NVS Programs

Reading Specialist Program

New Vista School’s reading lab is designed for assisting students with various reading needs including word attack, sight word development, reading fluency, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. The reading lab is a support service for students who are performing below average reading levels.

The reading lab is overseen by a reading program specialist and a full-time reading assistant. The primary responsibilities of the reading program specialist are program development, instruction, and consulting with parents regarding reading progress and needs. Both formal and informal assessments may be used for instructional purposes only.

Students, parents, or teachers may refer a student for reading lab services. (Referral forms are available in the front office.) Forms must be completed, signed and submitted to the reading specialist with additional documents that may assist in determining reading needs. Documents include individualized education plans, information on educational history, recent reading assessments, and student work samples.

Once the referral form and additional documents are received, the reading program specialist will review the information. In the event that more information is needed, the reading program specialist will observe the student during classes or require an updated academic evaluation to be done by an outside professional. Please allow two weeks for the reading specialist to determine appropriate placement. Incomplete forms and missing documents will result in a delay of placement.

The New Vista School reading lab seeks to help students acquire the skills necessary for literacy achievement. To do this, the lap provides and utilizes multi-modal, research-based programs to promote acquisition and independent use of reading strategies.

Fast ForWord

Fast ForWord is a set of computer programs designed to develop cognitive skills necessary to be successful in learning and reading. The acronym used by Scientific Learning to describe the cognitive skills developed by their programs is MAPS—memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing. New Vista School offers secondary Fast ForWord programs from both the Literacy and Reading series. Students must complete the Literacy series before moving to the Reading series. Programs are individualized to fit each student’s pace and support is provided by the teacher. As students improve in each program, expectations are increased.

The Literacy series emphasizes development of phonological awareness, listening accuracy, and language structures. Students work on identifying phonemes and sound sequences, as well as matching like sounds and words. Additionally, students work on increasing their receptive vocabulary in areas such as math and science. They also work on language comprehension skills, following directions, and various English language conventions.

The Reading series emphasizes application of phonology and spelling, word recognition, reading comprehension, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, word origins, and punctuation. The programs are presented with increasing levels of difficulty.

Read Naturally

Read Naturally is a computer program designed to develop reading fluency. Students are taught to analyze pictures, key vocabulary words, and story titles to develop prediction skills. Through a series of readings with the computer and independent practice, the students improve their reading fluency for each passage given. The Read Naturally program also provides vocabulary definitions and pronunciations for challenging words. Students are expected to answer both multiple choice and open-ended comprehension questions, including recall and inferences. Finally, students summarize each story read.

Lindamood-Bell Programs

New Vista integrates the use of the Lindamood-Bell programs in reading instruction. Lindamood-Bell programs are designed to develop the various skills necessary for reading comprehension and fluency. Students will be exposed to the programs that fit their needs as based on their previous educational history and teacher recommendations.

The Seeing Stars program develops word attack skills, word recognition, spelling, and reading fluency. Students develop visual memory for letters. Improved visual memory enables students to read and spell orthographically irregular words with increasing automaticity. Students learn sound to symbol associations, single syllable rules, multiple syllable breaking rules, and affixes. Throughout the course, students participate in visual memory exercises, designed to increase the number of letters stored in visual memory. With the use of visual memory exercises and systematic practice, students also increase their sight words and spelling skills.

The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing program (LiPS) develops phonemic awareness, particularly for individuals who omit and/or substitute or reverse sounds in words. The LiPS program teaches the mouth movements associated with consonant and vowel sounds, which becomes the foundation for reading and spelling for students having difficulty processing sounds auditorily. The LiPS program is often a precursor to the Seeing Stars program, for students in need of additional support in phonemic awareness.

The Visualizing and Verbalizing program (VV) develops comprehension through imagery. Whether presented with a vocabulary word, a sentence, a paragraph or multiple paragraphs, the students are taught to accurately visualize the information. Students are introduced to structure words, which help them develop images. Images are then tracked, recalled in sequence, and used to summarize the stories read. Critical thinking skills and note-taking skills are also developed. The VV program gives students a systematic way to comprehend what they hear or read.

The Stephanie Harvey Approach: Reading Comprehension and Higher Order Thinking Skills

Coupled with the Visualizing and Verbalizing program, New Vista integrates Stephanie Harvey’s approach to develop reading comprehension and higher order thinking skills. This approach has six key strategies:

  • Making connections—relating literature to personal experiences, other texts, and the outside world.
  • Questioning—wondering about concepts, characters, new information and outcomes.
  • Visualizing—making mental images based on literature read.
  • Inferring—making a logical judgment by reading faces, body language, expressions, tone and actions occurring in literature.
  • Determining importance—utilizing narrative and expository text features to distinguish between key ideas and less important details.
  • Synthesizing—taking individual pieces of information and combining them with prior knowledge to create new ideas.

