Today I toured Odyssey School in Austin. It is just north of the University of Texas about a mile away from where Airport Road and I-35 meet.
Odyssey School is a small private school for middle and high school students who learn differently either because they are neurodiverse or have learning disabilities. Students have to have a documented learning disability to attend. The school self identifies as being able to best help students who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or have been evaluated as having "dyslexia, dysgraphia, processing disorders, executive functioning issues and low academic self-confidence."
The school rents space in two buildings from a neighborhood church and it is quite small. On average they have 60 students total enrolled in fifth through twelfth grades. The student body is predominantly male (75%). The average class size is usually 1 teacher to 8 students, but in math classes it is often less. Students focus on achieving mastery rather than accomplishing academics on a calendar. So, if you have a child that needs an extra four months to understand Algebra, they can get the extra time. If you have a child who whizzes through Algebra, they're not required to sit around and wait for a year to end bored out of their minds.
The whole direction of the school is based on positive learning experiences that help students learn steps to be successful in the future. Yes, they teach the main core requirements math, language arts, science and social studies. And the base tuition (about $16,000 per year) is just for those academic teachings. But, more interestingly, they also teach juniors and seniors a Pragmatics class that covers certain life skills that students will need. For example, for college-bound high school students, they tour a college apartment, put together a budget to see what they'll need to furnish the apartment or how to plan and organize weekly grocery budgets. Life skills like changing tires or exploring professional opportunities are also included. For example, if a student says he wants to be a video game designer... that sounds fun, Odyssey takes him to visit a video game studio and talk to people in the industry and find out if that's really what he wants to do before he applies to a university, so he can understand what the profession involves academically and to make sure he really wants to do that.
Odyssey seems very in tune with making sure that students are fully integrated in the choices they make about their education and their future career opportunities.
In addition to the core subjects and things like Pragmatics, Odyssey has electives that students can choose from. These are not included in the base tuition and look to cost $2k per class more. Students are limited to two electives, but they have them every day. This includes foreign languages (at this time just Spanish), studio arts, PE, maker shop, technology, study hall (so they get homework done at school rather than having to bring it home), and healthy living. Music is available, but it isn't a formal class. It is an after school opportunity in a studio they have access to, but instead of a traditional band, is more of a rock band experience (guitars, keyboards, drums). The school will also work with you to accept other activities as credit towards these electives. For example, if your student enrolls in an ASL class at the Deaf School, they can receive language credit. If they play a high level sport outside of school, that experience can transfer to PE credits, etc.
School starts at 8:45 a.m. and traditional core classes run until 1:30 p.m. Then electives are from 1:30 to 3:40 p.m. School is open with aftercare, if you need it, until 5:30. Students are welcome on campus as early as 8 a.m. to visit with friends or to ask teachers for help with something.
The school shares the gym with the church, so they do have indoor and outdoor activity space. Team sports vary depending on participation, as not all kids at Odyssey are excited about competition, but they do have a basketball team that has played Griffin High School and they have a small soccer team. An Austin Fencing group also uses the gym after school, which could make for a great individual sport opportunity.
All Odyssey students participate in service learning once a month. There are several Austin-area non-profits that partner with them in the area.
The whole Odyssey brand seems to be in tune with the idea that "though we be small, we are mighty." And flexibility for each individual learner is the utmost important to grow a successful learner.
Money for the school is focused on instruction and resources. So don't go in expecting everything to be brand new and shiny. The library is small, but they do have one.
In addition, they offer all kinds of educational testing for students and non-students. So if you need a full assessment or a dyslexia evaluation, or a re-evaluation for your child to see if he or she qualifies for special accommodation on the SAT or ACT, Odyssey can provide that service to you. One of the nice parts is that if your child does qualify for SAT or ACT accommodations, they can take the test at Odyssey with only the proctor in the room (usually a particular Odyssey instructor) rather than in a large room with dozens of other students.
There is a three-step process to admission. 1) A Consultation and tour where the parents can talk with staff. 2) Submit an application and the potential student does a 3-day visit. 3) An admissions committee looks over all the information and discusses the visit to see if the student is a positive match or if they can recommend an alternative fit in a program other than Odyssey.
The headmaster gave me my tour. He spoke my language, which was nice, and was able to give me some feedback on some of the research I had been doing on public schools in Austin as it related to where kids who might have been at Odyssey for middle school and then transitioned to public high school attended.
There aren't many people who can afford private school prices. But for those kids with learning disabilities who are not able to make public school successful due to Texas' limits on Special Education, sensory needs, or large classes. Odyssey is a definite lifesaver. The students were engaged in class. The teachers are specifically trained in the population they serve, and Odyssey has been in existence for 20 years, so it's got staying power.
It might take parents some time to get used to non-traditional, flexible schooling, but it might also be a really good fit for children who need daily structure with a shot of flexibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment