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When you take a tour of Franklin Academy, the differences almost jump out at you. The rooms are colorful and fun, yet the noise level and lighting are subdued. Even the lockers close quietly. No two student desks are the same, from bouncy balls to standing desks. The classes are much smaller — typically 8-10 students. And each class has both a teacher and a behavior therapist. 

With such a high level of individualization, can a school this unique still teach the same math and reading as other schools?

Short answer: Yes. Academics are just as strong as any other school. 

“We’re fully accredited by the Minnesota Nonpublic School Accrediting Association,” said Maggie Jensen, student support specialist at Franklin Academy. “We make sure that the quality of education we’re providing meets the standards set not only by the state and the national government in terms of education, but also that we meet the benchmarks. We make sure that what we’re teaching and what our students are learning aligns with what students at other schools are learning.” 

While the focus is “regulation before education” at Franklin Academy, that simply means the team emphasizes multiple aspects of learning.

“The philosophy that kids need to be regulated to learn is what drives our instruction every day. If a student is dysregulated, you could be the greatest teacher in the world, but they’re not going to remember anything you said,” said Maggie. “Our team works to make sure they have all of their needs met in terms of sensory experiences, social, and emotional, to be in a place to take in that information. That’s where our strength lies — in truly teaching each student the way that they learn best.”

While each subject might be taught differently in a Franklin Academy classroom, the same material will be covered, so that if a student joins Franklin Academy and then goes back to their prior school, they’re “fully prepared and have been exposed to the things that they need to for a transition to a different educational environment.” (Read Bode’s story about doing just that – joining Franklin Academy and then returning to public school.)

Individualization in Action 

What does individualized teaching look like? Take reading and math for example. In lower and middle school, those topics are in a rotational format.

If a classroom has eight kids, they’ll be divided into groups of two or three, depending on who’s working on the same things.

Those groups are flexible. Maybe for the first unit of the year, student A and B are together. But then for the next unit, student B is ready for something different than student A, so the teacher may adjust who they’re working with.

Typically the teacher will introduce the concept in a way they think will be successful, based on data like assessments, observations, and previous work.

Even after a concept is introduced, the teacher remains flexible. “If on Monday, the teacher tries using manipulatives and it’s not working, they might try that again Tuesday and Wednesday. If it’s still not successful, the teacher tries something else. It could be just using numbers, or a different type of manipulative. It might be taking them on a walk and using movement to teach,” said Maggie. “In the same way we ask our students to be really flexible, we ask our staff to be really flexible and open to trying a lot of new things.” 

A New Role for More Teacher and Student Support

After teaching for eight years, including earning her master’s degree in special education and completing her license in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Maggie has a new role, helping staff create holistic learning environments for all students and making sure individuals are receiving the needed accommodations and modifications to help them be successful. With this role in place, teachers can focus more on teaching, and behavior therapists can focus on delivering therapy. Maggie adds a layer of connection, insights, and accountability.

The new role came out of multiple conversations with teachers, therapists, and staff designed to answer the question of: how do we continue to each deliver our individual expertise, while staying focused on the whole student?

“We’re always evaluating data, both in terms of formal assessments and also feedback,” said principal Kimberly Strandemo. “And within that larger context of data, the students each drive their own achievement, at their own pace, and we celebrate all student successes, no matter the size of the improvement. Given how much our teachers need to meet each student at their individual level, and each therapist is focused on multiple students with a range of neurodiversities, we felt that adding a role to connect all the moving parts and hold us all accountable would be beneficial. And it has been!”

As Maggie puts it: “My role is to help students. and then teachers create an environment that can be successful for their learning. I collaborate with teachers on instructional strategies, potential accommodations, and modifications. I also work with the senior behavior therapists who oversee each individual classroom behavior therapist, collaborating with them on student plans, whether that be behavioral or academic. Essentially we’re working together to create the best environment for kids to be able to learn and make progress while meeting them where they are.”

To learn more about Franklin Academy, reach out to schedule a conversation.