Education
Residential Education
The Educational Department at Woodward Academy currently serves grades 6-12. Our educational program is broken into three main areas: 6-12 programming, GED, and Highly Structured.
The 6-12 programming runs very similar to a public school. The middle school courses allow students to work through a designed curriculum in preparation for secondary pursuits. The high school includes core content courses designed to meet students at their instructional level and advance them to levels of proficiency in accordance to the Iowa Core Curriculum and the standards of our district. In addition, students are able to take a wide variety of elective courses beyond the core content that are also aligned with these standards.
The GED program is designed and run by one of our licensed Special Education teachers. Although we are not required to have a licensed teacher in the classroom, our experience has shown that students achieve much more success when a licensed teacher is consistently working with them. Students are generally referred to GED by a parent or Court Officer. We try to work closely with parents and workers, as this decision is critical in some cases.
The Highly Structured programming is designed to assess where students are in their current core content areas and continue in a vertical direction. Students’ needs are met through differentiation of curriculum, instruction and assessment. There is a combination of independent work along with small group and whole group activities. These strategies allow each of the students to make education gains in the short 90 day period they are at Woodward Academy.
Woodward Academy tries very hard to offer a wide variety of courses too meet the educational needs of our students.
Below is a list of our current course offerings.
- Middle/Secondary:
- Science:
- General Science
- Physical Science
- Biology
- Anatomy
- Math:
- General Math
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Pre-Calculus
- Language Arts:
- Intensive Reading
- English 9
- English 10
- English 11
- Composition
- Social Science:
- US History
- World History
- Government
- Psychology
- Physical Education:
- Health
- Physical Education
- Electives:
- Choir, Percussion
- Videography
- General Business
- Computer Application
- Publication Production and Design
- Highly Structured: (Offers core content courses)
- Math
- Language Arts
- Science
- Social Science
- Physical Education
Our Special Education department is a diverse group of teachers offering a broad range of resources for our students. Each teacher works with an assigned group of students; they monitor student progress weekly. Our Special Education Department does not currently support any pull out courses, unless it is specifically designated in the students’ IEP. All of our students are taught in the general education classroom and we currently co-teach multiple courses. In addition, our Special Education teachers are in a constant dialogue with the general education teachers about necessary accommodations for individual students.
We also have an Educational Liaison. This individual specifically focuses on the transition of our students back to their public school. This liaison travels to the school districts where students will be returning and works with the districts to make the transition for students as smooth as possible.
We acknowledge the advantages of building stronger relationships with parents and guardians. Parents are welcome to contact us to ask about their student’s academic progress. We encourage teachers to reach out and communicate with parents about their students’ successes and concerns in the classroom. Teachers have participated in parent-teacher conferences, phone conferences and email correspondence with parents and caretakers.
Testing
Currently, Woodward Academy uses the NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test to guide school wide decision making, place students in the correct courses, and monitor individual student progress. This test monitors student achievement in the areas of: Reading, Math, Science, and Language. This test result data helps teachers to make adjustments to their curriculum in order to meet the needs of their specific students. All students are tested within the first two days of arriving to Woodward Academy and retested quarterly.
Day School
Woodward Academy has an Alternative Day School that serves central Iowa. This department is devised of special education teachers, content teachers and behavior support staff. The school operates on an 180 day schedule and currently serves 57 students within 19 school districts.
|
