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Educational Guidelines
Grandfather Academy
EDUCATIONAL GUIDELINES
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Mission Statement
Admission Policies & Procedures
Curriculum
Educational Focus
Educational Purpose
Enrollment/Staffing
Individual Crisis Plans
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Individualized Education Goals (IEG)
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Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Instructional Methods
Specific Guidelines for Instruction
Documenting Student Success
Wellness Policy
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Educational Guidelines
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Educational Guidelines
Mission Statement
The mission of Grandfather Academy is to provide special educational opportunities for students who
have been estranged by emotional, sexual, or other abuse.
The school will work in a personalized way to help each child to develop to their fullest potential. This
mission will be realized through Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for Special Education students and
Individual Education Goals (IEGs) for all other students, integration of therapeutic treatment within the
educational setting, involvement by all individuals concerned with the child, and through the
availability of high quality personnel, equipment, and curriculum needed to meet the needs of the
individual child.
Admission Policies & Procedures
Grandfather Academy has been established to provide educational opportunities to special children
who have been estranged by emotional, sexual or other abuse. Most of the students are in out-ofhome placement as a result of NC Department of Social Services and Local Management Entity
intervention.
 The school will not discriminate against any student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin,
religion, gender, or disability.
 The school will admit students in the local school system (LEA) who have the specialized
needs that can be met and provided for by the Academy.
 A screening process will be in effect to ensure that applicants to the Academy have an
assessed need for the special services and therapeutic program that are integrated parts of
daily classroom activities.
 If more students apply and qualify for the program than the school can accommodate, a fair
and equitable system of selection will be implemented.
 When possible, preference will be given to children who are in out-of-home placement.
 Overflow applicants will be selected on the basis of need, and then by lottery.
Curriculum
The curriculum design at Grandfather Academy is standards-based and follows the North Carolina
Standard Course of Study. A current copy of this extensive document is available at the website:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ncsccs. Various methods of instruction and presentation
are used throughout the school in order to best serve the students placed in self-contained, multi-age,
multi-grade, educational groups. Materials and instructional methods used include hands-on learning,
student work books, digital video/audio presentation, specialized language and math intervention,
web-based research, traditional text books, guest lecture, and direct field experiences. Our caring
educators also call upon their individual strengths, interests and training to enhance the classroom
curriculum. The components that help to make the educational environment at the Academy a safe
and positive one are our positive academic coordinator-student relationship building, a structured and
supportive environment, and a proactive approach to behavioral interventions
Our program design has been effective because it allows each student to function to the best of his or
her abilities and focuses on the strengths of the academic coordinator and the student in - classrooms
with mixed ages, varied skill levels, and specific therapeutic needs. A wide variety of teaching
methods and curricular materials must be used to maximize learning opportunities. These methods
include Direct Instruction, Cooperative Learning Groups, Product Based Learning, Inquiry Learning,
Thematic Units, and Individualized Self-Directed Learning.
An additional strength provided is the continuity of service that is provided. Although these students
most often are placed in a residential treatment setting, they continue to focus on the state standards.
High expectations paired with multiple opportunities to experience school success and standardsbased instruction means that our students are better prepared for the transition back to a traditional
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public school when they are ready to leave this setting.
The weakness of standard curriculum design for our students is that many of them are not in a “safe”
point in their life-space, particularly during early placement and have had difficulty in experiencing
academic and social success in a traditional school setting. Therefore, some of the basic curricular
content associated with a state standard course of study is difficult to introduce to this population of
students. For example, there are many “emotional triggers” that arise daily in the public school
classroom where children suffering with PTSD are asked to read and write about families, pets, or
happy times when the mention of these issues brings only sadness or rage; they are expected to get
along with strange adults and peers whom they are unable to trust because of past experiences of
abuse and betrayal. However, through careful assessment of individual needs and thoughtful lesson
planning, we serve our students by providing multiple opportunities for them to experience a sense of
belonging, generosity, mastery and independence.
Instruction is highly individualized in order to meet the specific needs of children traumatized by
extreme abuse and neglect. The design was chosen to mesh with the psycho-educational
programming associated with the residential treatment program and to best serve multi-age, multigrade classrooms of ten or fewer students. The use of integrated, theme-based units, individualized
around a student’s needs, strengths and passions has proved to be most effective in this setting. Our
students have abuse and trauma in common, yet their individual needs are often unique to them and
their stage of progress in the treatment program. We attempt to meet each child at a point where they
feel comfortable, and then plan activities gauged to allow them a sense of success, in order to begin
to undo their previous experiences of low self-esteem and academic failure.
