ASR

[Troll Control]

What is it you think theyre going to say. Or are you afraid to take a firm position?

Doesn't matter what his position is anyway.  he has either outright lied or been wrong about almost every detail so far.

I called and this is what I learned:

ASR has no licensed teachers, no special ed teachers and no special ed administrator.

TheWho doesn't dispute this.  He agrees.

[TheWho]

What is it you think theyre going to say. Or are you afraid to take a firm position?

Doesn't matter what his position is anyway.  he has either outright lied or been wrong about almost every detail so far.

I called and this is what I learned:

ASR has no licensed teachers, no special ed teachers and no special ed administrator.

TheWho doesn't dispute this.  He agrees.

Ha,Ha,Ha,  This is too funny...and they will say there is no building either I guess... you will hear that ASR is a specialized school serving western Massachusetts for Struggling teens.  They have licensed teachers and licensed counselors and 100% of the kids who graduate go on to college if they choose to.  They offer SAT and PSAT testing and if you finish up high school while there you can receive your high school diploma.

Doesn’t matter what I say or anyone here says... the parents need to check it out for themselves

 Here check it out:

http://www.swiftriver.com/


They dont accept all kids but the ones they do end up doing well after graduation.  The best thing to do is pose these questions to admissions.

..

[Troll Control]

TheWho said:

"They have licensed teachers and licensed counselors"

This is 100% false.  In fact ASR doesn't have any licensed teachers nor any licensed counselors.

TheWho would now have parents not verify with the state, but rather go to ASR to verify (police themselves).

Sorry, Who, but you can't change the facts.  The state has verified no licensed teachers or counselors.  If you don't like the state's response, I suppose you should take it up with them.  Citing ASR's promotional materials as facts and saying the state is lying just further ruins your already severely damaged credibility...

I know it makes you angry and upset when you're proven wrong and you resort to saying "the state is lying" but you need to calm down and start presenting rational arguments about what you want changed in how the state reports these facts instead of just pointing fingers and blaming the state for ASR's shortcomings and lack of licensure of its employees.

[RobertBruce]

What is it you think theyre going to say. Or are you afraid to take a firm position?

Doesn't matter what his position is anyway.  he has either outright lied or been wrong about almost every detail so far.

I called and this is what I learned:

ASR has no licensed teachers, no special ed teachers and no special ed administrator.

TheWho doesn't dispute this.  He agrees.

Ha,Ha,Ha,  This is too funny...and they will say there is no building either I guess... you will hear that ASR is a specialized school serving western Massachusetts for Struggling teens.  They have licensed teachers and licensed counselors and 100% of the kids who graduate go on to college if they choose to.  They offer SAT and PSAT testing and if you finish up high school while there you can receive your high school diploma.

Doesn’t matter what I say or anyone here says... the parents need to check it out for themselves

 Here check it out:

http://www.swiftriver.com/


They dont accept all kids but the ones they do end up doing well after graduation.  The best thing to do is pose these questions to admissions.

..

Cindy why would you encourage us to discuss the matter with the state and then turn around and suggest we should discuss the matter with the school?

Is it because the state gave us information that showed you to be a liar?

The previous poster is correct, should parents rely on ASR for valid information when its clear the only one regulating ASR is ASR?

[TheWho]

TheWho said:

"They have licensed teachers and licensed counselors"

This is 100% false.  In fact ASR doesn't have any licensed teachers nor any licensed counselors.

Hmmmm..  Wrong at every turn, here are some licensed counselors at ASR.

Francis Bartolomeo-Director of Counseling-Licensed Social Worker

Tanya Beecher- Clinical Counselor-Licensed Social Worker


Sabrina Herman-Clinical Counselor-Licensed Social Worker

This is why I stress talking to the school or call   Department of Education's Program Quality Assurance Services Unit (781) 338-3700.

[RobertBruce]

Glad I could help you out there Cindy.

Perhaps the better term would be ASR has no licensed "therapist".

A 18 year old working at a summer camp can be called a "counselor".

[Troll Control]

TheWho said:

"They have licensed teachers and licensed counselors"

This is 100% false.  In fact ASR doesn't have any licensed teachers nor any licensed counselors.

Hmmmm..  Wrong at every turn, here are some licensed counselors at ASR.

Francis Bartolomeo-Director of Counseling-Licensed Social Worker

Tanya Beecher- Clinical Counselor-Licensed Social Worker


Sabrina Herman-Clinical Counselor-Licensed Social Worker

This is why I stress talking to the school or call   Department of Education's Program Quality Assurance Services Unit (781) 338-3700.

