Our School
The Academy’s educational approach is to offer an all-inclusive, “hands-on”, learning environment where audiovisual aids, electronic & web-based presentations, course materials, self-paced tutorials, and instructor competence are integrated into a well-designed, high quality curriculum delivery system. By linking the curriculum with real-world work internships and apprenticeships, we maximize our students’ vocational and employment opportunities in today’s job market.
We believe that people should be limited only by their capabilities, not their disabilities. Students with special needs are supported through a variety of Assistive Technology devices and software, variable instructional and assessment terms, individual and group tutoring, and access to curriculum in alternative delivery environments. This provides our students with maximum freedom of access to opportunity and environment, and active participation in all aspects of their vocational program at The Academy.
We expect every student who participates in our programs to leave not only with new knowledge and skills, but also to have an awareness of where to go and what to do to continue learning on their own.
School PhilosophyThe Academy offers unique vocational programs that are designed to not only strengthen a student’s general technical skills, but also to empower the student with new knowledge and experiences that can open otherwise locked doors in his/her future.
The Academy’s primary educational mission is to empower the learner with new knowledge and insight into a particular subject matter, so job tasks can be learned and completed efficiently. Factors such as homogeneous groups, comfort of the student, class size, state-of-the-art equipment, hands-on application, relevant examples & exercises, and even access to a telephone are careful considerations.
We believe that learning is a truly active process, and that different people learn in different ways. Therefore, we have developed an educational philosophy, which provides an active environment that allows for different learning styles. Our educational philosophy focuses on promoting Active Learning. Active learning helps prepare our students to be self-directed, lifelong learners - an ability they will all need in a society where individuals change jobs frequently, and job requirements rapidly change to meet changes in industry.
In our Active Learning environment, we provide opportunities for our students to talk & listen, read, write, and reflect as they approach curriculum content through problem solving exercises, informal small groups, simulations, case studies, role-playing, and any other activities, which effectively apply the subject matter. Our students learn best by doing.
The primary goal of our instructors, as classroom facilitators, is to ensure that the learner is prepared to continue on their own We expect every student who leaves our classroom to leave not only with new knowledge and skills, but also to have an awareness of where to go and what to do to continue learning on their own.
For each of our courses, there is a presentation, which the instructor uses to help guide the students through the concepts. Each student is provided a copy of the presentation and is able to take notes and use the material as a self-paced reference on their own. In addition, students are also provided access to computer-based tutorials, which the student can use for review and reinforcement of instructor-led classroom training, and for reference and review purposes after graduation.
The Academy’s academic programs are structured as progressive milestones, each leading to higher levels of technical skills. This design allows students to effectively reach their personal level of competence with skills documented by the school. At each milestone, students elect to continue to the next milestone, transfer to an SUNY REOC Program with advanced standing, or seek employment. When they seek employment, they do so with new skills, documented by the school, which will increase their employability.
It is important to note, that at every step in the delivery of the curriculum (and the students’ path within it), both faculty & students are guided by principles of Love and Logic in which four major areas of direct consideration are applied:
- Strengthened Self-Confidence & Self-Respect
- Shared Control and Thinking
- Flexibility & Choice
- No Failures
The Academy’s approach to curriculum delivery is to offer an all-inclusive learning environment where audiovisual aids, electronic presentation, course materials, reference texts, self-paced tutorials, hands-on projects, portfolio learning, and instructor competence are integrated into a well designed, high quality educational delivery system
Teaching With Love & Logic: Jay Fay & David Funk; The Love & Logic Press, Inc.; Golden, Co. 1995.
The Academy Student Population
- Adults with Disabilities who are unemployed but can work.
- Individuals who are unable to participate in more traditional post-secondary educational programs due to economic, cultural, or academic reasons
- Individuals who have never or rarely participated in a workplace setting and who need to enter the workforce due to changes in current financial support mechanisms. These include, but are not limited to:
- Public Assistance Recipients
- Single Parents with Dependent Children
- Adults Not Receiving Public Assistance But Who Are Impoverished Individuals who are recently unemployed or qualify as Displaced Workers who require re-skilling.
The mission of The Academy is based upon the premise that people should be limited only by their capabilities, not their disabilities. The Academy provides support to its students with special needs through a variety of Assistive Technology devices and software, variable instructional and assessment terms, individual and group tutoring, and access to curriculum in alternative delivery environments. The application of these resources is intended to enable maximum freedom of access to opportunity and environment and active participation in all aspects of their vocational program at the Academy.
