The High School Department Program centers on strengthening academic skills, enhancing personal growth, and developing vocational skills.  The students in the high school program strengthen academic skills by taking the core subjects:  Reading, English, Spelling and Math.  The core subjects are taught on an individualized basis.  Each student learns the core skills at his or her own level with the ultimate goal of building skills to their maximum potential.
The students also strengthen academic skills by taking other subjects in the areas of Social Studies and Science.  These classes are taught as group subjects.  The materials and assignments are adapted to meet the learning needs of the class as a whole.  By offering a wide array of subjects, the high school students are earning credits and fulfilling the requirements for high school graduation.

          The high school students also have many opportunities to enhance personal growth (social) skills.  Along with all of the students at CWA, the high school students are part of the school-wide behavior program.  Student behavior is regularly charted, and students earn points for cooperative behavior, maximum effort, following directions, and for maintaining appropriate social interactive behavior.  The high school students also take part in the CWA character education program which stresses respect, responsibility
and relationships.  In addition, each high school classroom has a weekly group session, facilitated by a behavior specialist, during which the students learn, discuss, and role play a variety of strategies for coping with emotions, behaviors and other social situations.

          Throughout the years the students spend in the high school program, the students also have many and varied opportunities to develop vocational skills. The students begin by working at volunteer jobs in school or in the community.  The experiences gained through the volunteer jobs prepare them for employment in the Clare Woods Community Work Experience Program.  This program places students in entry level, competitive employment jobs, where they earn paychecks and acquire vocational skills necessary
for lifetime employment.

          Lastly, the goal of all the instruction (academic, social, vocational) in the high school department is to teach students to internalize strategies for finding information. Information finding skills and strategies learned in any given subject, for example, using a glossary or accessing the internet, can be applied in other subject areas and also to other situations in life needing answers to questions and information to solve problems. By teaching these skills to our high school students they will be able to self-advocate and gain access to a larger world that will surely make their life more fulfilling.