u
MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT: BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE!
Technology, Social Skills, Communication, Presentation Skills, Interviewing Skills, Money Management, Health and Wellness, Job Search Skills, and Keeping a Job. Internships / Worksite Rotations Through a series of three unpaid internships, the students acquire skills to enable them to apply for a related position. Students also build communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, which is important to their overall development as a young worker. Potential student worksites are identified through a continuous collaborative process involving the teacher, job coaches and business liaison. Students are required to interact with their supervisors via telephone and written communications to arrange a job interview to secure each rotation. A department mentor is identified at each site. The mentor interacts with the instructor, job coaches, and the student as a consistent source of guidance and feedback. Students spend approximately five hours each day at the internships including a thirty minute lunch. Working from a task list, they acquire the core skills necessary to be hired in an entry-level position at the host business site or in the community. The Project SEARCH staff delivers the training and develops job accommodations and standard work procedures. Once the students master the core skills, additional skills are added to improve their marketability. Job Placement and Community Connections During the last few months of the program the emphasis is on refining skills, achieving the career goal, and carrying out individualized job placement. The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor becomes an even more important part of the team as the job search process begins. Job development and placement occurs based on the student’ s experiences, strengths, and skills. Community services are identified that provide assistance with necessary adaptations required to perform a specific job. Job coaching and long-term follow up are usually arranged through the local Developmental Disability organization. Upon satisfactory completion of the program( 95 % or better attendance, good attitude, successful skill acquisition at each job site) students receive a Career Portfolio.
The Millcreek Township School District is excited to be part of this program which provides an outstanding base for Building Foundations for Life.
McDowell to Unveil Distinctive Scholar / Advanced Placement Capstone Program
Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, students attending McDowell High School will have the option of pursuing the highest level of academic rigor and programming available during their high school experience. The McDowell Distinctive Scholar Program will be a more rigorous component of the high school’ s existing Honors College Program, and will provide its members with the opportunity to receive the Advanced Placement( AP) Capstone Diploma at graduation.
AP Capstone is a program from the College Board that helps students develop the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills valued by colleges and universities. Developed at the request of the College Board Higher Education membership, AP Capstone is composed of the following:
• AP Seminar: AP Seminar provides a sustained practice of investigating issues from multiple perspectives and cultivates student writing abilities so they can craft, communicate, and defend evidence-based arguments. Students are empowered to collect and analyze information with accuracy and precision and are assessed through a team project and presentation, an individual written essay and presentation, and a written exam.
“ Our Honors College Keystone data verifies that McDowell High School provides the highest level of academic rigor in the area. Initiating a Distinctive Scholar / AP Capstone program for our highest achieving students signifies our continued commitment to providing a world class education for our students,” said Superintendent William Hall.
• AP Research: In AP Research, students develop the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research to produce and defend a scholarly academic thesis. This second course in the AP Capstone experience allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this inquiry, students design, plan, and conduct a yearlong mentored, research-based investigation. The course culminates in an academic thesis paper of approximately 5,000 words and a presentation, performance, or exhibition with an oral defense.
• Additional AP courses of a student’ s own choosing, including a new AP course for the 2017-18 school year, Human Geography. The application process for acceptance into the Distinctive Scholars Program begins with the traditional Honors College application during the student’ s eighth grade year. Selection into the Distinctive Scholars Program will not occur until after the first semester of a student’ s freshman year. District officials are currently refining the more rigorous entrance requirements and will soon unveil an AP Capstone course mapping guide for students and parents. It is estimated that no more than 40 students will be admitted into the new program.
t illcreek
MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Millcreek | Spring 2017 | icmags. com 27