Academy training structure

The Maillardet's Academy's training structure consists of five stages: testing, during which the posterchildren's abilities and limitations are explored; three blocks, each spanning a three-year period; and the capstone, during which the top 25 students are split into five-man teams and put through more rigorous training. Only the third block is essential in order to graduate or qualify for a capstone team.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Academy Training Structure
The school year begins in January and ends two weeks before the end of December. School days begin at eight in the morning and end at seven thirty in the evening, with a break for lunch between eleven and twelve-thirty and either a study hall or elective between four thirty and dinner.Origins, Issue #2, p. 85
==Student intake==
Academy placements are government-subsidized for Alphas, for whom training is mandatory. Betas may also attend, either as fee-paying students or under a mandatory court order.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Academy Training Structure The school does offer scholarships, but they are rare.quipquipquip: "Things to Know About Ofelia D" The school is not involved in any exchange programs, however it does accept international students and instructors.quipquipquip: "So are there other training academies around the world?" There are always 48 students per year, but they flex between the blocks; any student with less than half the possible number of points is dismissed, and one of the names on the school's long waiting lists takes their place.Origins, Issue #1 There are separate waiting lists for Alphas, Betas and problem posters.quipquipquip: "Are Betas and Alphas always paired together?"
==Testing==
The testing period takes place over the course of a year prior to the beginning of formal Academy schooling. During this time, the children are given guidance in exploring the extent of their abilities, pushing their limits and experimenting with what they might be able to do.quipquipquip: "How often, if ever, would you say a posterchild's power/level gets misidentified?" As a result of this testing, they are assigned strength tiers and color band classifications.
==First block==
The first block runs from ages eight to ten. At its end, students are given a practical exam encompassing ten categories (Combat, Ethics and Psychology, Criminology, Public Relations and Law, Science and Mathematics, Language, History, Strategy, Acting, Athletics and Kinesiology), each marked out of five (for a total of fifty possible points).
==Second block==
The second block runs from ages eleven to thirteen. During this block, the highest-marked students and the students who struggle in a traditional academic setting are offered the chance to take up "work study" sidekick positions with BHPA-approved adult mentors.quipquipquip: "Things to Know About Sidekicks" At the end, students are again tested on the ten core categories, receiving a mark out of fifty.
==Third block==
This is the only block that is essential to graduation, and many students begin their education at the Academy from the third block. It runs from ages fourteen to sixteen, although age is less of a consideration for new students, who are dealt with according to their perceived level of capability. These new students are generally either late-blooming Alphas, children who have been on the waiting list for some time, or problem posters who have earned mandatory training.Origins, Issue #2, p. 57
At the beginning of the block, students are paired off into two-man teams, each consisting of an Alpha and a Beta. These partnerships are intended to condition the students to group dynamics and relying on others.
Partnerships are based on a number of considerations. Those students who have completed the first two blocks are ranked according to their combined examination scores, and are paired either with a similar-scoring student or a newcomer. New students are always placed with posters who have attended the Academy from the first block, giving them the benefit of a peer mentor. If there are more than 24 Alphas in a class, the lowest-marked are kept down a year in order to keep the numbers even.quipquipquip: "I've been thinking about Maillardet's and the third block's partner system..."
During the summer, third block pairs compete against one another in a series of nighttime practical exercises known as the Night Games. These run from ten p.m. to three a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and can involve anything from scavenger hunts to capture the flag to more complicated scenarios.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Night Games The three top-scoring teams are awarded free points, which are added to the students' total grade. As only the top 25 students make it into the capstone year, the points on offer during the Night Games can make or break a student's chance at qualifying; as a result, competition is fierce.
At the end of the third block, students are once more tested on the ten core categories, receiving a mark out of fifty.
==Capstone year==
Only the top 25 students pass from the third block to the capstone. Of these, the five highest-scoring Alphas are designated leaders, and each selects their five-man team from the remaining top twenty. Each team must have a gold-band poster as their designated transport.quipquipquip: "Do the twenty-five who end up in the Capstone year choose their five-person teams themselves?"
The faculty is fairly hands-off with capstone students, and although each team has an instructor as their mentor, the majority of the decision-making falls to the team leaders: "The mentors will help them, but it’s up to the leading Alpha whether or not they follow their advice." The focus is on rigorous, real-life-applicable testing in an environment where failure does not mean civilian casualties. It is rare that all five capstone teams make it through intact.
==Injuries and fatalities==
While instructors do their best to protect students, they also understand that it is their job to prepare them for high-risk careers in law enforcement and the BPHA. As the training regime involves a high amount of physical activity, accidents and injuries are not uncommon.
The school's competitive atmosphere can sometimes give rise to some dirty tactics, particularly during the third block: students have been known to sabotage other high-scorers in order to eradicate competition for the capstone placements. One instance of this is seen in Origins, when a group of students attack Maks Petrov and Zip Chance during the Night Games in order to prevent them and their friends from winning additional points.quipquipquip: "General reaction of students in first and second block to the Night Games fiasco?"
==Graduation==
Graduates of the Maillardet's Academy who achieve a combined score of 67% or more may become licensed public heroes, with the possibility of going into law enforcement, freelancing, gaining employment with the BPHA or (if they are extremely lucky) gaining funding through companies or private sponsors.Origins, Issue #7, p. 322 However, graduates seeking employment in the baseliner workforce can be hampered by a diploma from Maillardet's as it advertises their posthuman genetics to employers, most of whom prefer to avoid the potential risks of hiring a poster.Gunsmoke, p. 3
==Failing==
Alphas who receive a failing end-of-block grade (that is, less than 50%) are given the choice of power suppression (generally through some combination of surgery and medication) or repeating the block. If an Alpha fails to graduate by the age of 18, they must undergo mandatory power suppression. A failing Beta with a reputation as a "problem poster" may also be made to undergo suppression, or be involuntarily committed; a Beta with a clean history may simply be dismissed without incident. Any student who has been expelled cannot enter law enforcement.quipquipquip: "What happens when someone gets a failing score?"
==References==
Category:Maillardet's Foundation for the Future of Humanity