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Description
The day school was instituted
to provide a highly structured, therapeutic setting for students with
emotional, learning, and mental disabilities. The program is based
on a psycho-educational model which emphasizes the use of individual
academic tasks structured in a way to provide success behaviorally and academically.
Students are presented with concrete information on their academic
abilities and provided with strategies to cope with those
challenges. Students are encouraged to strive for the goal of
returning to their home school. Daily programming for students
includes academic instruction correlated to individual needs and to the
Virginia Standards of Learning, reading instruction, art therapy, anger
management group, vocational instruction, physical education, and educational
outings. Individual therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy,
or speech and language therapy services can be arranged if deemed
necessary by the referring school system. Emphasis is placed on
functional education in conjunction with vocational curriculum to provide
students with increased options after high school. We hope to equip
our students with capabilities to improve and to develop their personal,
academic, and professional growth.
Keystone Academy is licensed
with the Virginia Department of Education and is in the process of seeking
membership and accreditation with the Virginia Association of Independent
Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF). Educational instruction
is a 10-month program of intensive training in accordance with Newport
News Public School calendar. An extended school year program is an
option available based on the decisions made during spring IEP meetings
with each locality.
The student - teacher ratio of
10:1 is maintained in the classroom. Each classroom is provided with
a teacher assistant to provide 1 on 1 instruction, pull out groups, and to
assist with learning centers, or process with a student about a behavioral
issue.
School hours are from 8:45
a.m. until 2:45 p.m. The school is open Monday through Friday from
8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Teachers provide academic information to
parents through interim reports, report cards, and parent conference days
in conjunction with Newport News Public School schedule. Teachers
also provide monthly reports to referring school systems on academic and behavioral
progress.
Accredited by: Virginia
Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities
Staff
All educational staff must
hold at least a special education conditional license in the disability
categories of ED, LD, and MR. The Director of Education must be
masters-prepared in the area of special education. Teachers are
encouraged to seek continuing education and development in their field and
are also provided opportunities to do so on site. We currently have
a teaching staff of 3 teachers and 3 teacher assistants that represent
over 50 years of experience in the field of special education. All
teachers are licensed to teach children with ED, one teacher is also
licensed in MR, and another teacher is also a master's level therapist.
Students
Students, ages 5-21 years must
be previously made eligible through their home school systems for services
in the categories of emotional disability and learning disability, and
must exhibit the need for educational environment not available within the
public school setting.
Physical Space
The Academy is equipped with 6
classrooms, a student lounge for incentive purposes, staff lounge and
workroom, conference room, and 5-computer lab. Two of the
classrooms are separated by a sliding curtain to provide for a larger room
if needed. There is also a lobby, a receptionist's area, and
Director's office. The school has 3 time-out areas furnished with mats
for students to de-escalate if need to. The academy also has access to
the residential areas, gym, courtyard and backfield, cafeteria, library, and
10-computer lab. Several of our students also participate in the local
vocational program, transported by the staff at Keystone Academy.
Curriculum
Keystone Academy follows the
Virginia Standards of Learning in regards to all academic instruction.
Teachers are required to note daily the objective for the day in relation to
the SOL's and the student's individualized education plan (IEP).
Newport News Public Schools curriculum is also used as a
guide. Because of the diversity of learning styles and needs,
teachers pull from various resources to insure instruction meets the
individual needs of the student. Hands-on instruction is highly
encouraged and project based learning is heavily utilized.
SRA Corrective Reading
Program
This reading program is divided
into two strands: decoding and comprehension. Students are
assessed to determine where they begin. Students progress through the
program at their own pace. All lessons are taught through Direct
Instruction which allows maximum communication and monitoring of
students. Also each level includes an effective management system in
that students earn points for performance on each part of the daily
lesson. Records of this performance may be used for positive
reinforcement of progress. This corrective reading program helps the student
in three major ways: daily practice in oral reading with immediate
feedback; system that allows the student to monitor progress in reading
rates and reading accuracy; and means to address the problem reader's poor
self-image by providing an avenue of success.
Life Centered Career
Education (LCCE)
This vocational skills program
is a comprehensive functional curriculum supported by the Council for
Exceptional Children based on classroom, home, and community
environments. The program consists of three core competencies:
daily living skills, personal-social skills, and occupational guidance and
preparation that are broken down even further in sub
competencies. Assessment performance batteries and assessment
knowledge batteries are included to determine student job readiness skills
and transitional goals and objectives of individualized education plans (IEP).
LCCE has proven successful for
elementary through high school students, general education students,
students with learning disabilities, students with mild mental retardation,
and students at risk. LCCE provides a firm foundation for transition
skills necessary for those children who are facing independent living.
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