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© 2006 The National Coalition for Exemplary Schools
the National Coalition
for Exemplary Schools
“Dramatically improving schools and kids is our business.”
Believe. Expect. Instill.
We Believe our children will go to college.
We Expect our children to go to college.
We will Instill in our children each and every
day that they can and will graduate
from college.
We Believe our children will go to college.
We Expect our children to go to college.
We will Instill in our children each and every
day that they can and will graduate
from college.
The Coalition’s mission is to lead the nation in creating innovative, engaging and motivating environments in which students will thrive.
Student Selection Criteria
The Life and Learning Academy (LLA) is designed to serve students in grades 6-8 who are not succeeding in the traditional school setting or who may be at risk for dropping out of high school. Students could be enrolled into a LLA for one or more of the following reasons:
Academic Performance: No restrictions on state test performance
Attendance: No restriction on number of absences
Retention: Not retained more than once
Special Education: No students who require self-contained classrooms
Grade Level: 6th-8th
Gender: Proportionate division; try to divide as evenly as possible
Over Age: No students over age 15
Reading Deficiencies:
8th grader—no more than 2 grade levels behind
7th grader—no more than 3 grade levels behind
6th grader—no restrictions on how far behind in reading grade level (as determined by state and national standardized tests)
Behavior/Alternative Placement: The LLA is not suitable for students whose behavior is such that they need an alternative placement for punitive reasons, or those special education students whose Individualized Education Plan (IEP) indicates the need for an emotionally/behaviorally disordered program or a therapeutic day program.
Unique Aspects of Every Academy
Gender: Proportionate division; try to divide as evenly as possible
Over Age: No students over age 15
Reading Deficiencies:
8th grader—no more than 2 grade levels behind
7th grader—no more than 3 grade levels behind
6th grader—no restrictions on how far behind in reading grade level (as determined by state and national standardized tests)
Behavior/Alternative Placement: The LLA is not suitable for students whose behavior is such that they need an alternative placement for punitive reasons, or those special education students whose Individualized Education Plan (IEP) indicates the need for an emotionally/behaviorally disordered program or a therapeutic day program.
Unique Aspects of Every Academy
• Gender-focused education – instruction is tailored to learning styles of boys and girls.
• School systems are able to utilize special education funding for an LLA as gender education represents a type of differentiated instruction which is included in the Response to Intervention (RTI) process.
• There is a 1:15 teacher: student ratio.
• The LLA’s have a specific focus on literacy and numeracy skills, as it impacts every other academic area. All teachers will meet the highly qualified requirements to teach reading.
• Teacher training – highly qualified teachers are given specific training on learning how to build meaningful relationships with their students, as well as program-specific functions of the LLA.
• Learning disabled students are accepted and mainstreamed into the gender-based classrooms.
• Advisory Families -Advisory Families provide another support mechanism for children by providing a framework which allows them to meet and bond with the same adult at the beginning of every single school day for the duration of their middle school education.
• Academic Families – Academic families enable teachers to have an in-depth understanding of each student’s academic needs and provide students with an adult who is invested in their education and is able to work with them on a plan to meet their goals.
• Site Coordinator to help meet the non-academic needs of students that may be impeding their progress in school.
More Information about Life and Learning Academies
If you would like more information about the Life and Learning Academy, please contact our Academy Director by email at academydirector@coalition4schools.com.
View Presentations
The following are examples of presentations made to district leadership teams:
Marietta City Schools
Coweta County Schools
Muscogee County Schools
Marietta City Schools
Coweta County Schools
Muscogee County Schools
Life and Learning Academies
Life and Learning Academies (LLAs) are innovative and non-traditional learning environments
designed for unsuccessful middle school students. LLAs were developed through a
partnership between Communities and Schools of Georgia and the National Coalition for
Exemplary Schools. LLAs are the “little sisters” of and modeled after the Performance
Learning Centers (PLCs). PLCs are small non-traditional high school environments
developed by Communities and Schools of Georgia, have served thousands of
students across the United States, and have graduated students who may have
otherwise been another dropout statistic.
designed for unsuccessful middle school students. LLAs were developed through a
partnership between Communities and Schools of Georgia and the National Coalition for
Exemplary Schools. LLAs are the “little sisters” of and modeled after the Performance
Learning Centers (PLCs). PLCs are small non-traditional high school environments
developed by Communities and Schools of Georgia, have served thousands of
students across the United States, and have graduated students who may have
otherwise been another dropout statistic.
LLA Focus
The focus of each LLA is to create long-term relationships through academic & advisory families, tailored instruction through gender-based academic
core classes, and intensive emphasis on literacy & numeracy.
LLA Objective
The objective of each Life and Learning Academy is to equip students with the cognitive, social, and other noncognitive skills they may lack but need to be successful in high school.
The Circle of Impact
Life
Learning
