School Accountability Report CardReported for School Year 2006-07Published During 2007-08
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The School Accountability Report Card (SARC), which is
required by law to be published annually, contains information about the
condition and performance of each
This section provides the school’s contact information.
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School |
District |
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School Name |
Pyramid Autism Center |
District Name |
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Street |
2830 North Glassell |
Phone Number |
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City, State,
Zip |
Orange, CA 92865 |
Web Site |
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Phone Number |
714-637-1292 |
Superintendent |
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Principal |
Stacey Kochanowski |
E-mail Address |
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E-mail Address |
n/a |
n/a |
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This section provides information about the school’s goals and programs.
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Pyramid Autism Center, founded in 1998, is a California Department of Education State Certified Non-public, Non-profit School dedicated to serve the needs of children and families touched by autism. Pyramid Autism Center utilizes the Pyramid Approach to Education developed by Dr. Andrew Bondy, a world-renowned leader in autism education and research. Our emphasis is upon creating functional activities that stress the use of powerful and on-going reinforcement systems while assuring children can effectively communicate and understand what we expect of them. When such systems are in place, issues associated with behavior management can be effectively addressed. Our view also reflects that the key to long-term behavior management change is the development of alternative skills that serve the child’s needs. We offer a full-year school program for children in grades K-12 that have been diagnosed with autism and/or a related disorder. Pyramid Autism Center’s classroom structure consists of 1 teacher and 2 paraprofessionals for each class of 6 students. All staff members are trained in contemporary Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) procedures and the use and instruction of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) as well as the Pyramid Approach to Education. |
This section provides information about opportunities for parents to become involved with school activities.
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Parent
involvement is encouraged at our program.
All students have a composition book which strongly encourages
daily communication between the student’s teacher and parent or
guardian. There are also many
volunteer opportunities throughout the year for parents, from community
based instruction to classroom and program assistance.
For more specific information please call 714.637.1292.
Pyramid Autism Center continues to have an open-door policy where
parents can visits their child’s classroom throughout the year. |
This table displays the number of students enrolled in each grade level at the school.
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Grade
Level |
Number
of Students |
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Ungraded
Elementary |
12 |
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Ungraded
Secondary |
9 |
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Total
Enrollment |
21 |
This table displays the percent of students enrolled at the school who are identified as being in a particular group.
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Group |
Percent
of Total
Enrollment |
Group |
Percent
of Total
Enrollment |
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African
American |
5% |
White (not
Hispanic) |
52% |
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American
Indian or |
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Multiple or No
Response |
6% |
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Asian |
10% |
Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged |
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Filipino |
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English
Learners |
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Hispanic or
Latino |
22% |
Students with
Disabilities |
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Pacific
Islander |
5% |
n/a |
n/a |
Classroom Structure:
One teacher and two paraprofessionals staff each class of 6 students.
Teachers are certified as Education Specialists (Moderate-to-Severe).
All Staff members are trained in contemporary Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA) procedures and the use and instruction of the Picture Exchange
Communication System (PECS).
This section provides information about the school's comprehensive safety plan.
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Pyramid
Autism Center has a school disaster plan, emergency drill procedure, and
missing student procedure in a clear, plastic folder velcroed to the wall
next to the door of every room on campus.
Pyramid Autism Center’s Policy and Procedures Manual also
addresses school safety elements such as: Child Abuse Reporting
Procedures, Sexual Harassment Policies, School Dress Code Policy, and
School Discipline rules and procedures. All
employees are trained in disaster preparedness and staff and classrooms
regularly practice fire, earthquake, and emergency disaster drills.
The Orange Fire Department monitors specific fire drill protocol
established by the Fire Department on an annual basis. |
This section provides information about the school's efforts to create and maintain a positive learning environment, including the school’s use of disciplinary strategies.
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"Every
child is ready to learn- the question is : Are teachers ready to
teach?" The first job
for the teachers here at PAC is to determine a reward that the child will
work toward. Secondly, we need to establish the means by which the
student can communicate his or her wants and needs - we use PECS.
PECS facilitates functional communication between the student and the
teacher, his or her peers, and family members. Once the student's
reward and the method of communication have been identified then effective
learning can take place. The
goal for our reinforcement approach is to catch our students behaving in a
contextually appropriate manner, “catch them being good,” and
reinforce the students for doing what is right versus scolding them for
what they are doing wrong. Positive
behavioral reinforcement has proven to be one of the most valuable tools
to assist a student in modifying their behaviors.
