We support students to be present and be accountable in order to become fully engaged in their academics and their school experience.
Journey Academy recognizes that education needs to fit the student and that all learners exist on a spectrum. Our highly trained team of credentialed Education Specialists and Instructional Aides ensure that underlying anxieties are addressed and learning needs are individually assessed so that all students might thrive.
Students are supported to first Be Present:
Our academic program supports each student to feel comfortable in the room so that they may consistently receive the support needed to progress in their goals. Students are provided with a variety of sensory tools, alternative seating options and a menu of coping strategies in each class to help them manage anxieties or frustrations that might come up in the process of learning.
Attendance outcomes: Though we specialize in supporting students who have struggled to regularly attend school campus or classes in the past, Journey Academy students averaged an attendance rate of 81% program wide and over 93% for students in the residential program during the 23-24 school year.
Students are supported to then Be Accountable:
Through our Positive Behavior Support program, we help students to recognize and address the academic and behavioral habits and patterns that may be impacting their progress towards their goals. We support students in developing the executive functioning and organizational skills needed to engage across all classes and track all coursework.
Behavioral Outcomes: 92% of students enrolled in Journey during the 23-24 school year were earning average daily behavior points consistent with solid to excellent classroom behavior.
With consistent attendance and accountability, students can Be Engaged:
As students receive the individualized academic and behavioral support they need to be present in the classroom and accountable for developing positive habits and patterns, they can then focus on full engagement. Our team works to help them identify their learning needs and academic goals , both in high school and beyond, and utilize scaffolded academic support to help them get there.
Academic Outcomes: Students enrolled in Journey Academy increased their credit completion rate by an average of 32% over their previous placement during the 23-24 school year.
Supportive, Goal-Oriented Education:
- Average of 6 students per class (never more than 12) and allowing for individualized instruction and highly-personalized interactions.
- Classes are staffed by a credentialed Education Specialist and an Instructional Aide to ensure each student’s IEP goals, accommodations and modifications can be implemented consistently across all classroom settings.
- Students receive copies of their goals, accommodations and modifications as well as coping skills menu options to support self advocacy for appropriate resources in class.
- Classes are equipped with supportive technology including Chromebooks, smart boards, text to speech tools, audio books, noise canceling headphones etc. to accommodate a variety of learning styles and maximize interactive instruction.
- All staff are highly trained in trauma-informed practices as well as Crisis Prevention Intervention strategies to help students identify emotional triggers, redirect away from and replace disruptive patterns, and engage positively and productively across the day.
- Students have access to a variety of sensory tools, coping tools and coping strategy menus and are provided structured support to help them learn to independently internalize and utilize these resources across environments.
- Instructional Aides use Daily Points Sheets to help students recognize their behavior and engagement patterns and track their own positive growth. Identified patterned behaviors are both celebrated and supported in Individual Therapy as well.
- Daily Points Sheets are utilized to incentivize positive behavior trends each day so that students may build self-confidence related to their school behavior.
- Data from Daily Points Sheets help communicate to students, families, placing districts and other stakeholders when behavioral benchmarks have been achieved.
- Graduation goals are prioritized and our Registrar team works collaboratively with districts to make sure all credit needs are being met to ensure smooth transitions between programs and ongoing progress towards a high school diploma.
- All students take the NWEA assessment test to identify and be supported in addressing foundational learning gaps while enrolled in grade level courses.
- Most common IEP accommodations and modifications are built directly into all class instruction.
- All courses meet California State Standards for a high school diploma.
- Apex online curriculum can be integrated into a student course load on an individual basis to support scaffolded learning needs and/or continuity of college prep course work while in placement. Concurrent enrollment at the Santa Rosa Junior College can be incorporated into individual student learning paths.
- We are a CDE certificated and WASC accredited nonpublic school.
- We serve 9th-12th grade students with an IEP diagnosis of Emotional Disability, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our campus and classrooms are highly supportive to youth with specific sensory needs.
- Our teachers are all credentialed Education Specialists and we teach to California State Standards.
- We specialize in serving youth with diagnosed anxiety, depression, PTSD and/or significant patterns of withdrawal, self-harm or avoidance.
- We are recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for our innovations in inclusive education and our work with LBGTQ+ youth.