Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth (AEDY)
Our Alternative Education Programming is designed to meet the needs of both the regular and special education students in grades 6-12. The Alternative Education (AE) provides for the behavioral, emotional and educational needs of students that are experiencing barriers to learning and progressing in the traditional educational setting. AE is to serve as an intervention with a focus on the development of positive pro-social behaviors.
The Perseus House AE provides education in the four core subject areas: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Students receive daily counseling utilizing a research based program, developed by Dr. Arnold Goldstein, Aggression Replacement Training® (ART). This program is a leading psycho educational approach for working with challenging youth which is founded on evidence based principles.
ART includes:
- Moral Reasoning
- Anger Control
- Skill Streaming
For a student to be considered for admission to a AE, school administrators are required to complete a referral packet that includes a variety of documentation and information regarding the student. The criteria for placement in an AE is set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth (AEDY) guidelines, refer to the following website for details: Click here »
Special Education students may be included in the AE. Special Education students can be placed in the AE through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) as mandated by Chapter 14 and IDEIA. The IEP team must convene to discuss the student’s current placement, IEP goals, specially designed instruction, supports and the Positive Behavior Support Plan. The IEP meeting is held at the home school district and includes minimally, a special and regular education teacher, the LEA, the parents and the student as well as a representative from the Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth program (AEDY).
Curriculum
The focus of the education at AE is on providing the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in an educational setting. All students (6-12) are provided the core content academic areas, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies as well as electives such as Health and Wellness. Students are given the 4Sight and/or CDT tests to establish a baseline of academic performance and then post test for progress data. Through the use of small group academic instruction, one-to-one instruction, technology enhancement and text book recourses, each student’s academic and behavioral needs will be addressed. Teachers and students also have the opportunity to utilize the Edgnuity online curriculum as well as a variety of career planning curriculum pieces such as the ASVAB Career Inventory and Bridges.com
Staffing
Each AE classroom is staffed minimally with a certified special education teacher and a behavior specialist. The teacher assumes the role of not only educator but case manager. The teacher is responsible for tracking attendance, grades and any other behavioral, emotional and/or academic trend. The classroom also has the opportunity to utilize a certified, credentialed Mental Health Therapist (MHT).
Students will receive group counseling on a regular basis for a minimum of 2.5 hours weekly. Then assigned MHT will facilitate the group counseling (The MHT will meet the AEDY requirements of having “approved credentials in the behavioral health discipline”). The MHT can also provided individual counseling services following the Student Assistance Program (SAP) model. Typically the behavior specialist in the classroom will co-facilitate the group counseling with the MHT. The behavior specialist is utilized in as a support to assist the teacher in maintaining the appropriate educational atmosphere. Additional staff members include, but are not limited to the following:
- Building Principal
- Mental Health Therapist
- School Resource Office
- Intervention Coordinator
All staff members are encouraged to be trained in Life Space Crisis Intervention® (LSCI), Aggression Replacement Training® (ART) and the Sanctuary® model within the first year of their employment with Perseus House. These interventions and strategies are to be utilized by the staff to improve the number of successful interventions that are provided to the students.
Partnerships
Perseus House Alternative Education has various partnerships and contracts with community resources to provide additional services to any identified student. AE utilizes mental health counseling services from Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Pyramid Healthcare is utilized for drug and alcohol needs that a student might present with. It should be noted that all of these ancillary services must be agreed upon by the student and the family with written permission.
AE Satellite Site Variations
The two satellite AE sites that Perseus House maintains have some variations to the traditional AE model. Each of these variations is based on the space, the staff and the school. The satellite sites are customized to the school. These variations to the traditional AE model have many benefits to the student, the families and the school district.
