Frequently Asked Questions

List of 13 items.

• What is the age range of students that you serve in this program?

  Students between 18-22 are eligible for admissions. Our state licensure prevents us from serving students older than 22.  

• What is the profile of the students that you serve in this program?

   

  Students with a range of complex learning differences – usually more than one  – many of whom are several grade levels below that of their same-aged peers in one or more academic content areas. Our students need scaffolding, supports (sensory, visual, verbal), prompting and guidance to access their curriculum. Typical learning profiles of our students may include challenges with:  

    

  • Dyslexia, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, reading comprehension
  • Auditory processing
  • Expressive and/or receptive language
  • Working memory & sequencing
  • Math
  • Writing skills
  • Dysgraphia
  • Below age physical coordination, gross or fine motor skills
  • Low self-esteem & anxiety
  • Executive Function
  • High Functioning Autism (HFA)
  • Nonverbal Learning Differences
  • ADD/ADHD
  • Social thinking & behavior, social communication, awareness, & the reading & interpretation of non-verbal cues 

• How long is the program?

  The Star Post-High School calendar follows the College of Marin school calendar: mid-August to the end of May, and is a four day per week program, Tuesday-Fridays. 

• Why is this a four day per week program?

  On the days students are not with us (Mondays) we encourage them to participate in an internship, work a job, socialize, study and/or have down time. This rhythm is typical of a college-aged, post-high school student and we want to replicate that environment for our students. We have many supports available to students, as part of our program, to connect them with opportunities for internships and jobs.

• How long is the tenure of students in the program?

  It depends. Some students may be part of our program for just one year and others may remain in the program for additional years. Regardless of the tenure, all students will be set up with the on-going resources and supports they’ll need to successfully navigate the worlds of higher education, work and independent living to the best of their abilities. 

• Is this the first year of this program?

  No, in the past Star has had a Post-High school program exclusively for Star students and based on the success of this program and the identified need for this type of program for students with learning differences in the broader community, we have opened it up to additional students.  The 2019-2020 school year was the inaugural year of our program being based at College of Marin, Kenfield campus and open to students outside of Star Academy.

• Will my student have individual, 1:1 Speech and OT services?

  Typically no. The specialist services that we provide via Speech, Occupational Therapy and Multi-Sensory Language Arts specialists are in a group format and represent the types of services students will have access to after leaving the high school setting. The focus of our specialist work is to help students build the skills necessary to successfully advocate and succeed in their communities, living situations and in higher education settings.

• Who can apply to this program?

  We accept both school district referrals (IEP students) and privately placed students.

• What are the admission criteria for the program?

  Students who have completed an accredited high school program with either a diploma or certificate of completion and whose profile fits the criteria listed above in question #2. Ideal applicants are those who are interested in and motivated to pursue opportunities for higher education, career exploration and independent living skills.  Applicants should have an understanding of their learning differences and what types of supports they need in order to be successful.  The program is designed to build and foster independence and self-advocacy skills and students will have ample opportunities to put into practice skills that are learned over the course of the program. This will be a fun, hands-on, supportive and dynamic program that will require a willingness on the part of the students to try new opportunities and push themselves beyond their comfort zone.

• Will students get to choose their classes?

  The cohort will be taking a series of pre-determined courses that are designed to strengthen and practice foundational Language Arts, study and organization skills that students will need to be successful in any college setting as well as a course designed to explore career and educational pathways of interest to students. The goal is to help students identify, early on, appropriate career/educational pathways based on their interests, strengths, needs, realistic goals as well as supports and resources available to them.  Programming in Year 2 and beyond will include most of the components above along with vocational opportunities including internships with job coaching and potentially, paid employment.   

• Will my student’s IEP be active when they are enrolled in the Post-High School program?

  If a student is referred and placed by their school district in our program, then their IEP will be active and we will design their Star program based on the needs articulated in the IEP. It is possible that some services listed in a student’s IEP may not be available within Star’s program and this would be a point of discussion at the IEP team meeting.

• Does my student need a high school diploma to be eligible?

  No. We work with students who have earned either a high school diploma or certificate of completion.  Students do need to have completed an accredited high school program in order to be eligible for our program.

• What happens after a student completes the Post-High School program?

  Students will continue working on the areas identified in the personalized Transition plan that was developed as part of the Star Post-High School program. Our Transition counselor, along with the Post-High School team, parents and of course students, work together to create an individualized Transition plan that lays out next steps for students in the three domains of education, employment and independent living.  This Transition plan provides the roadmap for time after the Post-High school program.