Much of our educational program is based on the research and philosophical approach of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “High Schools for a New Millennium” (2004) and Dennis Littky, “The Big ...more

All students participate in a leadership/advisory class that will focus on college and personal success strategies. UPA helps each student develop his/her personal vision, set goals, research what it takes to achieve those goals, and work toward realizing them. The Leadership/Advisory class, which include models and strategies taken from the AVID curriculum, focuses on teaching the skills needed to be successful at gaining admission to leading colleges and being prepared to meet the challenges that each student will face in pursuing that education. Students who do not have parents who are skilled in navigating the educational system fall through the cracks and are not prepared to attend four-year colleges and universities because they do not have necessary

information or an advocate to assist them in achieving their goals. A one-to-one personal relationship with a teacher/mentor in high school increases student success. The Leadership/Advisory class is designed to fulfill this role. Character development, college success strategies, leadership skills, and service learning will all be a part of the curriculum for this class. The advisor/teacher of this advisory class follows her/his group of students throughout their four years in high school, serving as a mentor and advocate for each of their advisory students. UPA brings a college-going culture to the public high school campus, open to any student willing to exert the effort to complete the UPA program, and prepare each student for the competitive world of the 21st Century.

The school design is based on the needs of the individual student to ensure that regardless of the student’s academic needs, the school design is given the necessary support to master our content requirements. Learning is personalized for each student, beginning with diagnostic testing and academic assessment at matriculation and the development of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP). Students are tested quarterly in order to monitor their progress and update their PLP’s. The PLP is based on an assessment of the student’s strengths and weaknesses and is designed by the parent, student and counselor. The PLP states the student’s mission, goals and specific strategies and activities that will be used to reach his/her academic, personal, and social goals. A minimum of twice a year, the student, parent counselor, and advisory teacher meet to review the Personalized Learning Plan and assess student progress toward their short and long term goals. Where possible, students will have the same advisory teacher throughout their high school years at UPA to ensure they are continuously improving based on the goals identified in the PLP. The advisory teacher serves as an advocate, mentor and coach for the student.

UPA supports the academic needs of students in grades seven through twelve, with approximately 384 students by Year 4, and we do not plan to grow substantially beyond that size. UPA is designed on ...more