I see you skipped over the teachers again :roll:

I never said anything about counselors.  I was discussing teachers.  Let's not get off track (although you'd desperately like to).

ASR has no licesned teachers.

So, to avoid your changing the subject again, please name ASR's licesned teachers and provide links to verify their licensure

Sorry, but you're just not telling the truth here, Who.  you're desperate to avoid the fact that ASR doesn't employ qualified licensed teachers and you're showing how far you'll go to avoid that fact.  It's sad, but you need to be accountable for telling lies.

[TheWho]

True. I verified these facts with EEC:

-no special ed teachers or administrators - none
-no licensed teachers

And this fact with DMH:

-no licensed counselors

Does anyone else find this funny (Deja vu all over again!!)
This person claimed to have called and checked with authorities.  I provided evidence to the contrary (proving they never made the call and lied to us) and now the poster is down to one problem with ASR:
They claim they have no licensed teachers although they hand out diplomas in the state of Massachusetts and 100% of the students go onto college after graduation if they choose.
Do I have a list of teachers’ certifications, no I don’t.  This is why I encourage you to call the school or State department (DOE)
Department of Education's Program Quality Assurance Services Unit (781) 338-3700.
http://www.swiftriver.com/
I think the horse is dead already, Ha,Ha,Ha,

[Troll Control]

Yes, the horse is dead.

There are no licensed teachers at ASR and TheWho can't provide any evidence that there are.  

They are in fact not giving out legal diplomas.  Since ASR doesn't appear in the Mohawk Regional School District's comprehensive review for 2007, that would indicate they are not in fact issuing any diplomas through the district or the state.  Anybody can hand out a piece of paper and call it a "diploma" but that doesn't mean that it is valid or sanctioned by the state.

In addition, ASR is unaccredited which bars them legaly from issuing state sanctioned diplomas.  Unaccredited schools that hand out diplomas have a name - "diploma mills".

Remember, Ivy Ridge was giving out "diplomas" - until they were forced by NYS DOE to stop.

[RobertBruce]

Does anyone else find this funny (Deja vu all over again!!)

We all find you to be a bit of a joke yes, but we probably arent laughing at the same thing youre laughing at. Of course you only laugh to hide your pain, we laugh because its funny to watch you make a fool out of yourself.

This person claimed to have called and checked with authorities. I provided evidence to the contrary (proving they never made the call and lied to us) and now the poster is down to one problem with ASR:

Please provide the evidence you have which proves this person never made a call. Be cautious about this, remember you've been burned once before regarding just such a claim. Remember the time you pretended to have proven that DJ never called up that Congressmans office. You walked away with your tail tucked between your legs because you could prove nothing. As to problems with ASR there are still several that are ongoing.

ASR is still monitoring/restricting communication in defiance of the OCCS mandate.

ASR has no licensed teachers on staff.

ASR has no licensed therapist on regular staff.

The student population with special needs exceeds 30% yet that have yet to apply for proper licensure.

ASR is unlicensed.

ASR is unregulated.

So then it would appear there is more than one issue on the table. Try and keep up.

They claim they have no licensed teachers although they hand out diplomas in the state of Massachusetts and 100% of the students go onto college after graduation if they choose.

A diploma is a piece of paper, its meaningless with a govt entity to back it up. I'm curious though, can you back up this 100% go to college claim without citing ASR's own webpage?

Do I have a list of teachers’ certifications, no I don’t. This is why I encourage you to call the school or State department (DOE)
Department of Education's Program Quality Assurance Services Unit (781) 338-3700.

We already did, we know they arent licensed. Its time for you to get on board with this.

I think the horse is dead already, Ha,Ha,Ha,

Youre right it is, the matter has been settled. Youre a liar and we were right. The thing to focus on now is exposing ASR and forcing them to become properly licensed. Ha ha ha.

[Troll Control]

BTW, what you referred to as "licensed counselors" are actually licensed social workers, a fact which RB pointed out a long time ago in another thread.  He was talking about the people who actually work with the kids all day every day and facilitate group therapy.  None of them are licensed and they're providing therapy illegally.  That issue has been settled already.

In any case, we were focusing on academics and established the fact that ASR employs only unlicensed teachers.

