HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION / VOCATIONAL PROGRAM

Soaring Eagle Academy provides our students with a safe and nurturing social and academic learning environment that promotes and honors the development of the whole child. Our school philosophy and methodology reflect the DIR® approach which emphasizes respect of each student's individual strengths, learning style and emotions as they move through the developmental levels for relating, communicating, thinking and learning.

Building healthy relationships and social interactions is the cornerstone of the educational program. Each student has an individual curriculum that integrates their own natural interests, developmental level, and Illinois Learning Standards. Learning experiences support sensory motor, auditory and visual spatial skill development in addition to academics.

The DIR® modelfollowed at our school is a well-respected, research-based intervention supported by recent neuroscience research. It is a framework for assessment and intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and other challenges of relating and communicating. Our outcome goals for students include improved language, socialization, behavioral, academic and functional skills.

The DIR®methodology was developed over 20 years ago by Stanley Greenspan, M.D. and Serena Wieder, PhD and is best understood as this:

Developmental refers to a sequence of milestones that a child moves through as they develop the ability to remain calm, attentive, focused and engaged for communicating, problem solving, thinking and learning.

Individual differences describe how each child takes in and processes sensory information in their environment, through their eyes, ears, muscles and body as they move through their day.

Relationships with both peers and adults are the foundation for creating interaction and learning.

Soaring Eagle Academy serves students ages 15 to 21 years old in one High School classroom. The special education diagnoses of the students may include Autism, Other Health Impairment, Cognitive Disability, orTraumatic Brain Injury.

Soaring Eagle Academy's philosophy of education is that all curriculums be experienced in the contextual environment in order to be meaningful and integrated with prior conceptual knowledge. Each student's interests are honored within every learning opportunity. We are invested in wooing students into the process of learning. We believe that students learn best when they are well regulated, able to share attention with peers and adults and emotionally invested in the learning process. When students are interested and emotionally invested in material, their capacity to be present for the experience is heightened. All activities are experience based and multi sensory learning is facilitated. Multi sensory experiences lead to meaningful learning which in turn, creates better comprehension of material and regulation in students.

At the Academy, we utilize a range of research-based curriculum materials to support each student's learning according to their developmental levels within academic areas. Literacy curriculum includes MeVille to Weville, Read Play Learn, Lindamood-Belle Talkies, Lindamood-Belle Visualizing and Verbalizing, Reading Street and My Sidewalks. Mathematics curriculum includes Moving With Math, Math Their Way, and Envision Math. Social Studies and Science Curriculum from Scott Foresman is also included. A variety of equipment and educational software programs will also be implemented to support the regular curriculum by providing visual, auditory, social and emotional, language comprehension and organizational supports, to allow optimal success. All curriculum is adapted to each student's interests, developmental levels, and academic and therapeutic goals. We believe that all students have the right to access a rich academic curriculum appropriate to their individual learning style and developmental levels, while also supporting functional life skills and vocational job skills.

The Academy staff is a comprehensive team of certified professionals with initial and on-going training in both the DIR® approach and educational best practices. Each student's team consists of a Special Education Teacher with certification in Autistic Spectrum Disorders, an Teacher Assistant, Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Art Teacher, Psychologist, DIR® Classroom Therapist, DIR® Consultant and Augmentative Systems/Curriculum Consultant based on their IEP and the Academy's initial assessment and therapeutic plan. Digital Arts Storytelling and Yoga may be a part of the student's program. The Program Director oversees the educational and social program for each student.

A student's Teacher Assistant is a critical component of the Academy's program and the "heart" of the DIR® Model. The Instructional Assistant will take direction from the classroom teacher, therapists and consultants and will serve as the student's "floortime player" throughout their day.

The Transition and Vocational Program serves our high school students as they reach the transition time of their academic career. The Vocational / Transition Coordinator, educational team and parents discuss planning for the student's transition into adulthood and determine realistic post-school goals. Goals will include 1) Developing life skills for independent living that involves personal care, daily living, leisure and recreation, social relationships, communication, managing simple finances, problem solving, conflict resolution, social peer interactions, motor planning and home care. All activities are presented in a dynamic and meaningful way to facilitate high interest and participation, as well as, insuring the most carryover of newly learned skills to students' everyday life, 2) Developing and facilitating skills for vocational job skill training driven by student interests, personal strengths and developmental levels. Vocational training includes a range of dynamic and meaningful vocational experiences that will be developed according to each students' natural interests, strengths, and developmental, social and therapeutic goals. Students will participate in innovative vocational work programs within the Academy environment with goals to expand work experiences out in the community. Areas of interest for life skills training and work opportunities may include photography, movie making, art/graphic design, managing the in-school store, horticulture/gardening, creative writing, drama, dance/movement, exercise/fitness, jewelry making, library management, office work, school cleaning/maintenance. 3) Develop leadership skills to build a sense of purpose and belonging as valuable and respectedindividuals in their community. Students will be encouraged to explore opportunities to serve in a leadership role, as a mentor to fellow students who may be younger, with strengths and weaknesses different or similar to their own. Students will be supported as they assist fellow students through activities and interactions, as well as, assisting teachers/therapists in a variety of work-related activities within the school environment.

Family involvement is a central component of the program. Parents are respected as active partners in their child's education through observation, training, classroom visits and coaching to support parent/child interaction. Through this process parents are supported in understanding their child's strengths and challenges to bridge the home and school environment.

Soaring Eagle Academy's behavior policies and procedures promote proactive and emotionally affirming approaches and a continuum of interventions which emphasize the student's capacity to regulate themselves. An Individualized Regulatory Support Plan is developed for each student based on their sensory profile and regulatory assessment. Soaring Eagle Academy does not use any behavior intervention strategies that would jeopardize the safety or security of students or that would rely upon pain as a method of control.