Academics
Looking at our CALO logo you can see our name and the CALO symbol consisting of sun, earth, tree, and water. It is metaphoric of our treatment model and congruent with our approach to academics.
Trust of Care is represented by the sun. The sun rises and sets every day, whether it can be seen or not. We can put our trust in this. Students can trust that we will meet their academic needs and provide them with what they need, not what they earn.
Trust of Control is represented by the earth. The earth is stable and solid and is where we build our homes and the material we use to sustain us in myriad ways. Earth represents our teachers’ commitment to be there for each student and go the distance. By providing authentic teaching and building meaningful rapport teachers provide a firm foundation for student learning.
Trust of Self is represented by water. Water is fluid and ever-changing and is indicative of our students’ development of self-control. Just as the earth regulates and guides a body of water, students depend on teachers to help regulate and guide their development of self-control.
Interdependence is CALO’s ultimate goal for all our students. The tree on our logo represents that interdependence. We want students that take from their environment, just as trees take water and sunlight and nutrients from the earth. We also want students to give back to their home environment; much like a tree gives back oxygen. Our academic program focuses on helping students become life-long learners who are able to connect to people and resources around them in order to gain information, gain understanding, and make informed choices—ultimately giving back to society by becoming part of the workforce or their community in a meaningful way.
School at CALO focuses on the needs of the learner. Our philosophy is that sometimes the shortest distance between two points is the long way around. This philosophy is meant to remind us that the learner must have their emotional and personal needs met in preparation for academic studies.
Academic time consists of 2 to 3 hour sessions which are set throughout the day, with adequate breaks in between. This facilitates various learning styles and divides school into productive smaller blocks. Students attend school 20 to 25 hours per week. This includes regular class time, community outings, Saturday school, and special field trips.
All academic work is fully accredited through Brigham Young University’s High School Transcript Program. BYU’s High School Transcript Program is among the best accredited high school education programs in the country. BYU is accredited as an institution by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The High School Transcript Program is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS).
CALO has been recognized as an Approved Private Agency by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Staff/student ratios of 1:3 and teacher/student ratios of 1:9 give ample support and individualized attention to each student. We have two certified special education teachers on staff who work alongside of four full-time Lead teachers.
Academic progress at CALO is ensured by a multi-level academic review accompanied by frequent evaluation of detailed transcripts showing each student’s class progress. Teachers are provided with detailed information daily concerning a student’s exact progress in each class they are enrolled in. Weekly classroom reports and monthly academic summaries are created by staff and teachers. These are relayed to the Academic Director and then forwarded to therapists and families to provide openness and transparency regarding each student’s actual struggles, successes, and progress.
Many programs utilize “packets” for all their academic needs as a cost-saving measure. One solid step up from that would be sole reliance on a solid, accredited transcript program. CALO academics offers much more than either of these options found at other programs. BYU course work is only one part of our comprehensive approach to academics. We also hold weekly art, business, history, music, and sign language courses, along with seminars to offer students another path towards authentic learning.
Seminars consist of high-energy motivational teaching presentations in a classroom setting. Topics for these seminars cover a wide-range of school and social learning needs. CALO students learn about Helen Keller’s miracle at the well, Horatius at the bridge, and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham jail.” Teens often hold a natural empathy for those who have been down-trodden or for those who have fought against the odds to become victorious. We tap into this emotion and get students excited about learning.
In addition to the library, computer lab, and seminar/conference rooms, four new classrooms have been added with the latest in audiovisual equipment. The classrooms have an IDS (instructional delivery system), document readers, and plasma displays to vividly connect students to a multitude of appropriate educational websites to further their learning. We have also started a new student newspaper--the CALO Chronicle. This helps to showcase student work and achievement, while providing more information and feedback to parents and families. The first edition was printed in September 08 and new editions are published quarterly. Many students contribute in the creation and publication of the CALO Chronicle.