Behavioral management plans along with positive behavior
intervention plans are developed for all students and updated as needed
throughout the school year. Our
Behavior Specialist monitors student behavior plans on a daily basis
through data collection and classroom staff support during weekly team
meetings. |
This table displays the rate of suspensions and expulsions (the total number of incidents divided by the total enrollment) at the school and district levels for the most recent three-year period.
Students are admitted and
terminated from
This section provides information about the condition of the school’s grounds, buildings, and restrooms, and a description of any planned or recently completed facility improvements.
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Pyramid
Autism Center’s current site is that of a former private school property
centrally located in the city of Orange, which provides access to students
in Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties.
The site itself has three building that provide a large
multipurpose hall, office space, eight classrooms, a kitchen, computer
lab/library, and a large gross motor area consisting of yard space and a
paved basketball court. Pyramid
Autism Center plans to begin playground construction in January 2008. Pyramid Autism Center continues to provide a clean and safe environment for the staff and students through daily custodial services. In addition, maintenance and landscaping upkeep occurs on a consistent basis per the current lease agreement. |
This table displays the results of the most recently completed school site inspection to determine the school facility’s good repair status.
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Item
Inspected |
Repair
Status |
Repair
Needed and Action
Taken or Planned |
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Good |
Fair |
Poor |
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Gas Leaks |
X |
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Mechanical
Systems |
X |
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Windows/Doors/Gates
(interior and exterior) |
X |
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Interior
Surfaces (walls, floors, and ceilings) |
X |
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Hazardous
Materials (interior and exterior) |
X |
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Structural
Damage |
X |
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Fire Safety |
X |
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Electrical
(interior and exterior) |
X |
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Pest/Vermin
Infestation |
X |
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Drinking
Fountains (inside and outside) |
X |
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Restrooms |
X |
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Sewer |
X |
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Playground/School
Grounds |
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X |
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Currently working on playground development with Innovative Playground Inc. At this time the project start date is tentatively scheduled for January 2008. |
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Roofs |
X |
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Overall
Cleanliness |
X |
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This table displays the number of teachers assigned to the school with a full credential, without a full credential, and those teaching outside of their subject area of competence. Detailed information about teacher qualifications can be found at the CDE Web site at http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/.
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Teachers |
School |
District |
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2004-05 |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
2006-07 |
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With Full
Credential |
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3 |
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Without Full
Credential |
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1 |
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This section provides information about the availability of qualified substitute teachers and the impact of any difficulties in this area on the school’s instructional program.
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Beginning
June 2004 all paraprofessionals at Pyramid Autism Center were required to
obtain a substitute teaching credential within 6 months of employment.
There were a total of 7 paraprofessionals with a substitute
credential during the 2006-2007 school year. |
This table displays, in units of full-time equivalents (FTE), the number of academic counselors and other support staff who are assigned to the school and the average number of students per academic counselor. One FTE equals one staff member working full time; one FTE could also represent two staff members who each work 50 percent of full time.
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Title |
Number
of Support Staff with same title |
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Educational
Consultant |
1 |
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Occupational
Therapist |
1 |
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Speech/Language/Hearing
Specialist |
1 |
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Behavior
Specialist |
1 |
This table displays information about the quality, currency, and availability of the standards-aligned textbooks and other instructional materials used at the school, and information about the school’s use of any supplemental curriculum or non-adopted textbooks or instructional materials.
Curriculum:
Overall, Pyramid Autism Center consists of teaching skills that are
functional or useful in one or more life domains.
Those domains might include Domestic Skills, Functional Academics,
Community Skills, Communication Skills, Social Interactions, and Behavior.
At this time PAC students
participate in the CAPA according to the IEP.
Typically, the student’s home school district sends the student’s
test scores to his parent/guardian. Therefore,
we do not have enough data to present assessment results without interfering
with student confidentiality due to our population size.
This table displays a comparison of the number of instructional minutes offered at the school to the state requirement for each grade level.
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Grade
Level |
Instructional
Minutes |
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|
Offered |
State
Requirement |
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K |
64,800 |
36,000 |
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1 |
64,800 |
50,400 |
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2 |
64,800 |
50,400 |
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3 |
64,800 |
50,400 |
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4 |
64,800 |
54,000 |
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5 |
64,800 |
54,000 |
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6 |
64,800 |
54,000 |
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7 |
64,800 |
54,000 |
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8 |
64,800 |
54,000 |
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9 |
64,800 |
64,800 |
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10 |
64,800 |
64,800 |