Process
Once a decision for private therapeutic day has been made, the student's home school will send out an intake packet with parent releases. NewHope will review the file and determine if a student appears appropriate for an interview. The interview process takes about one hour. If a student is accepted to NewHope, we will call the student's public school district and facilitate the new placement.
If a student is private pay, NewHope will accept a file from parents for review.
Tuition
NewHope Academy's rate is set by the Illinois Purchase Care Review Board (IPCRB). The per diem rate is for 176 regular days and 28 extended school year days. Visit the IPCRB website for the current per diem rate (Enter NewHope in the name and click search, then select the appropriate school).
Graduation Requirements
NewHope students are required to meet the graduation requirements of their public school. All grades earned at NewHope are sent to the home school and transcripts are generated by the home school. The home school also issues the diploma upon completion of district requirements/graduation and all NewHope records are returned to the home school.
If a student is private pay, NewHope requires the student to meet the Illinois state requirements. In addition, NewHope will issue transcripts and a diploma upon completion of state requirements.
How long will I be enrolled at NewHope?
The fact that a student is placed in a therapeutic school speaks to the challenges students have had in the home school. The focus of our educational/treatment program is to help students increase their ability to cope with the demands of a mainstream school environment. These acquired coping skills will help students succeed whether returning to the home school or going on to college or into the job market. The NewHope reintegration consideration checklist is a checklist of the expectations a student must consistently meet to begin reintegration. Particular issues are addressed specifically by the academic and therapeutic goals written in the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
There are two factors that determine when a student is ready to reintegrate. First, the length of a student's stay is not defined by a predetermined amount of time, but rather by the progress the student makes toward meeting their IEP goals. Second, the departure from NewHope is not abrupt, but rather is accomplished via a gradual reintegration back to the mainstream. Readiness for reintegration is a team-based decision. That team consists of the student, parents, the school district, and the academic and therapeutic staff at NewHope.
Students attend our program varied lengths of time depending upon their progress and circumstances. Some students reintegrate completely to their home school; some complete high school attending part of their day at NewHope and part of their day at their home school; and others graduate from NewHope attending full time.