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Level 3 is for the motivated student focused on the future
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Franklin Academy’s mission is to provide students with Nonverbal Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome the academic and social skills to become life-long learners, to pursue college and career goals, and to enjoy fulfilling lives. As a capstone experience in our curriculum, Franklin Academy’s Level 3 program is designed to simulate the academic and residential arenas of college life as closely as possible and includes vocational exploration and the development of independent living and work skills.
The theme for the year within the Level 3 program is “Transitions.” While the start of the year “feels” much like the end of the previous year for rising seniors who are accepted into this advanced program, these students have immediate opportunities to demonstrate independence and competencies in both their academic functioning and in their residential settings. A continuum of privileges is granted, based on the demonstration of mastery, moving seniors closer and closer to the level of independence they can expect at college. With privilege comes responsibility, and we expect our Level 3 students to become leaders and mentors for other students within the Franklin community.
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| Intense Academics |
Student Government Officers -- Jane, Nick,
Tori & Matthew |
At Franklin Academy, particularly in the Level 3 Program, the expectations that we have for our students increase with each subsequent year of attendance. Ideally, we feel that a student should possess or come close to attaining the following attributes before graduating from the school:
The attributes listed above are only some of the qualities that a student should strive for in order to grow as an individual. However, by applying the strategies associated with these attributes throughout the Level 3 experience, we believe that our students will become more thoughtful and efficient in approaching an increasing range of decision-making situations, such as selecting a college or university, and later in living as a responsible and independent young adult. What follows is an overview of the Academic and Residential Programs as well as Student Support Services in Level 3.
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Franklin Academy is a test center for the PSAT,
SAT, and ACT |
Taking the career and vocational assessment |
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
The Level 3 Academic Program is designed to assist each student in achieving the academic independence necessary for life-long learning.
Academic Classes
Classes for Level 3 students are scheduled using a block method. Most classes run for 1-1/2 hours and meet twice a week. Students receive a syllabus for each class, containing such information as course materials, class expectations, grading policy, and due dates for homework, papers and projects. While classes focus on skill mastery, material is presented in a collegiate fashion, and students are exposed to a variety of assessment methods frequently used in the college setting.
Team Meetings
Level 3 students meet daily with their teachers as an entire team during the first quint of the school year. The number of daily meetings decreases as the year progresses and seniors demonstrate greater responsibility and independence. The purpose of team meetings is to make certain that students are prepared for class, to review personal spending and weekend travel plans, and to facilitate collaboration among the seniors in order to plan community projects, build team skills, and problem-solve.
Grading System
Students receive two grades for each class every quint – an overall grade for their achievement and a grade for their level of effort. Each student also receives a team-based assessment that focuses on academic preparedness, social/emotional skills development, and residential adjustment.
Academic Probation
The Level 3 Team monitors each student’s academic progress, and an individual Academic Probation plan is developed with the student to improve academic performance if outcomes fall below expectations in any of the core courses. Academic Probation may include a loss of privileges and result in structured interventions.
College & Vocational Seminar
The College & Vocational Seminar is a Quint 1 class that meets to discuss issues such as applying and interviewing for college, the range of college choices, college selection, and preparing for college life. Students complete and discuss a career/vocational interest survey, as well as a learning style inventory, undergo a frank assessment of strengths and weaknesses, complete the common college application, and begin to explore options for an Intersession Internship experience. Students also have the opportunity to visit local college campuses and hear from guest speakers, including Franklin Academy alumni, to learn more about admission processes, college opportunities, and how to use college resource offices.
SAT and ACT
The SAT is offered three times a year at Franklin Academy during the months of November, March, and June; the ACT is offered during October and February. Registration information is distributed during College Seminar meetings and through the College Counselor. Students are encouraged to take the SAT and ACT and may do so as many times as they feel are necessary. Dr. Rebecca Hays, Clinical Director, oversees the process to secure necessary approvals for test-taking accommodations, and she works in close collaboration with team leadership to prepare the petition for each student.
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| Weighing college options |
Colton & Jane perform during Community Meeting |
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM
The Level 3 Residential Program is designed to promote personal and social responsibilities as well as independence in a residential setting. Our goal is to prepare the student for life-long learning after Franklin Academy. Students will be encouraged to develop a commitment to themselves and to their community as demonstrated by their achievements in academic and residential settings.
Residential Settings
Four facilities across campus provide living accommodations for our Level 3 students. Each Level 3 house is designed to provide the student with a feel of independence and community similar to what they will experience at college. For instance, unlike the single-occupancy dormitory rooms assigned to underclassmen, most Level 3 dormitory rooms are doubles in order for each student to experience the realities of having a roommate. Living areas include a shared common area for academic study and entertainment as well as a modestly equipped kitchen.
