The Phoenix Center Curriculum

The Phoenix Center´s curriculum is rooted in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS) which are intended for all students. That means that every student is involved in educational and functional experiences addressing all of the expectations set forth in all nine CCCS content areas. Based upon the CCCS, the Phoenix Center customizes goals and objectives for all of its students.

CURRICULUM DESIGNS

Functional - The students who receive instruction in our functional classrooms have programs designed specifically for their individual needs. These programs are the culmination of assessments which are completed by parents, specialists, the child´s teacher, and members of the Curriculum Department. This comprehensive program targets the students´ actual life experiences. The focus is always on teaching practices that build on a student´s current level of functioning and lead towards maximum independence.

Functional Academic - The classes designated as functional academic use real-life experiences and academics as teaching tools to prepare students for post-secondary options. This approach empowers students towards becoming productive members of society. The academic component of the program includes areas in functional reading and math, life skills activities, communication skills, social skills, structured leisure activities and behavior management. In addition to the academic studies within the classroom, the students transition once a week to four different academic classes with each of the four team teaching subject teachers (Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science). To assess and generalize students´ skills, data are collected in the classroom, team teaching classrooms, school building, and community settings.

Developmental/Academic - Our academic classrooms are very similar to self-contained classrooms in public schools. All nine CCCS areas are covered in these classrooms with an emphasis on reading and listening comprehension and overall academic skills. There are behavior management systems in place that help students monitor and evaluate their own behaviors in order to maximize their leaming in a positive instructional environment.

Team Teaching - The upper unit participates in a team teaching program. The students change classrooms for four academic subjects: Science, Social Studies, Math and Language Arts.

CURRICULUM CONTENT

Language Arts

The Language Arts program is aligned with the NJDOE CCCS. The teacher and members of the Curriculum Department customize all students´ Language Arts and Reading programs to ensure a multi-dimensional approach to maximize student leaming.

Language-based activities are used to reinforce reading and listening comprehension, as well as to develop writing and editing skills. Technology is a significant component in our Language Arts programs. All students have a weekly class in the Media Center which has a large number of computer programs that supplement and enhance the reading programs that are used in the classrooms. This offers students the opportunity to generalize skills within another setting.

The following Reading programs, materials, and approaches are currently used within the Language Arts Curriculum: .

• Customized Sight Word Programs (Community, School Environment, and Parent requested lists)
• Dolch Lessons
• Edmark Functional Reading Programs
• Edmark Reading Milestones Program
• Failure Free Reading
• Scott Foresman Basal Reading Program
• Teach Me Language
• The Eden Curriculum

Social Studies

The Social Studies program is aligned with the NJDOE CCCS. The students learn about their own towns, different counties, our state, our country, and the world at large, as well as the relationship between all of them. One of the goals of the curriculum is to have students learn and understand basic map skills, symbols, legends, and community safety signs in their environment. The ultimate goal is to have students generalize these skills and functionally apply them to the community and modes of transportation.

Math

The Math program is aligned with the NJDOE CCCS. The students learn both functional and academic math skills that are individualized to their learning levels. The activities range from pre-academic skills to pre-algebra skills. For many of the goals and objectives including money, time, calendar skills, and measurement, real-world scenarios are the basis for instruction. Student leaming is enhanced through hands-on activities with an emphasis on generalization from the school environment to the conununity and beyond.

Science

The Science program is aligned with the NJDOE CCCS. The students learn both functional and academic skills in four different science studies: life science, physical science, earth science, and chemistry. Science lessons and activities are tailored to the student´s learning level, as well as generalized to other settings.

World Language Program

The NJDOE requires that all students should be given an opportunity to study a world language. Our program provides students with both the opportunity to learn a foreign language and to gain knowledge of different world cultures.

The Phoenix Center´s program focuses on the Spanish language and countries that speak Spanish, and familiarizes students with other cultures from around the world. The curriculum focuses on basic greetings, common nouns and verbs, frequently used phrases, numbers, colors, words related to the calendar, food, favorite sports and past-times, holidays, and clothing from different lands.

NJDOE-Approved Assessment Site

The Phoenix Center is an approved testing site that administers all of the New Jersey-approved state assessments: New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) Grades 3-8, High School Proficiency assessment (HSPA) and The Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA). These assessments measure students´ skills in Mathematics, Science and Language Arts. in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 and the No Child Left Behind Act. All students with disabilities must participate in state assessments. Special education students work toward achieving the standards at levels appropriate for their abilities. These standards may be achieved through the use of modifications/accommodations as defined in the students´ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Media Center

The Phoenix Center has a state of the art media center equipped with 12 computers, PowerPoint Projection equipment, and Smart Boards. Adapted keyboards, touch screens and other augmentative devices are utilized to accommodate individual student needs. The Curriculum Department maintains a library of software that is aligned to the CCCS and augments classroom instruction.