Hope Christian Academy is a school for students with learning differences.  Our students have the potential to succeed, but are challenged academically.  Conventional school settings do not meet the needs of every student. HCA offers small group instruction - remediation in reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Our curriculum is custom designed to meet the needs of each individual student, acknowledging his/her strengths, yet addressing their weaknesses.

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HOPE is founded on the principle that God has a design and purpose for every child. Our teachers strive to prepare these students for a productive and rewarding life.

Our Strategy

1)  We Meet.

         Our Director meets with the parent(s) to hear the story of their child with learning differences. We hear about his/her strengths, weaknesses, and frustrations.  We invite the parents to observe direct instruction going on in our classes.  The parents may talk to the teachers and the students. The prospective student is welcomed to visit HOPE and “sit-in” for a morning or afternoon.

 

2)  We assess.

         After the student enrolls in HOPE,  assessments are administered in the areas of word decoding skills, reading comprehension skills, and basic math abilities.  In addition, the student is interviewed to see what areas in school he/she desires to improve, as well as his/her plans for the future.  This is done in a relaxed and stress-free atmosphere.

 

3)  We plan.

         HCA’s teachers (along with the parents) design an Individual Educational Plan (IEP).   Reading instruction is broken down into decoding (“word attack”) skills and comprehension.  Lessons in Writing skills are two-fold: English Grammar and Composition.  Math instruction is determined by the age levels of the student: young students are taught basic math skills; older students are instructed in many different practical types of math, from Consumer Math and Budgeting to Algebra and Geometry.

 

4)  We teach.

         A key to our students' successes is our small class sizes.  Throughout the day our ratio of students to teacher is 2 or 3 to 1.  Our methods are comprised of direct instruction, immediate feedback, modeling (or demonstrating) thought processes, and reteaching.  When applicable we use multi-sensory approaches, such as 3- dimensional objects, role playing, art projects, and computer technology.

 

5)  We communicate.

         Our teachers communicate with parents on a daily or weekly basis.  Parents are encouraged to come sit in and observe what is going on in the classes.  Our Director has an open door policy, so parents and students stop by very often to share ideas and everyday happenings!

 

6)  We Pray.

         Most importantly, on a daily basis, our faculty and staff pray.  We pray for insight as to how to teach a new concept to our students; we pray for energy and concentration for the students; we pray that God will give each student the desire to reach his/her full potential. 

        

God is indeed doing amazing things through our creative teachers, wonderful students, and supportive parents.