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OUR ACADEMIES
AdvancePath Academies are innovative learning centers set up on high school campuses. The program is designed to meet the unique needs of those students who have not found success in the traditional high school environment. Students attend the Academy five days a week and select one of three daily sessions that best suits their individual schedules – morning, afternoon, or evening. The Academy is also open many Saturdays and during the summer so that students can attend all year long.
Academy sessions are generally four hours long and provide a combination of computer-based and small-group, personalized instruction. When students complete the AdvancePath program, they graduate with a state recognized high school diploma.
The Academies truly are positive alternatives to dropping out of school.
| An AdvancePath Academy provides students: |
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A safe, state-of-the-art professional learning environment more conducive to learning for its student population |
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A new academic option – students attend 5 days per week
for 4 hours per day |
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Flexible scheduling options – select the morning, afternoon,
or evening session |
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Personalized Learning Paths – students work on a customized set of courses at their own pace and move on as soon as they demonstrate mastery in each subject area |
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Individualized support – each teacher works with the same group of students for the duration of their academic journeys |
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A high-quality, rigorous curriculum – students are intellectually stimulated and are able to address any gaps or problem areas where they may be behind |
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A high school diploma – students satisfy the same graduation requirements as their peers in the traditional high school and earn state recognized high school diplomas |
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Post-secondary and work skills preparation |
| Academy Environment |
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From the moment you walk in the door, you will know that the Academy is different from a traditional high school classroom. The Academy is created to have the look of a professional environment and is organized into four principal zones:
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Parent and visitor reception area |
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Technology computer lab with one computer for each student |
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Offline reading and writing zone |
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Area for small-group instruction with teachers |
The furniture is ergonomically chosen to be comfortable and keep students focused on their academic work. This physical environment, coupled with a focus on students, attention to teaching, and continuous positive reinforcement, all create an instructional climate of respect and studiousness, set in a clean, professionally-designed learning facility.
| Academy Students |
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Students choose to attend an AdvancePath Academy for a variety of reasons. Students who enroll in the academy come from a diversity of backgrounds and have differing academic needs. AdvancePath Academics provides students a new option to find success because we can address some of the specific challenges that students face.
| Academic support |
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Some students in an AdvancePath Academy struggled in traditional schools because they had gaps in learning that were never addressed. Students move through their AdvancePath courses at their own individual pace and are provided intensive support and coaching from their teachers to ensure that they master each skill. This self-paced, mastery-based academic approach ensures that each student is successful and also enables some students to accelerate their progress and graduate sooner.
| Family-care and employment obligations |
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As students become teenagers and take on more responsibilities outside of school, external obligations can interfere with their academic careers. In some cases, when students have primary obligations to care for a family member or fulltime jobs, they cannot attend school during the regular school day forcing them to end their education prematurely. With an AdvancePath Academy, students can balance their academic careers with their other obligations by choosing to attend the four-hour session (morning, afternoon, or evening) that best fits their individual schedules. Academies are also open on many Saturdays and during the summer, giving students the opportunity to make up missed sessions and get ahead.
| External social challenges |
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Teenagers can sometimes make bad choices that can lead them down the wrong path – such as running with the wrong crowd, problems with the law, or suspension from school. Alone, it can be very hard for students to turn themselves around. At an AdvancePath Academy, teachers become personal advocates for students. AdvancePath teachers and students develop mentoring relationships that are very different from the teacher-student relationships typically developed in a traditional high school environment. Together, students and teachers work explicitly on developing students’ life skills – goal setting, time management, study skills, conflict resolution, interviewing, etc. – skills that are essential for the students’ post-secondary success. Students in an AdvancePath Academy have a clear path to get back on track.
All students have a sense of purpose in the Academy, are respected as individuals, and feel supported in their endeavors.
| Academy Staff |
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Essential to the success of the Academy is the quality and dedication of the Academy staff. AdvancePath works with each school district to identify the best district personnel to run the Academy – using qualified and certified district teachers.
A fully enrolled Academy will have up to four teachers, an Academy secretary/registrar, and several instructional aides.
Teachers work with students in small-group sessions of no more than four students at a time. Teachers have a fixed caseload of only 28 students per four-hour session so that they provide continuity and individual attention for the students with whom they work.
AdvancePath provides extensive training and support to the Academy personnel. AdvancePath constantly monitors performance across its Academies to ensure that all Academy staff members have access to the best practices developed in other Academies. All Academy staff and students must share the personal belief that they can constantly improve – for that is the fundamental tenant that leads to success.
| Academy Curriculum |
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AdvancePath uses state-of-the-art technology and computer-based curricula in its Academies providing each student with an individualized educational experience. Each student who enrolls in the Academy is given a thorough academic evaluation and personal interview in order for the Academy teachers to create a Personalized Learning Path (PLP) for each student. This PLP is continually updated and tailored to meet the specific, unique, and evolving needs of each student.
Using industry-leading online curricula as a core means of learning, students also work closely with their teachers each day to address problem areas, review progress, and plan for their post-secondary paths. Integral to the AdvancePath curriculum is the student’s life-skills development – explicit instruction and coaching on crucial skills such as study skills, conflict resolution, resume writing, and college applications.
The AdvancePath curriculum is aligned to state standards and meets the same graduation requirements of the traditional high school. Students who complete the Academy’s program earn full high-school diplomas from the school district.
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