Community Service
All Level 3 students are required to perform community service through their Individual and Community class. They are also encouraged to take on campus leadership positions. These positions include working as a residential assistant, peer leader, mediator or tutor, library assistant, monitor in the Student Center, or clerk in the school store.
Goals and Privileges
Level 3 students move from a highly structured environment to a more independent environment with the help of goals that they develop with the assistance of faculty. These goals provide direction in the development and maintenance of skills that foster academic and residential independence. Privileges that are earned will be tied to academic and residential performance, and these privileges will be individualized to enhance a student’s development of independent skills.
Vehicle Policy
Level 3 students wishing to have a vehicle on campus may do so after Quint 1. If a student is in good academic and residential standing, he or she may petition to have a vehicle on campus. A short essay explaining the rationale for a vehicle on campus and a completed riding and driving permission form are needed for a petition. Students with vehicles on campus will need permission from a Level 3 faculty member or an administrator to take their car off campus. When the vehicle is not in use, the keys must be turned into the Level 3 residential dean or teacher or administrator.
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| The Ponderosa -- home to Level 3 boys | Level 3 Frisbee -- more than just a game |
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Learning Center
The Learning Center is available for scheduled or drop-in appointments to offer assessment and assistance in skill development. The team’s Learning Specialist, in collaboration with the Speech and Language specialist, will oversee the operation of the Learning Center. The center is modeled after a college-level resource center, as a mode of teaching self-advocacy and access of assistance outside of the classroom.
Social & Emotional Growth
The Level 3 program will be focusing on increased independence in preparation for the many challenges of college. While our students will start the year in a fairly structured routine, they will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate skills and competencies in areas of personal functioning, and earn increased privileges and independence. Students will be given regular feedback, both written and verbal, on their progress so that they may continue to develop their skills for self-assessment. In college they will be offered a myriad of choices and, like all adolescents, they will need to make choices that are good for them. How should I organize my study time? What kind of dorm arrangement suits me best? How will I organize my academic work? As with everyone who engages in the learning process, some things will need to be learned the “hard way” through personal experience and with some sense of frustration. We ask that parents embrace the role of “cheerleader/supporter” and “identifier of resources” – not “problem-solver.” Franklin Academy wants to ensure that we expose our students to as many of the possibilities they may face the next year in college in order to better prepare them for the upcoming transition.
Advisors and Parent Contact Professional
Each Level 3 student will be assigned to an Advisee group, headed by a member of Team Leadership (counselor, learning specialist, or residential supervisor) who serves as the Parent Contact. The Parent Contact is the designated professional who will be in regular telephone or email contact with parents to provide updates about student progress; in addition, this is the person to whom parents direct all questions and concerns about their student or the Franklin program.
College Counseling
Our expectation is that almost every student enrolled in the Level 3 program will be graduating from Franklin Academy and matriculating at a two-year or four-year college. Therefore, the school employs a full-time College Counselor to work with Level 3 students and their parents. Please see the attached document for a comprehensive review of Franklin Academy’s advice and counsel that focuses on dates, deadlines, to-do lists, factors to consider, resources, campus tours and interviews, and testing. THE COLLEGE SEARCH PROCESS
Counseling
The Counselor for Level 3 will be participating in professional Team Meetings, observing and participating in classes, and is available to consult with all Level 3 students and faculty. More formal and individual counseling is also available to students. Counseling remains voluntary, unless a student is specifically referred through the Code of Conduct Committee or Academic Probation process. To engage in formal counseling the student and counselor will set a regular meeting time, agree upon a goal for the counseling, and assess progress made at the completion of five sessions. Parents will receive a copy of the contract that documents the treatment goal, the dates of the meetings, progress, and subsequent recommendations. The actual content of the counseling will not be shared without the student’s explicit permission.
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| Unforgettable memories | Congratulations! |
FEEDBACK
We recognize that education is the building of skills, knowledge, and life experiences that are needed for each student’s success. Therefore, students, parents, and teachers work collaboratively in partnership to build academic and residential independence, strengthen self-advocacy skills, and facilitate social and emotional growth. This foundation provides the springboard to college and career. Here is what one mother of a Level 3 participant recently said: “It is clear to me that Franklin is becoming a leader not only in serving the NLD population, but in providing an excellent boarding environment. I think all boarding schools would benefit from doing a "Level 3" program. I know that my daughter would have benefited in her senior year "practicing" college life.” In addition, a growing number of Franklin Academy alumni have returned to the school to share their assessment about the advantages of Level 3 with our rising seniors. The consensus? Level 3 at Franklin Academy gives our graduates a head start during freshman year at college.