Education Plans
A detailed Education Plan is created for each CALO student after a thorough review of former or current IEPs, transcripts, and all background information. A Student Interest Survey (SIS) helps us to learn your child’s unique interests and strengths. The Learning Styles Assessment (LSA) ensures our teachers will know the multitude of modalities available in reaching and teaching your child. A Course Selection Plan (CSP) outlines classes taken and maps out curriculum choices. And finally, an Accommodations Checklist (AC) ensures your child will receive any and all needed modifications to facilitate their learning needs.
Playing Catch Up
We specialize in helping students catch up. If your child has fallen behind their peers academically- we can help. CALO school is in session year around. We will create a plan to re-align your student’s curriculum so that not only will they catch up, in many cases, our students work ahead to ease their transition back into a traditional school setting. We have students who have not only completed CALO curriculum; they have enrolled in college classes as well.
Academics, therapy, the canine program, and recreation therapy all share one thing in common- the desire to enhance and to be congruent with a student’s therapeutic needs. Quite simply; we find ways to not only educate our students but at the same time we conscientiously seek ways to make all learning a “therapeutic opportunity.”
When students come to CALO generally their academic needs fit into one of the following programs: Therapy-based, Restorative or Standard/Collegiate. Each student is unique, so each of these categories is augmented and modified to fit each student’s needs and aspirations.
- Therapy-based Academic Track
The focus of a Therapy-based Academic Track is to create an education plan designed to foster the emotional and therapeutic needs of the student. This is for students who have little or no HS credit and for those whose primary focus is therapeutic. Course selection is driven by the treatment team in choosing classes that would foster communication, expression, personal enrichment, and other goals including the GED, vocational training and entering the workforce.
- Restorative Academic Track
The Restorative Academic Track is designed for students who have fallen behind their peers- for students who need to “catch up.” Up to two years of course work is evenly spread out over their anticipated stay at CALO. Students on this track are required to use portions of personal time, weekends, and evenings to ensure meeting deadlines. This requires a large commitment from both student and family. The academic director creates the education plan and the therapeutic team is empowered to monitor, encourage, and drive student progress. Sub-categories include college-bound or HS diploma.
- Standard/Collegiate Track
The Standard/Collegiate Academic Track is designed for students who are currently at grade level and who are on par with their peers. A proportionate amount of academics is evenly spread out over their anticipated stay at CALO. In this way, they neither fall behind nor move ahead of their peers. Sub-categories include college-bound or HS diploma.
In the event that a student earns all required HS classes but still has months of therapy, families then have the option to enroll their student into college-level classes of their choosing. CALO provides guidance, support, and some financial costs for the college credit courses.
CALO teachers help students to become life-long learners by focusing on three academic essentials: 1) relationships, 2) relevance, and 3) rigor. In order to do this, CALO hires passionate educators who are trained to focus on the following:
- Build sincere and meaningful relationships with students.
- Provide authentic instruction to all students grades 7-12.
- Teach across the curriculum.
- Inspire even reluctant students to perform.
- Use of audio/visual equipment to facilitate learning.
CALO Teachers are state certified and all tutors have a minimum of sixty hours college credit. All speakers or guest lecturers are considered experts in their field.
CALO teachers must be exceptional. Therefore, they must be willing to go above and beyond what would be expected in a typical classroom. Building a meaningful rapport with each student is a CALO teacher’s number one goal.
This rapport is the foundation upon which we can build an educational structure which will benefit our students now and in the future. This rapport is built by combining exceptional teaching in the classroom with extra-curricular activities outside of the classroom. Our teachers actively participate with our students in a school setting, as well as in extra-curricular activities. These activities facilitate the rapport so vital to teacher/student success at CALO. This is understood and openly accepted by CALO teachers as a means to truly reach their students.
To ensure a more seamless transition from CALO, our Academic Director makes contact with a student’s new school as early as possible. This allows a low-impact transfer of credits, and creation of educational plans. Students with IEPs often have CALO academic personnel participate in IEP meetings by phone as to facilitate the creation of an updated IEP that will truly serve the needs of the individual student.