Youth Development Philosophy
Youth development is a perspective that emphasizes providing young people with opportunities and support to enable them to grow, develop their skills, and become healthy, responsible, and caring young adults.

Surround Care Model
Pairing up each student with an advisor, the surround care model encourages students and their advisors to set goals, assess performance, and access services.

Academic Ability Cohort Model
Students progress through OACES in academic ability cohorts groups, which are established based on each student’s academic needs at enrollment and each student’s personal progress.

Contextualized Learning and Skill Development
All students learn to work individually and in teams, develop critical reading and thinking skills, present portfolios, and use technology to access information and communicate.

Portfolio Process
Students create, compile, and present portfolios that showcase their academic, workplace, and life skills. The portfolios also serve as tools to develop both post-secondary transition plans and detailed, achievable career, academic, and personal goals.

Formative and Summative Assessment
Assessment tools include standardized tests, progress reports, student inventories, and reflective essays, interviews, portfolios, and achievement of interim benchmarks.

Employment Services Group
The Employment Services Group (ESG) provides students with support services that enable them to earn a GED^®and transition successfully to post-secondary education, training and employment.