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The Achievement Center

The Achievement Center
Raritan Community College
The Achievement Center
141 South Main Street
Manville, NJ 08835
Program Contact Bob Hulit
Program Contact Email bobh@thearcofsomerset.org
Phone 732-666-4781
Website Program website

The Achievement Center at Raritan Valley Community College is a certificate-based, post-secondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities interested in developing their education to gain skills to enter the workforce. The Achievement Center recognizes that every student learns and processes information differently. Our college-level classes and student-centered approach empowers our students to find the right learning tools for them. To meet their goals, the Achievement Center has created academically inclusive and specialized classes include instruction in Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking; Writing and Research; Employment and Career strategies;Interpersonal Communication; Functional Mathematics, and College Planning and Strategies. Through these series of classes it offers students an opportunity to “learn their voice” and acclimate themselves to the classroom and college experience while improving their note-taking and study skills. We challenge students to critically examine reading material (short stories, poetry, novels); explore their writing abilities (Essays, Research papers); communication and social skills training; career development; and oral presentations. As a result, our students build confidence, empowerment, independence, and create new individual goals and aspirations.

Program information submitted a year or more ago

General
Public or private: Public
Type of school: 2-year community college or junior college
Is this program a federally funded TPSID program? No
Number of students: 65
Description of our summer transition program:
Requirements
Deadline to apply to this program: June 30 (for Fall Semester admission) November 15 (for mid-year admission)
Criteria for admission
  • Students still in high school must be 16 years of age or older.  For students who have left high school, a regular high school diploma or GED is required for admission.

Accepts out-of-state students? No
Please indicate which disabilities students in this program have:
  • Intellectual disability
  • Autism
  • other learning disabilities
Planned program length 3 years
Cost
Is this program able to provide federal financial aid as a Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP)? No
Students pay for the program in the following ways:
  • Private pay (student and family)
  • Scholarships
  • Adult intellectual/developmental disability state agency funds
  • Local School District funds
  • Medicaid Waiver or Day Habilitation funds
Scholarships available:

All of the program's classes are approved by Division of Developmental Disability through Goods and Services for any student who has an approved budget and is over 21 years old.

Academic
Students enrolled in this program take the following types of inclusive courses (with students who don't have disabilities): Students do not take typical college courses
More about course access:

We provide instruction on a variety of academic and career based curriculum that prepares students for taking typical college classes.  We focus on reading and writing comprehension; public speaking and college presentations; basic mathematics; career developments, and research and writing. 

Students take courses that are only for students in this program: Yes
Information on special classes:

Our post secondary education program puts our students in the best situation to succeed in a college environment.  Each individual class runs weekly for two hours.  The maximum amount of students in any class is 12.  We follow typical college semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer).

Credential(s) students earn upon completing the program: Certificate of Completion
Other than the credential listed above, can students earn any other credentials that are available to all students?

Our students may go on to take regular college classes at Raritan once they complete our program. Some choose to take typical college classes while also attending our program.  We encourage students to complete at least one year of our certificate program before taking regular college...

Employment
Percent of students in this program have paid work while attending the program: 25%
Other career development activities are:
  • Internships
Housing
Housing is provided to students: No
Extracurricular
Students participate in student organizations on campus: Yes