Ready For Life Academy Class Descriptions

Ready For Life Academy students learn how to manage their own finances through four different classes focusing on the different aspects of money managements. Students will learn how to create a personal budget, maintain a personal budget using online banking and apps, read their paycheck, pay bills and save for the future.

FIN 101 Consumer Spending (2 cred):

Students will learn the value of price comparing through hands on learning activities. Students will learn different ways to shop for goods and services as well as the value of decision-making shopping versus impulse buying. Finally, students will learn about consumer rights.

Assessment options:

• Students will self-assess three different shopping trips throughout the semester and identify ways they used price
• Students will utilize an assigned simulation shopping list and price compare between two stores or two products to determine the best shopping
• Students will identify five goods and services they purchases every month and using research based strategies identify the best value for their purchase.

FIN 102 Budget Building (2 cred):

Students will create a budget plan and spend the semester putting their budget into action. Using real-life financial problems students will build and maintain a healthy credit, qualify for a mortgage, utilize insurance and work toward a savings goal.

• Students will create and evaluate their own weekly expenses in comparison to their

FIN 103 Managing Money (2 cred):

Students will learn how to control their spending by limiting impulse buying and sticking to a budget. Students will understand banking, how to set up a bank account, use online banking, pay bills online and how to read and understand their own paycheck. Students will learn about using debit and credit cards. Finally, students will learn how to adjust and improve their budget as their financial situation changes based on real life scenarios.

FIN 104 Financial Literacy (2 cred):

Students will use an interactive curriculum to learn about income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and risk management. Students will utilize a real-life simulation to apply their learning to their own financial life expectancies in the areas of employment, housing, transportation, education, entertainment and saving for their future. Students will also learn how to utilize technology to assist them in their management of their daily financial needs.

Ready For Life Academy students learn how to communicate with others using the PEERS curriculum as well as social thinking. The four different classes focus on how communication differs depending upon your relationship with the person and the type of communication. Topics range from digital etiquette, conflict management, personal space, and romantic relationships.

RLT 101 Peers:

Students will learn the value of making and keeping friends. Students will increase their ability to communicate using interactive lessons based on the following topics: finding common interests, trading information, sharing the conversation, initiating, maintaining, and ending a conversation. Students will also learn strategies to handle teasing and bullying. Through research-based strategies students will learn how to use humor appropriately in friendships.

RLT 102 Social Thinking:

Students will learn that what happens around us influences our thoughts and feelings, reactions, and responses. Using strategies to manage social anxiety the student will gain the skills needed to better navigate the social world and develop stronger social competencies. Students will utilize a strategy called social mapping to best communicate with others.

RLT 103 Digital Etiquette (2 cred):

Students will learn technology communication skills including use of phones, texting, and writing emails. Students will learn the appropriate time and place to use the digital technology for communication as well as the boundaries surrounding technological communication.

RLT 104 Communication (2 cred):

Students will learn different forms of communication and appropriately apply the different forms of communication to their daily interactions. Students will be introduced to different forms of social media and will be able to identify the appropriate and inappropriate ways to utilize social media for communication.

Ready For Life Academy students learn the important skills associated with employment. Through four different classes the students will identify job interest areas, create a resume, apply for jobs, interview for a job, the soft skills they need to be a good employee, and how to communicate with coworkers.

EMP 101 Personal Management (2 cred): 

Students will identify who they are and how they can achieve the personal power they need to control their own life. Using the decision-making process, goal writing, assessment and achievement, and self- identification students will have an opportunity to learn how to apply their personal goals in the workplace.

EMP 102 Career Management (2 cred):

Students will identify the actions they need to take to reach their future career goals. Students will apply the skills taught in employment readiness, soft skill development, the employment process, and team work to prepare themselves for employment. Students will also work through self- identification activities to increase self-advocacy in the workplace.