Harvey uses a text coding system in which student’s record their thinking as it pertains to the six key comprehension strategies. The text coding system serves as a tool for students to recall ideas in order to inform later discussion and application.

Social Development Program

School-Wide Values

School-wide social values are part of the every-day experience at New Vista School. Creating a school-wide value system creates a common language for all. With these values, teachers, students and parents are able to use a consistent vocabulary to assist in student growth.

Faculty and parent in-service opportunities are provided to assist in a consistent cross-over from school to home. Specific examples of how to use these school values are reviewed and provided to all parents and students throughout the school year. Each week a specific skill will be highlighted within the school setting and sent home via the family newsletter, email and/or student handouts.

Our core student values are:

Responsibility

  • Bring materials to class and be prepared
  • Complete all assignments
  • Help a teacher/Help a friend
  • Avoiding fights/trouble
  • Keeping yourself neat & clean
  • Communicating information to other

Patience

  • Look & Listen to your teacher and others
  • Sitting in seat, ready to learn
  • Use polite words
  • Following school rules
  • Being a good sport
  • Not engaging in teasing of others

Problem Solving

  • Acceptance of others likes/dislikes
  • Acceptance of others differences/similarities
  • Waiting turn quietly and calmly
  • Noticing others needing help and providing support
  • Recognizing another’s feelings & acting accordingly

Initiative

  • Offering information or ideas in class
  • Offering to help another teacher or student
  • Starting conversations or activity with someone
  • Starting up a new interest or hobby
  • Doing an activity independently (completing work or homework without someone telling you to!)

Safety

  • Being nice to others/complimenting others
  • Recognizing teasing/dealing with a bully
  • Keeping your hands to yourself
  • Dealing with peer pressure
  • Being safe in your school & community

Classroom behavior skills

Classroom expectations are consistent from class to class. Common language and common expectations help maintain consistency for all students. Classroom behaviors are visually posted, reviewed daily, and the positive reward system is implemented daily for students that are “caught in the act”.

  • Sitting still, oriented toward teacher, looking & listening
  • Having materials ready and listening
  • Raising hand to speak
  • Sharing ideas and participation
  • Writing down all homework assignments in daily planner

Community Expectations

Community opportunities will be provided both on and off campus. When students travel off campus, they will be provided with an educational and social skill focus. Community mobility will be integrated into this program whenever possible (use of public transportation).

In addition, students will have the opportunity to interact with their typical peers while on campus. These opportunities whether during lunch, an assembly, or within the classroom will afford New Vista School students with an avenue to communicate with and develop appropriate social skills which will support them into their adult years.

New Vista School’s elective options provide its students with new experiences within the community as well. Community outreach to assist those less fortunate through programs such as Operation Christmas Child, or other volunteer venues, provide yet another means to expose our students to their typical surroundings while sharing with the community the talents of our their talents with the community.

Home Economics

As New Vista School prepares for the 08-09 school year, it is anticipated that by the spring semester a home economics program will be offered. This will be an elective course open to high school students. As part of this class, students will learn how to: prepare meals, serve meals to others, clean-up from meals, sew basic items, etc. This class will be part of the elective series all students will participate in

Individual Social Behavior Programming

Whenever additional behavior support beyond our school-wide positive behavior support program is needed, individual social behavior support plans will be developed for a student and monitored by our faculty. Self-monitoring tools will be used to help support efficacy of skills whenever possible. Staff will be trained and supported in individual needs as part of our weekly staff meeting.

Lunch Support

We recognize that lunch and “down times” in the school day can be social challenges for many students. As part of the New Vista School experience, students will be supported in various social activities, including “lunch bunches”, student-led club experiences, off-campus opportunities, and organized games.

Positive reward system

In addition to school-wide values, social skill opportunities will be integrated throughout the school day. Students that are “caught in the act” demonstrating school values will be given a “Caught in the Act” ticket. Caught in the act tickets will be tallied and may be turned in for privileges, including free dress days and free homework days.

Social Skills Classes

As part of our elective series, students may participate in weekly social skills classes as based on recommendations from faculty and parents. A review of previous educational history, assessments, and school documentation will assist the faculty in providing appropriate support for students.