The instructional
methodology and techniques used by the Academy are data driven and based on best practices in
the service of severe emotional disturbance. Should new data arise, or the individual needs of
students change, new and promising methods would be sought and applied with the collaboration of
the child’s family and the residential treatment team.
Educational Focus
Grandfather Academy has been established to meet the educational needs primarily of two groups of
children:
 Those children who have been placed in the residential treatment program at Grandfather
Home for Children and
 Children from the local area who need the specialized education available in this setting.
The children at Grandfather Home have become estranged from their families by neglect and/or
emotional, sexual or physical abuse. One result of the abuse is that they are not able to function
appropriately in a typical public school. Children from the community have also demonstrated that
they are not able to function appropriately in a typical public school setting for various reasons. Each
child will receive individual educational services (IEPs for Special Education students and IEGs for all
other students). These will take into account the child’s strengths and weaknesses with the
educational program focusing on improving skills. Grandfather Academy students will be placed in
the group most appropriate for their individual needs. The Academy will focus not only on helping
students make satisfactory educational progress but will also help them become prepared to function
in a regular public school setting. The children at Grandfather Academy need to have the best
possible educational experiences to help them overcome past traumas and be successful in their
lives. A charter school designed to meet the needs of these children and others with similar
adjustment problems offers the best hope for their future.
Educational Purpose
The students of Grandfather Academy will experience improved learning opportunities due to the fact
that individual classes will be structured in such a way as to assure that the individual needs of each
child are addressed. Children will receive individualized education designed to maximize academic
strengths and allow a safe opportunity to gain proficiency in areas of underachievement. The program
will provide an emotionally-supportive environment which allows children to experience academic
success, often for the first time in their lives, thus empowering them to achieve their real potential.
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The scholastic progress of each child at Grandfather Academy will have a goal of, at least, one year
of advancement for each year in attendance.
Successful blending of treatment and education allows children who have been written off as mildly
mentally handicapped, incorrigible, undisciplined, and untrainable to learn to think, to believe in
themselves, and to succeed in academics and every other area of their lives. The individual
Education Plan (IEP) for Special Education students and the Individualized Education Goals (IEG) for
all other children are designed to reflect the innate and open-ended abilities of the individual child.
The overall philosophy for each child’s academic goals will reflect Grandfather Academy’s principle of
“demanding greatness instead of demanding obedience.”
Enrollment/Staffing
The Academy serves children from both the residential treatment program at Grandfather Home for
Children or from the local community. Students are served in self-contained classrooms and are
placed in the classroom based on their individualized educational and treatment needs. Instruction is
individualized and delivered by highly qualified, fully licensed professional academic coordinators who
work closely with their students to build skills and foster success. The Academy also employs an
administrator, and provides exceptional children academic coordinator services and a contracted
behavioral support team to deal with physical aggression and behavioral needs. The years of abuse
and trauma experienced by these students leave them untrusting of adults, angry, violent and
reluctant to build social bonds or relationships. Historically, these students have exhibited hurtful
behaviors in school settings and have performed below average on state standardized achievement
tests. Assessment of our current student population demonstrates that when they arrive, 100% are
eligible for free lunch programs, 49% perform below grade level master in math, 37% perform below
grade level mastery in reading, some as much as three or more grade levels. (Title I eoy data, 2009)
Individual Crisis Plans
Individual Crisis Plans shall be maintained for each student enrolled in Grandfather Academy. In the
case of those students who are admitted to the Residential Treatment Program, this will be
incorporated into the student’s individual Person Centered Plan. These plans are created at the time
of the child’s admission with input from the entire treatment team, including Academy personnel, and
are updated on a regular basis throughout the child’s continued placement. (See Treatment Planning
and Clinical Management under The Treatment Model, earlier in this manual). Functional Behavioral
Assessments will be conducted on each child who has an IEP which will also assist with crisis
planning and the management of difficult behaviors in the classroom.
