Transition Services
In order to prepare our students for their adult lives after high school, we provide them with a variety of transition planning activities including:
– Presentations and workshops from local college Admissions representatives and community employees
– Curriculum and course options: Senior Seminar, Consumer Math, Consumer Education, Junior Transition Planning
– College and Technical School Program Tours
The Senior Seminar curriculum focuses on preparing for life after high school. Goal setting, the college application process, career exploration, job search resources, interview techniques, resume writing, budgeting, life planning and time management are all discussed at length and documents in a student centered portfolio.
Programs
Program offerings include:
Regular School Program
Short Term Placement
GED Program
Internships
Extended Learning Opportunities
An Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) allows for the acquisition of knowledge and skills through instruction or study outside of the traditional classroom methodology. Emphasis is on personalized learning, student engagement, and alternate approaches to student assessment. ELOs are designed to match students’ diverse learning needs, talents, interests, and developmental levels. ELOs can play a crucial role in helping students develop essential workforce skills, positive social behaviors and attitudes, improved engagement in learning, and development of skills such as problem solving and/or higher-order thinking. An extended learning opportunity typically comes from a combination of student interest, teacher support and inspiration, and opportunities available in the community or the school. Extended Learning Opportunities provide authentic learning experiences for all types of students. Given the individual nature of ELOs they may be especially beneficial for students who struggle with the regular high school academic program. Transportation to ELOs will be determined by the student’s special education team as part of the planning process.
The goal of The Brentwood School’s Extended Learning Opportunity Program is to create educational opportunities for students to work in conjunction with current educational programs to provide enrichment, curriculum differentiation, social and emotional support, and awareness of learning opportunities for students beyond the general curriculum. What we do specifically for each student will depend on their needs and available opportunities. Programs for students do not begin with different curricula or different structures for learning, but with the different needs of each student.
At The Brentwood School, students have the opportunity to work with their counselors and teachers to establish an Extended Learning Opportunity that takes place inside or outside the classroom through:
Job Shadowing – Students have the opportunity to observe an employee on the job in a field of interest to him or her. A job shadow can last from a partial day to several days, and is unpaid. Job shadowing increases career awareness, sets a positive example for students, and reinforces the link between classroom learning and work.
Independent Study -The Independent Study option will be offered to motivated students interested in earning competency based credit in place of classroom activity. This person centered planning process must include a mentor, the school principal and the interested student. The student must demonstrate competency in a variety of curriculum standards measured against the state frameworks. Students should follow the Extended Learning Opportunity Procedures to develop and participate in an independent study.
Private Instruction – The Private Instruction option can include lessons or classes outside the school, including, but not limited to, art, music, theater, martial arts, foreign language, and equestrian lessons etc. Some benefits of private instruction can include self discipline, entertainment of self in a healthy and productive manner, increased self confidence, and enhanced social skills. Students will follow the ELO procedures to earn credit. Financial responsibility for the private instruction lies with the student’s parents/guardians.
Internships – Work-based learning in which the student is learning the job, taking an active part, and ultimately, engaged in a personal project that is of value to the work site. Components of an internship include a one on one relationship with an adult, doing real work in which the student is interested, either in or outside of the school building.
School-Based Enterprises – These are small businesses operated at the school, which are often set up to allow students to learn business operations such as managing costs, ordering supplies, working under pressure, conserving supplies and maintaining facilities. This can include such opportunities as a school store, the lunch program, or a fund raising activity. School-based enterprises are unpaid work experiences.
Community Service – Service learning combines academics with a community service project. For example, while cleaning trash from a stream, students will also analyze the trash and where it comes from, then create ways to educate the community on reducing pollution. Students would learn about water quality and laboratory analysis, and communicating with the public. Students might also be asked to reflect on how the service-learning project relates to their personal and career interests. Service learning is unpaid.
Online Courses – Students can enroll in high school level courses on Plato or through Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. E-Start classes are also available to students to earn college credit through the New Hampshire Technical College system.
Other ways in which students can be exposed to careers:
Carreer Fairs – At career fairs, representatives from various businesses provide information about their employment opportunities at booths set up in a single location (such as the school gym).
Guest Speakers – Teachers or counselors may arrange for guest speakers to come and talk to a group of students regarding their field of expertise.
Field Trips – Field trips to local businesses, where students are taken on a tour of the business and get to see workers at their daily tasks allowing students to learn how the business works, the types of tasks performed, and to get a sense of the work environment in that particular industry.
To begin an Extended Learning Opportunity, an ELO team consisting of the student, a counselor, a parent, a teacher and sometimes a community partner, meets to identify available resources and to develop a plan for the student to follow. The same team evaluates the success of the ELO at completion. Assessment of student work typically takes place through teacher check-in, reflections, or student presentations. Credit for ELO is based on measurable standards as defined in course competencies. Extended Learning Opportunites are graded on a pass/fail basis.