Northwood graduates happily display their state diplomas.

Since our school opened in 1982 with the mission of enabling students with emotional and behavioral disabilities to succeed we have recognized that each of our students has unique strengths and challenges and that one size of education does not fit all.  While all of our students share a common goal of a state high school diploma, the pathway each takes to reach it will differ.  The key to success at Pathways is our commitment to individualized education, giving students an array of options designed to meet their distinct needs.

• Our school sites and class sizes are small to

  Classroom, Northwood at Hyattsville

  allow teachers to tailor lessons for each student.  Our educators have a well-stocked tool kit to use in their classrooms, including computer-based learning programs, arts-integrated academic projects, and field learning opportunities.

• Among our six sites, Pathways has an array of learning environments.  Northwood and Springville offer classroom learning. Anne Arundel and Edgewood provide

  DuVal Re-Entry graduates after DuVal High School ceremony

  community-based education, which takes place outside the classroom, with highly individualized academics, therapeutic support and preparation for independent living.  Pathways pioneered the model for Type II education, which now thrives at our DuVal Re-Entry  and Crossland Re-Entry sites.  These are mainstreaming programs within a public school, giving students the option to benefit from all resources and extracurriculars of a large public high school while receiving academic and therapeutic support.

• Our graduates compare well on Maryland state assessments, and none have been deterred from

  Edgewood student at work

  receiving a state diploma by the required tests.  This success is due to the supportive environment of our schools, which includes the availability of alternative avenues to meeting the requirement, including taking a version of the test that has been modified to accommodate disabilities and/or completing a "Bridge Plan for Academic Validation".  The Bridge Plan involves doing a series of projects in a subject area. The completed projects are reviewed and evaluated by a panel from the local school system.  

• Pathways' many individualized avenues to learning and earning a diploma includes several credit recovery options for students who need them.  Thus it can be said that Pathways has been enabling credit recovery since we first opened our doors; the effort is integral to our whole academic learning environment.  This year we expanded our credit recovery options into the Extended School Year, so students could continue their academic progress through the month of July.

Springville students on a field trip examine specimens in the lab of a boat during Living Classrooms, a shipboard education program.