education resource room. By contrast, most public schools place a group of special needs children in one classroom with one special ed teacher.

Another important aspect of the program is the emphasis on the comfort level of the students. RAA's special ed teacher Stephanie Anderson reassures students that the help they are receiving is confidential which creates an important bond of trust. She describes her goal with students: "I begin by building a relationship with the student and doing what I can to boost their self-esteem. I put the child first, then academics."

Students using the special education resource benefit from individual program based on interviews and results from academic and cognitive testing. Special ed students transferring in meed with Mrs. Anderson who first reviews their cumulative file.