The Academy’s student population is composed of disabled (38%) and disadvantaged (62%) adults. Most of our disadvantaged adults are referred to us through the SUNY Rochester Educational Opportunity Center (REOC). Approximately 60% of the disadvantaged students referred to us from REOC have undiagnosed learning disabilities and learning style differences (based upon discussions with the REOC Faculty and Dean). This means that approximately 75-80% of our student population has special needs. These needs have to be addressed if our students are to be successful in the workforce or in continued post-secondary education. Many students initiate the process for testing and assessment while enrolled at The Academy through VESID, Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH), Veteran’s Administration, and other agencies.
When talking about students with special needs, the traditional division of impairment categories is by limitation in areas of functional ability: vision, hearing, mobility, speech, and cognitive function. The consequent disabilities are in the areas of: reading (text and graphics), listening, writing (homework and exams), and interacting with fellow students and teachers. The Academy makes every effort to provide those activities which accommodate its students disabilities/needs.
Academy Objectives and Purposes
The Academy's Objectives and Purposes are as follows:"
- Design, develop, and deliver job-training curriculum that reflect contemporary workforce skills as identified by collaborative input from both manufacturing and information technology industry advisors.
- Provide a multilevel job training educational experience for disabled, disadvantaged, and displaced individuals which consists of:
- Basic Skills Training (when necessary)
- Specific Workforce Skills Training (technical and soft skills training)
- Workforce Internships
- Apprenticeships
- Mainstream Job Placement
- Work with local community groups, in which high unemployment rates exist, to design and deliver specific workforce training programs locally within the community it serves. Delivery of this training focuses at the grassroots level by:
- Identifying individuals within the local community who meet or can meet specific criteria to be trained as trainers.
- Train these individuals as prospective trainers
- Utilize local facilities and trainers to deliver workforce training in the local community.
- Utilize the school’s workforce internship and apprenticeship programs to reinforce the workforce training and to allow individuals the opportunity to adapt to the cultural differences and demands that they will face when entering today’s workforce.
- Utilize the Academy’s Job Placement services to obtain permanent employment.
- Work with local secondary school systems to provide teacher training in utilizing Information and Assistive Technologies in the classroom.
- Work with local secondary school systems to design, develop, and deliver cost-effective contemporary workforce skills training for high school juniors and seniors at their schools.
- Provide specific Information and/or Assistive Technology training for homebound individuals (disabled persons, single mothers, homebound welfare recipients, & the aged) through the school’s distance learning and on-line training facilities.
- Collaborate with other local agencies in providing community wide access to specific computer and assistive technologies.
- Sponsor off-site seminars and other educational events where community and industrial leaders, governmental, and organizational representatives, and other concerned members of the public and government may meet to exchange ideas, suggest solutions, and implement strategies to provide equal access to advances in Information and Assistive Technologies for all members of society.
Here are the 2006 sessions.
Start Date |
Ending Date |
September 18, 2006 |
January 26, 2007 |
February 5, 2007 |
June 15, 2007 |
September 10, 2007 |
January 18/2008 |
Additional dates may be offered if enrollment demands occur.
The Academy2005-2006 Legal Holidays & School Closing Calendar
2006 |
2007 |
January 1 ......... --New Year Day |
January 1-2 ......... --New Year Day |
January 16 ...... Dr. Martin Luther |
January 15 ...... Dr. Martin Luther |
February 20-24 Mid-Winter Recess |
February 19-23.... Mid-Winter Recess |
March 24 Teacher Development day |
March 23 Teacher Development day |
April 14 ....... Good Friday |
April 6 ....... Good Friday |
May 29 ......... Memorial Day |
May 28 ......... Memorial Day |
June 16 Teacher Development day |
June 15 Teacher Development day |
July 4 ...... Independence Day Break |
July 4 ...... Independence Day Break |
September 4 ........ Labor Day |
September 3 ........ Labor Day |
September 11, 911 Memorial |
September 11, 911 Memorial |
September 22 Teacher Development day |
September 21 Teacher Development day |
October 9 ...... Columbus Day Break |
October 8 ...... Columbus Day Break |
November 10 ...... Veterans Day |
November 11/12 ...... Veterans Day |
November 23 & 24.. Thanksgiving |
November 22 & 23.. Thanksgiving |
December 15 Teacher Development day |
December 14 Teacher Development day |
December 22, 25-29 Christmas Break |
December 24-31 , January 1-2 2008 |
In the event of serious weather conditions or other emergencies, please watch News channels 8, 9, 10 & 13. We will maintain the same policy as the Rochester City School District, Greece Central School District and The Rochester Educational Opportunity Center. If any or all of those organizations are closed we will also be closed. We will also change The Academy’s voice messaging systems to reflect closing information.
