Middle School

Middle School FAQs - School How is YSC Academy’s daily Academic schedule, curriculum, educational philosophy, grading system and homework schedule different from other schools, private or public?

YSC Academy's schedule is specifically geared towards the metacognitive and neurological development of adolescents. By starting our day with physical activity, followed by a later school start, our students can be engaged physically and mentally before beginning their school day.

Our curriculum embraces every planned aspect of a school's educational program. An effective middle level curriculum is distinguished by learning activities that appeal to young adolescents, is exploratory and challenging, and incorporates student-generated questions and concerns.

Instructional practices place students at the center of the learning process. As they develop the ability to hypothesize, to organize information into useful and meaningful constructs, and to grasp long-term cause and effect relationships, students are ready and able to play a major role in their own learning and education. Our goal is for our students to be globally responsible, intellectually curious 21st-century learners.

How are students valued as young adolescents and how is our faculty prepared to teach them?

Our faculty make a conscious choice to work with young adolescents and advocate for them. They understand the developmental uniqueness of this age group, the appropriate curriculum, effective learning and assessment strategies, and their importance as models.

Teaching and learning approaches accommodate the diverse skills, abilities, and prior knowledge of young adolescents, cultivate multiple intelligences, draw upon students' individual learning styles, and utilize digital tools. We believe when learning experiences capitalize on students' cultural, experiential, and personal backgrounds, new concepts are built on knowledge students already possess.

How do we assess students?

Our faculty uses varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it. Continuous, authentic, and appropriate assessment measures, including both formative and summative ones, provide evidence about every student's learning progress. Such information helps students, teachers, and family members select immediate learning goals and plan further education.

How do you guide and provide support services for middle schoolers?

Our faculty is readily available to offer the assistance many students need in negotiating their lives in and out of school. If we feel a student needs additional counseling services, we will refer students to trusted counselors with whom we work, many of whom are on site.

Middle School FAQs - School What are the subjects my son will be studying?

Humanities (English and History), Math, Science, and Spanish.

Will my child have an Academic advisor and, if so, how often will they meet, what will they address, and will the Academic Advisor routinely report to us as parents?

Your student will select a mentor, who is a member of the faculty or administration who will serve as their support and liaison during the school year. This person will communicate with families about grades and feedback, as well as work with their mentee's teachers to ensure that the student is on track and performing to their potential. Mentors are also seen as a "go-to" person for emotional support, given what can be a stressful time for adolescents, especially those who play at this level.

How many times per year will there be a parent meeting for us with the school’s teachers and my son’s mentor about my son’s academic progress, and what topics will be covered in what form, i.e. verbal, written, etc.?

Mentors are available any time to address concerns, questions, and thoughts regarding your child.

Your child's mentor will formally meet with you twice each year during student-led conferences, which will give your son the opportunity to take ownership of his learning and development. Mentors will also meet with families during the Back to School Breakfast.

What programs does YSC Academy offer in-house to help students improve performance on standardized tests for college, and who are the staff members accountable for managing this process?

As a progressive school, we don't want our students to see standardized testing as outside of their curriculum. Given that, our sophomore, junior, and senior teachers offer test prep within their courses rather than an explicit test prep class. This allows students to connect the strategies and context to what they're learning in class, rather than seeing the material in isolation. Further, all of our testing is offered at YSC Academy during the school day. This approach has been remarkably successful for our students, many of whom have experienced reduced testing anxiety because of our program. This also leaves weekends open for competitions and college visits.

Middle School FAQs - School When it comes time to apply for college, how will the process work for my son, and who on the school’s staff will be the point person to interface with college coaches, college admissions offices, etc.?

At YSC Academy, we have created an individualized college and career counseling program with the goal of creating the best possible post-graduation options for each of our student-athletes. We follow a studentcentered, student-led approach to the college admission process and expect each of our student-athletes to drive much of what happens with regard to the process. In utilizing this approach, we find our studentathletes are more at ease throughout the process and take time to discuss and select schools that are best suited to their individual interests and needs.

Our primary goal in the college search process is to educate our student-athletes about the opportunities that are available to them, both academically and athletically, and to help them find the best fit. The process starts in 9th grade with individual and group meetings that provide an overview of different types of post-secondary institutions and underscore the importance of academic performance. The conversation continues in 10th grade, as students work individually with the Director of College & Career Counseling to establish an initial “working list” of college options while developing burgeoning relationships with college coaches. As 11th graders, each student-athlete continues to formalize and refine his potential plans for the future by visiting and further researching colleges. With the help of the Director, students create a send game film and a highlight tape, as well as independently manage relationships with collegiate men’s soccer programs. The Director cultivates relationships with collegiate admission offices and Division I, II, III, and NAIA men’s soccer programs to aid student-athletes in this process. College admission testing options, requirements, and recommendations are discussed with student-athletes based on the specific schools identified. By 12th grade, our student-athletes are well prepared to submit applications and focus on graduation from YSC Academy.

All students in grades 9-11 take the PSAT/NMSQT in order to establish a benchmark for their testing and give coaches a window into their potential scores on the SAT and ACT. YSC Academy also provides twice-weekly test prep sessions, led by our faculty, which are built into the school day for 10th and 11th graders. Student-athletes must also register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, which they complete alongside the Director of College & Career Counseling.

