CHOR Day Academy Making Headway to Break Academic Stereotypes
When you think of a classroom, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Symmetrically lined up desks and chairs leading up to the big whiteboard in the front? Well, that is not the case at CHOR Day Academy. We are breaking stereotypes and recreating classrooms to meet the needs of the students who sit on bungee chairs to increase their productivity and use Google Chrome Books to enable easy access to their teachers.
What is an Individualized Education Plan?
CHOR Day Academy provides an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for children and youth who are wrestling to overcome their mental health and behavioral health issues. IEP is a specialized education plan specifically written for students to address their academic and behavioral needs.
Maddie Humes, the Coordinator of Student Services, stated, “Many children come from surrounding school districts from grades 1-12 for a multitude of reasons such as truancy, behavioral challenges, and learning disabilities. Our individualized computer and project-based learning programs assist students in achieving their academic and behavioral goals.
Their educational gaps are bridged while working toward the completion of required academic credits.”
A Classroom Like No Other
“The classrooms are a safe place for children to learn and recover from their trauma histories,” Mrs. Humes remarked. The students study in small groups and receive individualized attention.
Sometimes it is the minor details that matter the most to help students do better in class. Students can use break rooms as needed in-between classes. These mini-breaks help them rejuvenate and re-learn coping skills to deal with their social-emotional issues.
Not even the pandemic stopped CHOR Day Academy (CDA) to help students like Natalia in need.
CHOR Day Academy bridges the gap between academic achievement and meeting the requirements for graduation. Natalia was able to earn her diploma by completing her curriculum of study, developed by her IEP Case Manager, and meeting all of her individualized goals. This plan established for graduation was approved by her home school district, her parent/guardian, the CDA Head Teacher, and the CDA Coordinator of Student Services. This graduation plan and IEP goals were individualized specifically for Natalia.
Through a significant amount of effort and working closely with her teachers, Natalia was able to graduate. This was no small feat considering that she also accomplished this partly through remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a true team effort between a hard-working student and the CHOR Day Academy staff, her parent/guardian, and the home school district.
