Archives February 2023

With a plethora of special education services, Alpine Academy Utah ensures that each child receives a tailored education that will suit their individual learning techniques and capabilities.

A full-time special education teacher will be assigned to each student who needs assistance and education plans will be put in place to ensure the child receives maximum support.

All students are entitled to personal guidance and small class sizes, but Alpine Academy uses a testing system that will categorize students into two sections depending on their difficulties and additional needs. Students with minor learning difficulties or processing problems can receive Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and those with more serious issues will be subject to the 504 Program.

Individual Education Plans

The objective of an IEP is to offer an individualized education to each student and aims to accommodate each pupil’s unique needs. These are free services and are created under The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

IEPs are eligible for any student with the following:

• The child has one (or multiple) of the 13 disabilities mentioned in the list provided by IDEA. ADHD, autism, and processing issues are just 3 of the many listed.
• The disability must impact the child’s ability to learn and/or their educational performance.

Each IEP is created by a special team made up of parents, a psychologist, a special education teacher, and a district representative. Each member should bring something different to the plan and their combined expertise aims to provide the best services for the child.

The IEP is a written document that will draw out a plan that begins with an accurate depiction of the child’s present abilities and ends with a realistic objective. The plan will cover every stage of development in between and additionally includes smaller details such as changes to the learning environment.

The 504 Program

Written according to the regulations set out in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the 504 plan aims to support children with disabilities and remove educational barriers for those who need specific environments or needs.

504 Plans are eligible for students with the following:

• A child with any disability. This program encompasses more disabilities than the list provided by IDEA.
• The disability must influence the way the child learns in typical classroom environments.

These key differences mean that children who cannot receive help under the IEPs may have a better chance of receiving support under the 504 program.

The team that makes decisions about the child’s 504 plan or adjustments to their support network includes the same people as the IEP but the 504 program requires the additional involvement of the principal.

Final Thoughts

Alpine Academy has a range of services and support systems available to all students but is particularly accommodating for children who struggle with disabilities or learning difficulties. In addition to providing thorough support through the IEP and 504 plan systems, the academy ensures that full-time special education teachers are accessible at all times, providing continuous assistance for all pupils.

For more than a decade, researchers and child psychologists have stressed that high school schedules are set not in favor of teens’ developing brains but in favor of their parents’ work schedules. For this reason, many teenagers are chronically fatigued, overly stressed, and unable to concentrate in class. At Alpine Academy Utah, student schedules are planned with their needs in mind.

Rather than forcing students into classrooms five days a week from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, students are given a more stable schedule that works their daily needs into the equation. This includes time for chores, homework, social activities, and guided therapy. Taken together, this schedule is ideal for teens overcoming mental illness.

Approach to Student Success

The organization’s program coordinators understand that teens have specific needs, especially when their working to overcome mental illness. Most of the students who come to stay and study with the program are well behind their peers in academic achievement and score above the cutoff point for clinical intervention.

Yet, rather than pathologizing teens, they work to improve their outcomes through a structured family-learning model. According to this approach, kids and teens learn best in a social setting that blends both socio-familial living with academic performance. In other words, students live with their peers and advisors in a small house of 8-10 students.

In the morning, they’re given time to do chores and take care of daily household activities before they begin school. This creates a sense of shared living and community, which directly helps students overcome the challenges of integrating into and finding their place within a social role.

What Students Can Expect During Study Hours

From 9:00 on, students can expect a typical school day of 5 periods where they’ll learn English, mathematics, science, and other mandatory subjects. Thanks to the relatively small size of the classrooms, though, students are given more individualized and hands-on attention that helps increase their performance within just a few months.

After class, students spend their evenings studying, doing group activities, and completing guided therapy with their advisors. However, school ends on Thursday, rather than Friday. They may then spend their weekends socializing with peers, going to the movies, enjoying planned events, and doing their household shopping.

This freedom allows the students time to develop outside of the classroom while also affording them a safer, healthier space where they can express their true selves. Within a single year of following this schedule, most students experience a 20-point drop in depression, a 0.3-point rise in their GPA, and an 88% mastery of core academic concepts.

Final Thoughts

The counselors and teachers at Alpine understand that school and life are not separate for high school students, especially when they are overcoming depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, and other mental health issues. Rather than adding to their burden, the program works to incorporate healing interventions into all aspects of life. Their schedule is designed to improve outcomes both in and out of the classroom and their results speak for themselves.