Feel free to call DOE and verify or just look at ASR's website - no licensed teachers there!  In fact, most, if not all, of the teachers are "cross-utilized," that is teaching subjects for which they have no education, a situation that would be prohibited if they were licensed... Licensed teachers are required to have a degree in the subject they teach.  ASR's teachers don't and therefore can't possibly be licensed.

[TheWho]

BTW, what you referred to as "licensed counselors" are actually licensed social workers, a fact which RB pointed out a long time ago in another thread.  He was talking about the people who actually work with the kids all day every day and facilitate group therapy.  None of them are licensed and they're providing therapy illegally.  That issue has been settled already.

In any case, we were focusing on academics and established the fact that ASR employs only unlicensed teachers.

Feel free to call DOE and verify or just look at ASR's website - no licensed teachers there!  In fact, most, if not all, of the teachers are "cross-utilized," that is teaching subjects for which they have no education, a situation that would be prohibited if they were licensed... Licensed teachers are required to have a degree in the subject they teach.  ASR's teachers don't and therefore can't possibly be licensed.

With your credible history of facts here today I don’t think we need to verify anything, Guest.  I vote to just shut them down, today!!  They are a nuisance and provide no value.  No one is licensed, they torture kids....lets go I'll meet you out front in 2 hours... who cares if the state see them as a school, its you and I that really matter and they should listen to us!!  Ha,Ha,Ha,

[RobertBruce]

who cares if the state see them as a school, its you and I that really matter and they should listen to us!! Ha,Ha,Ha,

The state sees them as a school? What gave you that idea? They arent recognized as a licensed program by either the district they reside in or the DoE. So who exactly views them as a school? And what kind of school at that?

[Troll Control]

I vote to just shut them down, today!! They are a nuisance and provide no value. No one is licensed, they torture kids....lets go I'll meet you out front in 2 hours... who cares if the state see them as a school, its you and I that really matter and they should listen to us!! Ha,Ha,Ha,

Translation:  "I've stepped in it again and have been thoroughly proven wrong so I'll resort to hyperbole to try to shift the focus."

Nobody said anything like this.  I personally don't care if they get shut down, but I'm not calling for it.  I'm calling for them to follow the law and hire licesnded qualified teachers, which they currently do not, a fact you've been painstakingly avoiding to address.

Look, ASR isn't going to improve unless consumers demand that they do.  Unfortunately, a direct appeal gets nowhere - ASR refuses to hire licensed teachers, so complaints to the state are in order.  Qualified personnel are expensive and as long as ASR can avoid hiring qualified personnel, they will, despite the poor care received by the children.

The real problem lies with desperate parents like TheWho.  He knows that the teachers are unqualified, unlicensed and cross-utilized.  He simply doesn't care.  That's unfortunate and it shows the value he places on the quality of life he wants for his child.  It's sad.

Fortunately, there are more discriminating parents who reject ASR's unqualified and unlicesned teaching staff and won't send their kids there, like the parent that posted earlier saying she was scared off by TheWho's patent acceptance of these unqualified personnel and the excuses he made about them.  For her, ASR simply wasn't good enough, even for her "troubled teen".  She believed that qualified personnel are required (by law and good practice) to actually help these kids.

ASR just warehouses them with their unqualifed personnel and at least some consumers reject this..

[TheWho]

Look, ASR isn't going to improve unless consumers demand that they do.

The first statement that I have heard here, today,  that I agree with. This is the driving force behind any thriving business.  ASR has come a long way since its beginnings.  We made some immediate suggestions when my daughter first attended and some other parents concurred and changes were made to benefit the students there   As we saw our kids progress thru the program we were approached by staff on how we felt things were going.  ASR was very receptive to our feed back and again implemented many of our suggestions.
As I have been following updates on their growth and progress over the years it appears they are continuing to respond to their customer’s demands, they have shifted their program to a clinical based approach which should allow for better tracking and measurements which can be used to implement continuous improvement models.
If ASR does not have Certified teachers and this is the law then they need to get on it. If it is near the top of the list for most parents contemplating sending their kids to ASR then based on ASR past track record in responding to parents needs I believe changes will be made in due course.  If they don’t respond to customers needs attendance will drop off, so this is pretty much self correcting.
At the time my daughter stated there she was not attending school at all and there were more important issues then looking at academic credentials (for us).  One of the main things was ASR got her interested in school again and back into  routine that was healthy.  After she returned home she graduated with her class on time.
So for me, yes certified teachers would be great, but it wasn’t the top of the list for us.