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Academics at Boulder Creek Academy

Academic Achievement

  • Read an excerpt from a student's college acceptance letter

  • Recent College Acceptances
     
  • 2008/2009 Exciting Development for BCA Students

    Presidential Classroom Announcement

  • The Academic Program at Boulder Creek Academy consists of two major phases and offers several pathways for academic accessibility, to accommodate the broad range of academic skills and interests of our diverse student population. Our programs and services range from basic skills classes and special education support, to provision of comprehensive traditional high school classes. Academic plans may be designed to prepare students to receive a high school diploma or to proceed to other programs for continued study. Students also prepare for admission to post-secondary programs, colleges, and universities. Faculty members are uniquely qualified, seasoned professionals, all of whom are fully certified and have received special training especially designed for the integrative academic/emotional growth approach developed at Boulder Creek Academy.


    First, upon entrance to the academy, students enter an assessment phase, paralleling the Voyageur Phase of the emotional growth curriculum. During this period, academic assessment includes:

    • Review of admissions file, previous testing and reports of evaluation,
      recommendations, IEP/IPP/NPS stipulations, adaptations, accommodations and modifications;
    • Assessment of academic strengths and weaknesses;
    • Determining best approach to integrating behavioral and emotional growth
      objectives with academic objectives;
    • Discovering optimal learning style(s) and learning strengths;
    • Exploring learning disabilities and learning differences, probing for points of
      entrance in developing plans for both compensation and habilitation
    • Providing a structured learning environment in an experiential milieu;
    • Formulation of an academic plan.

    Teachers working in the initial, Voyageur Phase describe the program as follows:

    The Voyageur Classroom is a safe, nurturing, yet highly-structured and challenging environment, in which students have the opportunity to regain and enhance their academic skills, including study habits both in and outside the classroom. The duration is generally nine to 12 weeks, but may be extended to meet individual student needs.

    Methods of learning emphasize self-motivation, curiosity, discovery and the necessity of continually increasing personal investment. Students are able to connect with their individual learning styles and stretch to explore modes of expression. Types of learning include hands-on projects, group activities, individual lessons, discussions, student-led presentations, lecture and note taking, and student/teacher-generated activities.

    The English component of the class includes an exploration of all phases of Language Arts, including an extensive review of basic skills, while the Math component involves a review of basic math skills and/or higher level Math for those who are capable of the challenge. Both components include exercises in critical thinking, problem solving, organization, pattern recognition and real life applications. Informal assessments are also conducted during community activities, including projects on campus, such as work in the garden, landscaping projects, animal husbandry and interior decorating of the campus for seasonal events.

    Pre- and post- testing is done to evaluate academic skills, along with regular updates on both behavior and academic performance in the classroom. During the Voyageur Phase, students are also given standardized academic achievement tests to assist in deter-mining placement.

    Following the initial Voyageur Phase, students who are ready to move into the second phase of the academic program are placed in core academic classes. Their schedules also include physical education and a rich array of elective classes, ranging from Improvisational Theatre, Guitar, Photography, Art, and Shakespeare to Great Books, Washington Workshops Congressional Seminar, and Environmental Education. Students are eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, such as Student Council, Chess Club, Interact (an International service project associated with Rotary International), Animal Husbandry, and Performing Arts.

    In this phase, the academic plan is reviewed and revised as needed, so that students may earn credit toward graduation from high school or to meet the requirements of another secondary placement. The student’s coursework is planned to coincide with the completion of the emotional growth curriculum, which is a requirement for high school graduation at Boulder Creek Academy. In addition, students are given academic credit in Interpersonal Communication and Phase-based credit for their participation in the Emotional Growth curriculum. Workshops, theme classes, creation of a portfolio, and participation in structured group process sessions are considered the core curriculum for the academy. The tools in social and behavioral growth are incorporated into and reinforced by the more traditional academic classes.

    Students proceed through the academic curriculum as outlined in our course descriptions and may also receive additional academic support services, including 1:1 or small group tutoring sessions, modifications in curriculum, individualized lessons, study skills and organizational skill development, computer classes, as well as specialized equipment, such as laptop computers, audio and/or video recording equipment assistive educational software or use of a Smart Board, to assist in general classrooms.

    The model of social-emotional/academic/clinical integration of services and programs is enhanced by the participation of academic faculty in a variety of interdisciplinary projects and support systems. These include participation on one of the interdisciplinary teams, academic consultation with program and clinical staff, regular preparation of academic reports for interdisciplinary (ITP) staffing, both initial plans and periodic updates; preparation of weekly progress notes, which are shared with all other professional staff members via computer network, participation in team meetings, and volunteering for a variety of community services, projects, and special programs.

    Several of the teachers also lead extended academic trips in concert with the Adventure Education program. Some examples are trips to the Wonderland Trail/Mt. Rainier, the Ashland, OR, Shakespeare Festival, the Flathead Native American Reservation, sailing on the Puget Sound, or an archeological “Dino Dig”. Each of these project-based learning adventures includes classes and workshops in preparation for the trip, guided experiences during the trip, and debriefing sessions to assess learning objectives.

    In addition, the academic department sponsors several special honors projects, including a chess tournament, participation in the nationally-based Washington Workshop Congressional Seminars, honors English thesis program, and community service projects—including support for the local Animal Rescue agency, a wild duck preservation project, the Community Lunch project, the Senior Restorium, Pre-school classroom assistance and other student-generated projects. These projects are highly individualized and are based on individual student interest.

    In philosophy, the academic department is dedicated to the principles of individualized learning, individual intelligences, critical thinking and creative problem-solving, guiding experiences through individual learning styles, multi-modal learning, integration of emotional growth principles into classroom interactions, developing solid work ethic and motivation for learning, working to ameliorate the effect of negative school experiences, and the concomitant negative attitude toward learning associated with students’ past school failure. Our goal is to inspire enthusiasm for learning and to encourage a life-long adventure with learning that reflects the special curiosity, creativity, compassion, individuality, and imagination that define the Boulder Creek student.

    At Boulder Creek our focus is on Discovering Possibilities….and watching them unfold!