SCALE Curriculum

Overview

All students participate in academic/vocational education and/or community-based vocational experiences.

Students' daily schedule is individualized to specific needs. Approximately one half-day will be spent on Applied Academics. Twelve half-hour periods will be available in Applied English, Applied Math, Social Studies, Science, Life Skills/Community Resources and Vocational Education. One half-day can be spent in community-based vocational experiences to put into practice the newly acquired academics and gain valuable world exposure.

Curriculum Content Courses offered

Applied English - 4 levels (1 year per level)
Applied Math - 2 levels (1 year per level)
Social Studies - 2 levels (1 year per level)
Science - 2 levels (1 year per level)
Life Skills/Community Resources - 2 levels (1 year per level)
Vocational Education - 6 levels (1 year per level)

All courses are taught using a variety of modalities including spoken language, written language and audio/visual presentation. All courses are based on learning fundamental skills that can be applicable in vocational situations.

All students will participate in regular MCAS testing with accommodations unless the sending district TEAM determines otherwise.

Curriculum Content

Applied English

This is a developmental course to include the learning of grammar, vocabulary, composition, and writing skills. It progresses to critical thinking skills such as identifying main ideas, citing evidence to support point of view and drawing valid conclusions from data.

Students will demonstrate:

Applied Math

This is a developmental course to include the basic four operations, averages, fractions, decimals, percents, time, money, measurement, sequencing, ratios and proportions, budgeting.

Students will demonstrate:

  1. Basic four computational skills
  2. Ability to use fractions, decimals, percents and averages in real life situations
  3. Understanding of time, how to allocate it and how to prepare and follow a schedule
  4. How to approach practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques
  5. Ability to monitor and correct individual performance

Social Studies

This is a two course series. One course is designed to increase the students' knowledge of current events. A variety of resources are used to cover a wide range of topics from national and local politics to sports to the stock market. The second course covers US and World Geography as it relates to improving functioning in the real world.

Students will demonstrate:

  1. Increasing knowledge of current events
  2. Improvement in ability to converse about a variety of current events
  3. Increasing knowledge of local, national and world geography
  4. Ability to read maps
  5. Improved speaking and listening skills
  6. Ability to monitor and correct individual performance

Science

This is a three course series. The first course is Health and Safety and includes diseases, nutrition, exercise, first aid, and substance abuse and sexuality education. The second course available is the human body and how it works and covers the five major systems. The third course is a physical science course covering earth/animal science and ecology.

Students will demonstrate:

  1. Increasing knowledge of their own bodies & how to care for them
  2. Increasing knowledge of the earth and the ecological impact of technological progress on it
  3. Improved reasoning skills in understanding underlying relationships
  4. Improved understanding of specific systems with generalization of information to systems at large
  5. Ability to monitor and correct individual performance

Life Skills/Community Resources

This is a two course series. Life Skills is a course in developing thinking skills and practical life skills as well as social skills. It includes creative thinking skills, decision-making skills, problem-solving skills and reasoning skills.The social skills required for a successful transition to adult life are also a major focus of this course. It also includes practical application skills of map reading, schedule reading and driver education. Community resources is a course in understanding how to use the library, various government agencies, the newspaper, public transportation and the Internet.

Students will demonstrate:

  1. The ability to generate new ideas
  2. The ability to explore options, consider risks, evaluate alternatives
  3. The ability to recognize problem and implement a plan of action
  4. The ability to discover a rule or principal and apply it to solving a problem
  5. The ability to read maps and schedules
  6. The ability to find desired information within the community
  7. The ability to socially interact appropriately in the community

Vocational Education

This is a multi-leveled course that covers all phases of finding acquiring and keeping a job. It also includes active participation in community based vocational experiences to reinforce learned material.

Students will demonstrate:

  1. Awareness of a variety of careers
  2. Knowledge of how to find a job
  3. Knowledge of how to apply for a job
  4. Knowledge of necessary job attitudes
  5. Knowledge of necessary job habit
  6. Development of marketable entry-level skills

For more information, please contact: Amy Fletcher, Program Director

 

Page Last modified: January 22 2010 23:34:25.