Skip to main content
Educational Approach & Methodologies

Educational Approach & Methodologies

Customized Approach to Learning

Edison is the only private high school in Oregon specifically designed to meet the needs of students with complex learning differences. Because no two students are alike, Edison takes a customized approach to learning, offering individual attention when and where it is needed. Within our small and supportive academic environment, students develop strong relationships with faculty members who become familiar with their learning styles. Edison students gain self-discipline and organizational skills, practice self-advocacy and build confidence in their ability to learn, alongside their academic studies. In addition, we:

  • Have a shorter school day than most mainstream high schools
  • Begin classes later than most high schools, which has been proven to be beneficial for teenagers
  • Maintain small class sizes, averaging nine students per class.

Appropriate Accommodations

At Edison, we offer appropriate learning-based accommodations designed to meet the special needs of students with learning differences including:

  • Extended time on tests and quizzes
  • American Sign Language instead of a spoken/written foreign language
  • Music listening allowed (with teacher discretion)
  • Kinetic activity allowed (in some classes)
  • One-to-one student iPad program
  • Executive functioning/computer-aided instruction software, including
    • Organizers
    • Calendars
    • Digital textbooks
    • Audiobooks

These tools help our students successfully master the class material, retain information and demonstrate proficiency.

Focus on Core Content

Edison High School's academically challenging curriculum follows the State of Oregon's graduation requirements and, whenever possible, prepares students to meet Certificate of Initial Mastery benchmarks.

  • We focus on teaching the academic curriculum while providing our students with organizational strategies and study skills.
  • We emphasize core content classes to facilitate academic progress.
  • We provide elective classes to expose students to a wide variety of topics.

Frequent Communication

A hallmark of Edison is the frequent communication among the students, staff, parents and other professionals working with our teenagers.

  • We post weekly online reports for parents with cumulative grades, homework scores, missing homework and teacher comments.
  • We offer online access for students to view teacher comments and homework assignments.
  • We hold regular meetings with parents; email turnaround time is generally within twenty-four hours.

Student Results

Edison is a four-year, full-service high school program with a strong record of academic success. The vast majority of our students receive their high school diplomas and most Edison students continue their education beyond a high school diploma. About one-third of our graduates go on to a four-year college, while two-thirds of students attend a two-year institution, enter the workforce or work while continuing post-graduate education. All students who earn their diplomas from Edison receive career awareness and guidance through our transition program.

Accreditation

Edison High School is accredited by Cognia, formerly AdvancEd..