Individualized Education Goals (IEG)
For each child not classified as Special Education, a set of Individualized Education Goals will be
identified by the classroom academic coordinator and an Individualized Education Goals form
completed. This form will document Present Level of Performance, Annual Goals, list Short Term
Objectives, Evaluation Procedures and who the Date Attained for each of these objectives. A
summary of progress on achieving these goals will be provided at the end of each grading period.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
An educational assessment is completed on each child or adolescent entering Grandfather
Academy, at the time of admission, in order to ensure that we will be meeting the unique
educational needs of each child or adolescent served. For those have been identified as Special
Education students, the current Individualized Education Plan is required as part of the admission
documentation.
Procedures for identifying and serving Special Education Students are provided in the document,
Procedures Governing Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities, issued by the
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and revised 6/3/04.
Requirements for parental and/ or guardian involvement in the evaluation process and requirements
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for annual review are also delineated in this document.
Instructional Methods
The school calendar of Grandfather Academy will include at least 220 instructional days each
academic year. The instructional program is totally designed to facilitate learning for each individual
student to their maximum abilities. All instructors use various curriculum design and methods to best
meet the learning needs of each individual student. Each child’s IEP (Special Education) or IEG will
define his/her academic needs. From this plan the academic coordinator, in concert with therapeutic
staff, will work to nurture and stimulate the child’s interest in learning. Scheduling of outside
presenters to come into the classroom and field trips will extend and enhance the classroom learning
experience.
The use of current educational materials, computer learning and enhancement experiences are part
of the model of learning at Grandfather Academy. The basic learning model at Grandfather Academy
is to meet the individual educational needs of every child in attendance, as well as to integrate the
therapeutic treatment program so that the child may develop their full potential, both in an academic
and therapeutic sense. The curriculum and instructional program will meet or exceed the student
performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. Grandfather Academy will basically
serve children with special needs. Policies adopted by the State Board of Education for Charter
Schools will be followed. The school will continue to seek all proper licenses and certificates specified
by state guidelines.
Specific Guidelines for Instruction:
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Academic coordinators’ interactions with students shall demonstrate a consistent and positive
emphasis on each child’s strengths and specific achievements. Examples would be
reminding a student who becomes frustrated of earlier positive achievements or exploring
ways to approach a problem with the student which might allow him/her to experience a
sense of success.
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Grading standards shall be based on the individual needs of each student, in order to achieve
a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. Goals, strengths and weaknesses identified in
each student’s IEP or IEG will be taken into account in this process.
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In addition to formal testing or evaluations, academic coordinators shall continuously assess
each individual student’s response to materials presented and instructional method utilized, in
order to make appropriate adjustments, when indicated. When special needs are identified,
consultation with other professional staff and treatment team members is appropriate.
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In the course of this continuous assessment, when a student is not making expected
progress, academic coordinators shall work with the child or other Academy professional to
identify problems and modify teaching methods to meet the needs of the individual student.
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Before engaging students in a new learning unit, academic coordinators shall explain the
purpose, goals and objectives of the unit in terms which connect with individual student
needs and levels of ability.
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Because of identified difficulty in achieving academic success among most of our population,
it is important to verify that each student has mastered presented information and skills
before moving on to new material. When this has not occurred, it is important to find different
ways to achieve this goal before moving on to new material. By allowing each student to
develop a sense of mastery in an academic setting, it becomes possible to overcome
previous experiences of frustration and failure in the school setting.
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Written and verbal instructions must be clear and focused. Because of the multi-age and
multi-grade population present in each classroom, it is critical to tailor instructions to
accommodate significantly different levels of achievement and comprehension. Before
moving on to a new step, it is important to verify the understanding of each individual student.
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Academic coordinators shall incorporate frequent and planned review of previously presented
materials in order to assess and strengthen student retention. Ways of accomplishing this
include building new lessons on information the student has already encountered and regular
review of students’ portfolios, which permits pointing out past successes while encouraging
retention of materials covered.
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Academic coordinators shall constantly mold and adapt teaching methods, assignments,
learning objectives and testing to reflect both the North Carolina Standard Course of Study
and the students’ Individual Education Plan or Individual Education Goals.
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Academic coordinators shall evaluate each day the amount of time and attention each
student requires, based on the student’s needs at that time, and plan the sequence of
lessons and assignments accordingly.
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Academic coordinators shall exhibit flexibility and a willingness to vary teaching styles and
pacing, in order to meet the individual learning needs of each student.
