After ALC

As a space dedicated to supporting young people in discerning what they want for their lives then taking intentional action towards those goals, we’re always excited for our older students when they start spending more time engaged in the wider city, exploring their professional options, asking questions about college, and generally preparing for whatever is next on their path after their ALC years.

All students transitioning out of the school will meet with staff to discuss their intentions, outline the steps and requirements they’ll need to complete along the way, and plan together for how facilitators can most effectively support them in their process.

Students, this document is for you:

Graduation

Students pursuing graduation and an ALC-NYC private school diploma, will need to ensure they complete all units of study mandated by New York state, a community graduation process involving the presentation of a capstone project they design, and any applications and skill-building necessary for their next endeavor.

For the State

In New York state, a high school course of study must include:

• English – 4 units
• Social Studies, including a year of American history – 4 units
• Mathematics – 2 units
• Science – 2 units
• Health – 1/2 unit
• Physical Education – 1 unit
• Art and/or Music – 1 unit

Additionally, students are required to have learned about:

• The US constitution and its amendments, the Declaration of Independence, the NYS constitution and its amendments
• Patriotism and Citizenship
• NYS History and Civics
• Physical and Health Education, especially regarding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco abuse
• Highway Safety and Traffic Regulation
• Fire Drill Execution, Arson Prevention, Injury Prevention, and Life Safety Skills
• Use of AED and Hands-Only CPR

As reflected in Education Law § 3204(2)(ii), there are specific competencies students should look to develop through their engagement with different classically-defined academic subjects. These are competencies we seek to build through many of our activities and explorations; they are transferable and trans-disciplinary skills. However, it’s useful to have them clearly articulated, along with the disciplines they’re associated with. 

• Overall, students are expected to develop critical thinking. While the law does not articulate an expectation that students also develop creative and collaborative thinking skills through their school experience, our community does hold that expectation. We do so with the understanding that engaged civic life and the workplaces of the future will demand all three capacities of our students.
• Beyond practicing reading and writing in an English class, students are expected to develop the ability to gather information, assess it, and then to use that information to clearly express a point of view or support an argument.
• Beyond executing problem sets accurately in Math class, students are expected to develop the ability to solve real world problems using both number sense and fluency with mathematical functions and operations.
• Beyond memorizing dates and names in History class, students are expected to develop the abilities to interpret and analyze primary texts, to identify and explore important events in history, and to use information from reliable sources to support a point of view. Through their explorations of events and connections between them, students should develop an understanding of the role of geography and economics in the actions of world civilizations, as well as an understanding of civics and the responsibilities of citizens in world communities
• Beyond memorizing formulas and theorems in Science class, students are expected to develop the abilities to gather, analyze, and interpret observable data. They should practice using this data to make informed decisions and solve problems mathematically, using deductive and inductive reasoning to support a hypothesis, and differentiating between correlational and causal relationships.

Students pursuing graduation will meet with staff at the beginning of their process to identify any gaps in their course of study to date. Together, they will map out a plan for the student to cover all required content on the way to graduation.

For the Community

Informally, students pursuing graduation are encouraged to demonstrate their readiness to be independent young adults in the wider world. Facilitators will be looking for them to take on roles with more responsibility in the school community, for example by acting as mediators, members of working groups, or offering facilitators. They are expected to be able to navigate to different parts of the city – and maybe to and from other cities – confidently. They will be encouraged to pursue internships, volunteer opportunities, classes and maybe jobs beyond the school.

Formally, the young people will need to complete three tasks for the school community to agree to graduate them. First, they will create a transcript, optionally supplemented by a reflective portfolio, for use in communicating about their course of study with the wider world. Next, they will design and execute a capstone project that in some manner demonstrates their readiness for their declared next stop. Finally, they will present these artifacts and their plan for their next steps to a graduation panel, who will pass them or offer revisions. Students will work with staff to assemble their graduation panel, ensuring they include at least one community member, one facilitator, and one adult who has experience in their field of interest or could otherwise serve as a mentor to the young person. 

For the Future

Most young people pursuing graduation are leaving with a clear job, college, trip, or other program as their intended next adventure. Different paths will have different requirements: interviews, essays, hiking experience, safety certifications, foreign language immersion, etc.

When students meet with facilitators to discuss their graduation plans, they will be guided through researching the requirements and deadlines they’ll need to navigate in pursuit of their goals. Staff may recommend interviews with folks experienced in their fields of interest, visits to colleges of different kinds around the city, or other exploratory projects to help the young person as they discern what they want to move towards in the next season of their life.