A primary focus at Meridian Academy is to assist our students in developing the skills and habits that are necessary for success in the adult working world. This is accomplished in three ways: Workplace Readiness Behavior Monitoring, Driver’s Education, and Socialization Skills Training.

Workplace Readiness Behavior Monitoring is a tracking system whereby all students are evaluated on their compliance with ten essential workplace readiness attributes:

• Remain in designated area
• Respect for personal space and property
• Participates and completes assignments
• Follow directions
• Appropriate language

As students master these five attributes, they are rewarded with various incentives, including school store, special lunches and snacks, field trips, and earned activities.

Driver’s Education is a program targeting students who are approaching the age where they are eligible for their learner’s permit. Small groups of students are taught from the New Jersey Driver’s Manual and transported to Motor Vehicle Services to take their written test. Once they past the test, students are provided, at no charge to them, six hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction. The purpose behind the Driver’s Education program is to increase the ability of our students to find and keep jobs that are beyond walking distance of their homes. Students who can drive to work will have a much greater selection of jobs than those who do not have their own transportation. Because driving is a privilege, not a right, the Driver’s Education program is limited to students who have successfully progressed through the behavior management system, demonstrating that they are responsible, in control of their behavior, and committed to this goal.