A firm belief of Dr. Megan Burton’s, Cathedral Catholic High School’s Director of Academic Support, and her fellow colleagues is the idea that all students have a right to a Catholic education.

Working to make this dream a reality, CCHS has created The Academy, an academic program which will provide the option of a Catholic education to a different level of student.

Current students are not unfamiliar with the idea of CCHS expanding its reach to students who, previously, did not have the opportunity to be a part of the CCHS community. The Options Program opened mid-year during the 2014-2015 school year, and special-needs students were readily welcomed by Peer Mentors and ordinary students alike.

CCHS assists students who aim to acquire an A-G diploma through the general CCHS curriculum level with the Learning Center program. Options Program students primarily receive the benefit of community at CCHS, and they are rewarded a Certificate of Completion at graduation. Dr. Burton identified a missing group among students who require academic support.

“We’re missing an entire gap of students that this education has not been accessible to,” Dr. Burton said.

The Academy, which is set to open in fall 2016, fills the gap, offering academic support to students who will work toward a diploma based on California’s standards for high school education.

“The Academy students receive a diploma, but it’s not the level of diplomacy of Cathedral,” Dr. Burton said. “It’s a diploma based on minimum state requirements.”

The Academy students will have lower requirements when it comes to class level. For example, CCHS students are required to take up to at least Algebra 2. The Academy students will follow the state rule, completing at least as high as Algebra 1.

To ensure special attention to Academy students’ unique learning styles and individual needs, they will take the core subjects of English, math, science and social studies in a classroom with a 10:2 student-teacher ratio. Academy students will be taught by a general education teacher, as well as a teacher with expertise in the field of special education. Class material will be adjusted to the appropriate level for each Academy student, allowing the students to move at their own pace, whether that is faster or slower than their peers in The Academy.

“In terms of how [The Academy] classes compare to typical Cathedral classes, they’re not as in-depth, and we slow it down. So, we change the depth and the pace, but we’re still covering the course standards,” Dr. Burton said.

The Academy students will take religion and elective courses in the classroom with CCHS students. Student peer mentors will assist The Academy students in mainstream classes if they need help. Peer mentors assist in everything from taking notes to helping their peers in The Academy navigate the social scene.

The Academy hopes to receive 10 freshmen each year. The acceptance process to the program varies from the typical CCHS acceptance process.

“We take more of a holistic approach to make sure we’re a good environment [for the student],” Dr. Burton said.

Students applying to enter The Academy will provide teacher and counselor recommendations from their previous institutions. Dr. Burton will visit their current school to observe the students’ behavior in an academic setting.

The Academy program aims to attract students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at a public institution. Students arriving from a private school will likely not have an IEP, but all students will have a psycho-educational evaluation.

The word “catholic” means “universal.” With the new program, CCHS is one step closer to becoming a true embodiment of the term, providing education for a wider scope of students.