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Academic coordinators shall exhibit flexibility in the use of various modalities in the classroom
(e.g., visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic) in order to find ways to communicate which will
be appropriate and engaging to each student.
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Time spent on-task, or on basic instruction, will be determined by the specific behavioral and
treatment needs of both the peer group as a whole and individual students.
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The utilization of instructional groups within the classroom shall be dependent on the
immediate safety level and situational dynamics of the peer group as a whole, as well as the
needs of individual students.
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Academic coordinators will utilize a full range of instructional methods, resource materials,
and lesson plans, along with a high degree of ongoing flexibility, to tailor the standards
required by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to meet the needs of individual
students.
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Students who ask for, or whose performance indicates the need for remedial instruction, will
receive this help, both within their own classroom group and utilizing other special resources
available within the Academy.
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Academic coordinators are encouraged to use open-ended questions and active listening
skills to elicit and encourage expression of knowledge from, as well as to empower students.
In this way, the academic coordinator becomes a “guide,” rather than an intimidating authority
figure.
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Academic coordinators are encouraged to use all technology and audio-visual resources
available ( e.g., Smart Boards, computer to video software, Power Point presentations, Word,
Excel and Publisher Software, Internet access and lab activities) to provide learning
experiences which will interest, engage and motivate students.
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Although the curriculum of Grandfather Academy is prescribed by the North Carolina
Standard Course of Study, academic coordinators are encouraged to use a variety of
available venues, such as the Circle of Courage, in order to successfully implement this
curriculum.
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Academic coordinators shall establish consistent, smooth and predictable classroom routines
to begin and end individual lesson units or periods, because this structure helps to provide a
sense of safety to our population of students. At the same time, flexibility is critical as well, in
order to react spontaneously to unexpected occurrences or individual student needs.
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Homework is an important tool to support and encourage classroom learning and should be
assigned on a regular basis, except when contraindicated by immediate group dynamics
and/or individual treatment needs. In order to encourage and reinforce student achievement,
homework should be checked and returned to the student either the same day, or with one
day turnaround.
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In support of the Residential Treatment philosophy of “expecting greatness, rather than
compliance” from students, expectations should be clearly communicated in a positive
fashion, along with positive feedback, whenever possible.
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Rules or expectations for the classroom should be limited in number and should be stated in
positive terms, (i.e., stated in terms of “do”, rather than “don’t.” Whenever possible, these
rules should be determined by using the peer group, in order to create a sense of “ownership”
by the students.
Documenting Student Success
Every child entering Grandfather Academy will have at least a tentative IEP (Special Education) or
IEG in writing within 12 days of placement, utilizing academic coordinator and therapeutic team
observation and all information arriving with the child. In order to evaluate new students’ current level
of functioning and to provide a baseline against which to measure future progress, each child will
undergo standardized educational testing within 30 days of admission. Standardized testing
assessment will be repeated annually for all students according to the schedule prescribed by the
North Carolina ABC’s Test Model. In between formal testing, assessment will be done regularly in the
school resource center through the use of the basic monitoring skills program or other testing
instruments. Full IEPs/IEGs will be in place for all students within 30 days of admission reflecting
specific academic and treatment needs. Care must be taken with our students to ensure that the
testing instruments being used can properly and fairly be administered to these special needs
children. The North Carolina ABC’s Accountability Model is part of the testing process.
Wellness Policy
Grandfather Academy is committed to providing a school environment that enhances learning and
development of lifelong wellness practices. (See Appendix A for detailed Health and Wellness Policy)
To accomplish these goals:
 Grandfather Academy’s child nutrition programs comply with all federal, state, and local
requirements and are accessible to all children enrolled
 Sequential and interdisciplinary nutrition education is provided and promoted
 Patterns of meaningful physical activity connect to student’s lives outside of physical
education
 All school-based activities are consistent with local wellness policy goals
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Grandfather Academy
All foods and beverages made available on campus (including vending, concessions, a la
carte, student stores, parties, and fundraising) during the school day are consistent with the
current Dietary Guidelines for Americans
All foods made available on campus adhere to food safety and security guidelines
The school environment is safe, comfortable, pleasing, and allows ample time and space for
eating meals. Food and/or physical activity is not used as a reward or punishment
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