Independent refers to the fact that Kishami Academy is not under the control of any outside entity: We do not have a company, board of directors, or the Department of Education dictating what we can or cannot do, we do not have yearly standardized testing, we are not limited to what an I.E.P. states, we can evolve with the needs of our students. This independence means that we also do not receive money from any company or government entity and thus, we are Private and require tuition to attend.

Using initial testing we teach at the grade-level your student is at in each subject, not expecting a student to be 4th grade in all subjects with occasional pull-outs to make up the academic gaps. We address the emotional health of each student, and we work together to both address and problem solve through frustrations and meltdowns. We consider public school PTSD, energy levels, and the effects of medications on academic performance.

This is a term I use to explain the panic attacks, fears, and anxiety issues that students must deal with during their first few months at Kishami Academy. They have been expected to be something they are not, ridiculed for being different, treated in extremes for not fitting the mold, pulled out, reprimanded, yelled at, criticized, and blamed for mishaps all of their public school life. They expect the same at Kishami Academy and the difference in expectations and reality lead to disconnects in academics for a time. After a couple months, students relax and begin to learn and accept that they are worth something and capable of more than they ever thought they were. Healing can happen.