Academics: Students at Southeast Alternative School have varying levels of academic needs based primarily on the impact of their social/emotional and behavioral challenges. Southeast Alternative School provides a small classroom setting that allows the staff to address individual student needs. Each classroom team is comprised of a Certified Learning Behavior Specialist, a Certified Teacher Assistant, and is supported by a designated Social Worker. Curriculum is developed to align to the Common Core State Standards.  Academic benchmark assessments are used for Reading using curriculum-based assessment tools from Pearson’s AimsWeb R-CBM and Achieve 3000 reading comprehension. Math is assessed using AimsWeb M-COMP (computation) and M-CAP (concept application).

Social and Emotional Learning: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a fundamental research-driven approach based on the tenets of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, interpersonal skills, and responsible decision-making. SEL reaches beyond the classroom to all aspects of life such as recognizing and managing emotions, solving problems effectively and establishing positive relationships. At Southeast Alternative School students work on individualized goals aligned to the State of Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards. SEL skills are explicitly taught and practiced during intervention time within the classroom by the clinical team. The skills are integrated in academic lessons and reinforced throughout their school day. 

Transition /Vocation Planning and Services: Southeast believes all students should be 3-C (Community, Citizenship, College) ready.  All high school students meet with Transition coaches on a weekly basis.  The students are provided the opportunity to pursue academic and/or vocational supports.  The emphasis is placed on accessing appropriate community resources, as determined by the student’s individualized Transition Plan.