Areas of focus will include: communication skills, perspective taking skills, making and keeping friends, reputations and peer niches, handling teasing and bullying, finding interests and hobbies, accepting others, joining in with others Additionally, students will participate in organizational skills training by way of their daily classes and will include maintaining a daily planner, organizing binders, making their own “to do” checklists, and using their daily self-monitoring charts.

Student responsibilities

Each student of New Vista School will have a responsibility on campus. Students will be expected to perform their responsibilities weekly, or in some cases daily, including leading student announcements, running a student store, maintaining a student bulletin board, and/or planning student outings. New Vista feels it is important for all students to be contributing members of their school and to have a voice.

High School Diploma Program: Grades 9 – 12

Academics and Transition

New Vista School offers a high school program which provides academic learning and transition support for students looking towards a two year college placement. Course offerings encourage academic excellence, intellectual stimulation, and executive functioning skills while incorporating social skills investigation and development into the curriculum. Students placed in the academic/transition program must attend five periods a day.

Teachers collaborate with one another to correlate topics being taught in order to fully enhance student learning. Curriculum is based on the California Teaching Standards and is adopted as needed to meet the needs of New Vista students.

Students may earn a high school diploma by meeting New Vista School’s requirement of 22 credits in the following areas. Students are NOT required to take and/or pass any high stake exit exams in order to receive their diploma. (New Vista School does not offer independent study.)

Year courses = 1 Credit

Semester Courses - .5 Credits

English: 4 Credits

Health: .5 Credits

Mathematics: 2 Credits

Physical Education: 2 Credits

Science: 2 Credits including one area of each of the following:

- Physical Science

- Life Science

Social Studies: 3 Credits including:

- World History

- US History

- American/Government Economics

Electives: 8.5 Credits

High School Interdisciplinary and Transition Skills Program (HITS):
Grades 9 – 12

In addition to our academic program, New Vista School provides a second program which leads to a high school diploma. Students are enrolled in the High School Interdisciplinary and Transition Skills Program at the time of admission or when a student has demonstrated the need for a more inclusive and intense education. Placement in the program may be a requirement for enrollment at New Vista School.

Students in the HITS program are provided with a curriculum which applies everyday usefulness and value in order to prepare students as they move towards further independence and competence in everyday life needs. Students are also enrolled in the Reading Specialist Program two periods a day.

Our focus is to provide a functional curriculum that helps each of our students develop self-determination skills, functional academics, transportation and mobility skills, and community living while incorporating social skill development. Our aim is to help students learn, develop, and strengthen their communication, problem solving, and decision making skills so they can use these tools to successfully navigate through adult life.

Strategies will be used to assist with student development in the following areas:

Executive Functioning Skills:

  • Become a better student
  • Apply study skills
  • Problem solving and application
  • Decision making and application

Recognition of Behavioral Choices

  • In school behaviors
  • Out of school behaviors
  • On line behaviors
  • Media awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Temperament

Community application of Academic Skills

  • Personal life concepts (mapping)
  • Personal success in life
  • Community Experiences
  • Social Stories which are integrated into all of the above areas

Health Literacy

  • Physical/Mental health
  • Nutrition
  • Life Emergencies
  • Awareness
  • Advocacy

Middle School Program: Grades 6 – 8

New Vista School offers a middle school academic/transition program which provides students with academic growth opportunities while integrating social skills development within the curriculum. Middle school students are required to take a seven period day. All students are enrolled in the core curriculum courses which are based off the California Teaching Standards:

English/Literature

Mathematics

Health

Science

Social Studies

Curriculum is molded to meet the achievement levels of each student. Students are placed in mathematics course work as based on their current achievement and performance levels. Students who excel in mathematics may be placed in courses along side high school students.

Students have the opportunity to select elective courses at the beginning of each school semester. The number of elective opportunities will be based on additional academic program needs and at the discretion of New Vista faculty.

Functional Academics for Middle School Education (FAME): Grades 6 - 8

Students are enrolled in FAME at the time of admission or when a student has demonstrated the need for a more individualized and inclusive education. Placement in the program may be a requirement for enrollment at New Vista School.

The FAME curriculum includes math, social studies, science, and literature. All subjects are based on the California standards and are reflective of current student achievement levels. In addition, students will participate in the Reading Specialist Program two periods a day. The FAME curriculum and the Reading Specialist program are geared to develop and strengthen our students’ communication, problem solving, and decision making skills so they can successfully navigate life.