RISE Program Design

​Our Goal:​
To provide high-quality, individualized support for students returning from absences, hospitalizations, or school avoidance, fostering growth across intellectual, social, emotional, and physical domains. Through structured guidance, SEL-informed practices, and a welcoming, inclusive environment, students are empowered to reconnect with their peers, develop independent learning skills, and build resilience and confidence as they transition back to mainstream classrooms.
✨  Instructional Principles:
  1. Careful content analysis – Lessons focus on the “big ideas” of instruction to promote generalization and meaningful learning.
  2. Clear communication – Instructions are carefully worded, sequenced logically, and supported with relevant examples to ensure understanding.
  3. Structured instructional formats – Activities specify teacher prompts and expected student responses, providing consistency and clarity.
  4. Skill sequencing – Prerequisites are taught before new strategies; simple skills before complex ones; potentially confusing concepts are separated; rules are introduced before exceptions.
  5. Targeted skill tracking – Activities are organized across multiple lessons to reinforce mastery and ensure retention.
  6. Inclusive, supportive environment – RISE provides a safe and welcoming space for students returning from absences, hospitalizations, or school avoidance, with particular attention to LGBTQ+ and minority students.
  7. Executive functioning & SEL support – Students receive individualized guidance on organization, planning, time management, stress management, and social-emotional skills.
  8. Flexible, student-centered scheduling – Students may access RISE during FLEX periods or lunch, encouraging voluntary engagement, connection, and continued skill development.​

​✨ Teacher-Student Interactions:
  1. Active student participation – Students are given frequent opportunities to respond and receive immediate feedback.
  2. Discussion – Structured dialogue encourages engagement, listening, and critical thinking.
  3. Expository writing – Supports organization, clarity, and academic communication skills.
  4. Creative writing – Fosters personal expression, self-reflection, and abstract thinking.
  5. Supportive technology & media – Uses varied media to engage students and accommodate different learning styles.
  6. Assessment preparation & evaluation – Reinforces study skills, provides timely feedback, and develops meta-cognitive awareness of task processing.
  7. Motivation & community building – Activities, team-building, and icebreakers enhance motivation, connection, and school engagement.
  8. Student-centered mentoring – Personalized calendars, to-do lists, and guidance help students transition successfully to mainstream classrooms and maintain connection to the school community.