EMP 103 Life Management (2 cred):

Students will learn how to make choices that lead to a happy and successful adult life. Through self-identification of personal priorities, application of the decision-making process, utilization of time management skills and life mapping students will apply the tools they have learned to their everyday life and learn the value of self-regulation in the workplace.

EMP 104 Making the Effort (2 cred):

Students will learn the importance of perseverance and grit in accomplishing their goals. Through the theory of attribution, how people behave is dependent on what they “attribute” their behaviors may or may not bring, students will learn that they determine if they will succeed in the workplace.

Ready For Life Academy students learn the skills they need to manage their life and home independently. Through the completion of four different classes the students will learn how to move out on their own, manage household tasks, stay safe and healthy, and understand their sexuality and wellness.

INDL 101 Moving out on your own (2 cred):

Students identify the skills needed to be able to live independently. Students learn the importance of finding the right place to live and the factors that need to be evaluated when choosing a place to live. Through a simulation project students can plan for moving in and getting settled into their own place of residency. Given real world scenarios students use the decision-making process as well as core strategies to solve common problems that arise when living independently.

INDL 102 Everyday Household Tasks (2 cred):

Students are provided the skills and tools needed to menu plan, grocery shop and prepare healthy meals based on a budget. Students learn cooking vocabulary that is found in recipes and apply their knowledge to daily cooking. Students are taught the skills needed to complete their own laundry as well as shop for new clothes. Students are also taught the skills they need to maintain their home and make it a place that is functional, cozy and meets their decorating tastes.

INDL 103 Health and Safety (2 cred):

Students are taught the skills they need to maintain their personal health. Students will identify over the counter and prescription medication that is needed to maintain their personal health needs. Students will create and maintain a safety plan for avoiding any health hazards in their home or workplace. Through common health simulation exercises students will identify the need to get additional medical help and how to access medical help and utilize insurance. Finally, students will learn the daily steps to maintain their health and potentially avoid health problems.

INDL 104 Sexuality and Wellness (2 cred):

Students are taught how to maintain a healthy lifestyle using strategies related to stress management, exercise, appropriate amount of sleep, and healthy eating. Students are also taught how to maintain a healthy sexual lifestyle; students are taught the value of making healthy decisions regarding sexual relationships. Students can identify the signs of abuse and the steps needed to end abuse. Students are provided with the skills needed to make healthy decisions to live a healthy lifestyle within their own home.

Students create their own personal research project and present it at an annual fair.

GH 101 Asking Questions:

Using the research process students will identify questions that they would like to obtain the answer to. Students will be taught how to research and find the research-based answers to their questions. Students will complete a research based project based on one of their questions.

GH 102 Presenting Information:

Based on a research project students will identify the best way to present information in a formal and informal setting. Students will complete a project that is presented formally to peers, professors, and community members.

GH 103 Digging Deeper:

Based on a research project students will identify ways to increase their knowledge and ask extended questions to dig deeper into a topic. Students will complete a virtual presentation.

Students learn the importance of time management and remaining organized with assignments, social calendar, and daily communication tasks.

Students set goals weekly and track their goals through group discussions and one on one advising with Ready For Life Staff.

Students are supported as they acclimate to college life. They are introduced to campus life, create a safety plan, learn college appropriate behavior and study skills, and find their place of belonging on a college campus.

Students are supported as they prepare to launch from college life to the real world. Students complete their senior portfolio complete with resume, letters of recommendation and overviews of projects they have completed throughout their college experience. Students connect with Vocational Rehabilitation Services and begin the process toward employment. Students create their final personal centered plan based on their life map. The class is culminated with walking at commencement and receiving their certificate of completion.

Students complete their adapted course work for their college classes through the support of the Ready For Life Staff.

Students engage in weekly local, national, and world news. Students are taught the importance of their place in the World and how to be an informed citizen.

Students learn the importance of reading for content through the use of reading strategies, group discussions, independent literature reviews and using community resources.

Students choose a topic that they would like to explore further and the Ready For Life staff creates individual curriculum designed to teach them the topic of interest or a specific skill that may be needed for a future career.