Discovery Academy - College Prep For Struggling Teens

By Stephen C. Schultz

Join us as we travel through an education paradigm shift! We at Discovery Academy have one of the most innovative education systems anywhere. Spend a couple of minutes with us and see what we do at Discovery Academy.

When you think of academic delivery, what do you think of? We often think of classrooms, teachers, lectures, chalkboards, projectors, tests, semesters, class periods and ringing bells. There are hall monitors, food fights, tardy slips and cramped lockers. 

In this traditional setting, time is the constant; 5 days a week, 16 weeks a semester, 2 semesters a year, summer vacation. Again, Time is the constant…Learning is the variable.

What if we flipped this concept on its head…reversing the equation? What happens when Time is the variable and Learning is the constant?

Students enter our system at different levels of competence and mastery in each subject. In our competency based learning system, students work with certified teachers in each subject. The student moves through each subject at a pace that is personalized and individualized. While there will always be 5 days in a week, there are no semesters or summer vacation to determine when a student is done learning.

Students at Discovery Academy learn the academic material in chapter size chunks. They then take a test on that material. They are expected to score an 80% or higher before they move on to the next chapter. This process allows the student to master the material at a pace that works for them. It allows the student to experience success in education and develop competency in learning. Our students learn how to learn.

For every 12 months enrolled at Discovery Academy, students earn, on average, 1.5 yrs of credit. They score higher on the ACT & SAT educational testing than the national average. Students also improve their GPA by 75%.

A remarkable achievement and result for the students who find themselves in a therapeutic residential setting.

Here is a short, fun video! Take a look!