Our educational program at York Preparatory Academy is focused on maximizing student achievement.

YPA Educational strategies will include:

• Use of inquiry–based teaching approaches
• Small school size
• Standard school dress
• Extended time for teacher planning and professional development
• Response-to-Intervention (RTI)
• Daily character education, daily physical education through grade 8, adequate time for recess
• Opportunities for parental involvement during the learning process
• Integration of multiage approaches toward learning into the curriculum

School teaching strategies will be based on the work of educational researchers as well as the experiences of exemplary classroom teachers. YPA will utilize the guiding principles behind the Responsive Classroom approach. This educational approach creates learning environments where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Educators using these strategies report increases in student investment, responsibility, and learning, and decreases in problem behavior in the classroom.

YPA Responsive Classroom Guiding Principles:

• The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
• How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and content go hand in hand.
• The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
• To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.
• Knowing the children we teach–individually, culturally, and developmentally–is as important as knowing the content we teach.
• Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education.
• How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.

York Preparatory Academy's curriculum will begin with the core subjects of Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. The focus and emphasis in these areas will be based on the fundamental processes of basic mathematical, reading, and writing principles. A strong foundation in these core areas will be built in the early grades so success in future, higher level, and more diverse classes is more readily achieved. Given that not all learners will necessarily be on the same level or learn in the same style, instruction will be designed to accommodate these differences.

• Additional class offerings will include Physical Education, Health, Foreign Language, and the Fine Arts.
• Computer Technology will be taught as outlined by the National Standards from the U.S. Department of Education.  To reinforce that curriculum, technology will be used to enhance everyday classroom activities throughout the grade levels.
• Environmental and Consumer Studies will be incorporated within an interdisciplinary learning environment covering all levels of learning through age appropriate material.
• There will be daily Character Education segments to encourage personal growth and acceptable social etiquette toward others.  There will also be a large emphasis on service within the school branched outward into the community.

The YPA class structure was developed to meet the individual needs of each stage of learning including a: 

• Multiage Schedule for grades K thru 3
• Teamed Schedule for grades 4 thru 5
• Rotating Schedule for grades 6 thru 8

YPA will similarly follow the current district calendar, operating on a standard school year calendar with the exception of late start days (YPA is not a year round school and is not planning on integrating late-start days). YPA will utilize 180 days for student instruction and 10 days for professional development, teacher preparation, planning, etc.

The Managing Director and staff, will prepare the YPA school calendar and the proposed calendar will be presented to the Board for input in the spring of each year. 

York Preparatory Academy will be a school that embraces the discovery and challenges that all students bring to the school environment. YPA by nature will have a focus on the individual needs of each student by dividing each class into ability (multi-age) levels in the emergent years (i.e. Kindergarten through 3rd grade). The goal is to ensure that all students have challenges met at their ability level in these early grades.

YPA will provide programs for Gifted and Talented (GT) Students to challenge them with rigorous, complex class work and research. Gifted students may demonstrate high performance ability or potential in academic areas. Administrators, parents, teachers, and students may make referrals for students to be screened.   All students who are referred from any source are screened during the first quarter of each school year to determine their eligibility.  Upon meeting the requirements for this program, written parental permission will be obtained.