A.C.E
                                                             at Oxford High School

                                        ACADEMICS & CAREER EXPLORATIONS PROGRAM


MISSION STATEMENT:

The ACE Center is an alternative education cooperative, delivering individualized curriculum to students in grades 8-12 in order to fulfill the Common Core educational standards and secure college preparedness.  It is a safe learning environment that provides social and emotional support necessary to foster healthy relationships at work, home, and school.  It offers diverse 21st century vocational training and real world career readiness.  Our goal is to cultivate positive student self-esteem and a strong desire for achievement and success in each student.

Program Information:
  • Classes are small with no more than 8 students in a classroom.
  • Students receive individual counseling at least weekly with an additional one group session per week.  The student and his/her family is encouraged to pursue outside counseling to support the student's emotional growth.
  • Classes will be academically challenging, and teachers in the program will expect quality academic work.
  • The ACE Center academic requirements parallel the regular education curriculum for a student’s grade level (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies). 
  • Grade 8-9 students can be considered for job shadowing that is developed and implemented by The ACE Center.  This is a career exploration option projected to last 8-12 hours over a 4-6 week period.

Entrance Criteria:
  • Appropriate candidates for The ACE Center are students who:
  • Are currently attending grades 8-12, and:
    • Have social/emotional issues that prohibit them from participating in mainstream, regular education programs, even with additional support from regular or special education.
    • Have not been successful in their current program of studies for at least two terms and who have exhausted all other sources of academic support services to no avail.
    • Have emotional issues/diagnosed disability, diagnosed by the appropriate professional sufficient to be eligible for special education/504 services as delineated in the Massachusetts Special Education guidelines.
    • Have been successful in a more restrictive education environment and are ready to step down into a less restrictive environment but are not ready to re-enter a traditional comprehensive middle/high school.
    • Have been hospitalized and are ready to step down into a less restrictive environment but are not ready to re-enter a traditional comprehensive middle/high school.
  • The ACE Center will not accept students who are clinically diagnosed/documented with psychiatric disorders such as active schizophrenia, active psychosis, homicidal, delusional and paranoid thoughts, or personality disorders.
Staff:

Terry Gawronski - ACE Coordinator/District Social Worker
Deborah Allen - Special Education/Academic Teacher 
Paul Gabrenas - Special Education/Academic Teacher