Our students have experienced remarkable success in the college process. 1/3 of our graduates are admitted to highly selective colleges and universities, 85% of our alumni attend four-year colleges. Of our graduates who sign professional contracts, over half are concurrently pursuing college degrees full-time.

95% of our college matriculants play Division I soccer.

Middle School FAQs - Soccer For the middle school, and Upper School what will daily morning training sessions look like in terms of soccer training and physical training, including the daily athletic curriculum, the individual development plans/goals, the coaching staff, etc.?

For the age groups U15 and under, the morning training schedule will be structured with the focus on the development of the individual, an aspect most clubs do not have the luxury to implement given their limited training units. Given our ability to structure the academic and sporting schedule through YSC Academy, we are able to focus on the necessary aspects in the holistic development of the individual player.

The focus would be on the individual needs of the player and would vary accordingly. The curriculum will be implemented under the supervision of Tommy Wilson, Philadelphia Union Academy Director and would consist members of Academy Technical staff Ryan Richter, Kevin Coleman and Phil Karn. The sessions would align with the Club’s Methodology and Style of Play.

Consideration will be placed on the player’s age and stage of development. Player load would be continuously monitored and all sessions would incorporate involvement from the Athletic Development Training staff to ensure that players were physically prepared for the demands of each session.

For the older ages (U17 and up), morning training sessions would be centered around the team, with the individual development sessions taking place in the afternoon.

For the morning training, who are the staff at the school who will establish the athletic curriculum and individual development plans/goals for my child and will we as parents receive periodic athletic progress reports from the school’s staff?

The curriculum for morning training will be designed and implemented under the supervision and direction of Tommy Wilson, Philadelphia Union Academy Director. The coaching staff each day would consist of members of the Academy Technical staff as well as members of the Athletic Development Training staff. The sessions would align with the Club’s Methodology and Style of Play and will carefully be implemented in accordance with a periodization model that is mindful of player load, injuries, etc.

Athletic progress reports will be issued periodically by Union academy performance staff.

Middle School FAQs - Soccer How will the school’s staff help our family manage the soccer options for my son if he is no longer qualified to play for one of Union Academy teams, but wants to continue as a student at the school, and who will be the point person on the school’s staff to ensure that my son has a good soccer option, if the Union Academy is not an option?

We pride ourselves at keeping YSC Academy as a viable option academically, should the Union Academy no longer be an option for a player. We have consistently had a small number of student athletes enrolled in YSC Academy who have taken advantage of an individually tailored morning training program, while competing for a different local club. Jon Scheer (Director of Talent Identification) together with age group coaches will be heavily involved in aiding the process of finding a suitable club option for a student athlete. Ultimately, the decision as to which club one decides to play for will be up to the player and his family; however, the Union Academy Staff will be a valuable resource (if desired) in this process.

Tuition year to year is determined through a process that includes different factors, including financial need, athletic ability, academic standard, in addition to other variables. A student athlete’s tuition for YSC Academy is determined year to year and is ultimately determined and awarded by YSC Academy’s Admissions Committee.

Who on the staff will meet with my son and with us as parents about his athletic progress over the course each school year, and how often will we meet?

There will be a high level of individual feedback and discussion that student athletes at YSC Academy will benefit from. Every student athlete will have a detailed Individual Development Plan, that is completed and updated monthly both by the Union Academy Staff and player himself. A player’s age group coach will meet at least once a week with the athlete and these meetings will take place on site at YSC Academy during an open time in the student’s schedule. The Coaching Staff’s offices will be located in the school moving forward, which will allow for a lot of organic interaction between staff and student athletes. The staff will be able to incorporate innovative strategies to shape individual meetings, including the use of film (game and training).

Middle School FAQs – Soccer In terms of the college recruitment process, how is YSC Academy beneficial from an athletic perspective?

A very significant differentiator that YSC Academy’s environment has to offer is how much value it provides as it relates to the college recruitment process. From a sporting perspective, college coaches are in constant dialogue with our staff who have a great relationships with the college coaching network. Some of our current staff have even worked in the college game and their relationships and experience is certainly a valuable resource.

There are countless examples of individuals who have graduated from YSC Academy that have made immediate and sustainable impacts on and off the field in top NCAA programs, which in turn makes our current student athletes more marketable and appealing. The additional training units that allow for the development of the holistic player helps our athletes. In addition, the structure and schedule of our morning training allows for coaches to use our practice times as scouting and recruiting opportunities.

Most college programs practice in the afternoon and as a result, it is quite regular for our morning sessions to have college coaches spectating. This is unlike almost any other environment in the country and while there is a large contingent of college staffs from the region attending training, it is not uncommon for coaches from all different parts of the country to attend training sessions throughout the year. Most coaches like to evaluate aspects of players in training, as it gives a different perspective than what they might see on gameday.

Student athletes from YSC Academy have proven to be recruited, with better offers, more consistently than those of similar athletic and academic profiles outside of our program. This in part has a lot to do with the environment college coaches know our student athletes are coming from, and how positively that translates in to the NCAA level athletically, academically, and socially. The amount our student athletes train, how progressive the program is, and the competitive nature of the project are only a few contributing factors why interest from top academic and athletic institutions has only increased year after year for our student athletes. This is a trend that we feel will only continue to grow in years to come.