https://www.btacademy.org/staff daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1611687987903-WEZ5VUKAIOL0JF14SUYI/022_BreakthroughAcademystaff2020.jpg Staff - Ms. Kris Ms. Kris - Kristina Blackledge, MS, MFT Founder, CEO/Executive Director, Reading Specialist, Positive Behavior Support Specialist, Certified Special Education Teacher kristina@azbreakthroughacademy.org Tel: 866-620-9380, ext. 1 Kristina holds a Master’s of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialty in Play Therapy and a certificate in Child Trauma from the Harris Institute. She also holds a post-graduate certificate in Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS)/Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a certificate in Structured Literacy specializing in the treatment of Dyslexia, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Special Education. Kristina has numerous specialized trainings targeted to benefit the learners at Breakthrough Academy including the highly-regarded, intensive Morningside Academy Summer School Institute to study Precision Teaching and Mathetics (from which Direct Instruction is derived). Learn more about our Director here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1611688667759-F3LZU5OD1M2SGAUC0TMG/IMG_0231.jpg Staff - Mrs. Leigh Ann Mrs. Leigh Ann Executive Administrative Assistant & Billing Specialist leighann@azbreakthroughacademy.org Tel: 866-620-9380, ext. 3 Mrs. Leigh Ann works hard supporting the operations at Breakthrough! Mrs. Leigh Ann has a passion for helping families with special needs and is a mother of two young adults children who successfully live with learning differences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/ff07188e-4cb0-437f-a15c-236cf36d87e9/Breakthrough+Academy.Bernice+9.24.jpeg Staff - Mrs. Bernice Mrs. Bernice, Special Education Teacher and Reading Specialist bernice@azbreakthroughacademy.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/693aee27-debc-46d9-bbf6-25309bc7a826/Screenshot+2024-07-16+at+1.40.27%E2%80%AFPM.png Staff - Mr. Baxter Assistant Operations Director, Baxter@azbreakthroughacademy.org Mr. Baxter helps our entire school stay organized and operational! Please reach out to him for tours, new enrollments, transportation needs, field trip information, and other school-related matters. He is proud to be a part of a school that makes a positive difference for its learners! Photo coming soon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/693aee27-debc-46d9-bbf6-25309bc7a826/Screenshot+2024-07-16+at+1.40.27%E2%80%AFPM.png Staff - Miss Helayna, School Secretary Miss Helayna is talented at multitasking which is a BIG help to our little school! She keeps our building organized and ensures our scheduling and planning are up-to-date! Miss Helayna is currently studying for her undergraduate degree and has part-time hours with Breakthrough. We appreciate her tremendous help! Photo coming soon! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/b7b51a36-7651-4af7-9d79-c81962f78c08/Breakthrough+Academy.Rendi+9.24.jpeg Staff - Ms. Rendi, Instructor, Rendi@azbreakthroughacademy.org Ms. Rendi is a former Registered Behavior Technician and brings vast experience in behavior management to the classroom. Ms. Rendi has worked at Breakthrough for three years and is our “FLEX” (social emotional learning) Manager. She has been trained in all of the FLEX curricula and in Precision Teaching by the prestigious Morningside Academy. Ms. Rendi is currently enrolled in a dual teaching certification program for both general and special education certification. Her classroom is filled with fun and collaboration! Ms. Rendi is a mother to a child with multiple disabilities and is dedicated to our field! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/693aee27-debc-46d9-bbf6-25309bc7a826/Screenshot+2024-07-16+at+1.40.27%E2%80%AFPM.png Staff - Ms. jerdean, M.ED in Special Education and M.Ed in Education Administration, Instructor Ms. Jerdean has 20 years of experience as a Special Education Teacher and four years experience as a School Administrator and Leader. Ms. Jerdean is passionate about fostering inclusive learning environments and leading organizational development efforts. She is a transformational leader committed to empowering students, uplifting communities, and strategically improving educational outcomes. We are so glad to have her on our team! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/693aee27-debc-46d9-bbf6-25309bc7a826/Screenshot+2024-07-16+at+1.40.27%E2%80%AFPM.png Staff - Ms. Joelle,M.Ed in Curriculum and instruction, instructor Ms. Joelle holds a Masters degree in Education, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been a general education elementary teacher for 24 years working in special education for the last five years in both private and public schools. She has training in Structured Literacy and loves helping our elementary learners master Reading! She adds so much to our team and our learners benefit greatly from her expertise! (Photo coming soon!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/887f10cb-0478-40d6-a851-399ef6a63c48/Breakthrough+Academy.Christina+9.24.jpeg Staff - Mrs. Christina, Instructor Mrs. Christina, Home Economics, christina@azbreakthroughacademy.org Mrs. Christina is an experienced educator with over 12 years working with children with disabilities. She understands the importance of and is passionate about teaching independent living skills. Her class targets Nutrition and healthy cooking but also teaches Hygiene and valuable life skills. Our learners love her hands-on class! As a mother of children with special needs, Mrs. Christina has a special place in her heart for our learners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/d0cfaec7-9ee3-4d66-ad28-cc616715b3a9/Sam.jpg Staff - Mr. sam, PE Instructor and bt Mr. Sam, PE; photo coming soon! https://www.btacademy.org/home daily 1.0 2026-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1589417861804-F465X98HWEXBLMZPOIOK/IMG_3237.jpg Home - school building https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1606852365399-RTLXMX30Q73WH0ENE5CB/IMG_3275.jpg Home - street sign https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1606857412746-43UKL1L6QXWD8HHS69KP/IMG_3250.jpg Home - school playground https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/0442ec80-7cbf-429d-b95f-d66a6aa79584/tempImageHWTOBj.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1617127479623-7G0B7XH8M6JTHM8Y1G4C/learning+picture.in+need+of+a+boost.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1598334754726-OK37XKCWECLKXCBS50V1/IMG_6158.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1619298543385-HCDRIRA8I6TR6D6XU5RC/transportation+image.jpg Home After school transportation is available to designated stops around the valley https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/7492d0a5-bd1e-476c-9a29-6edf4d792a28/1st+art+class.jpg Home Art Class https://www.btacademy.org/careers daily 0.75 2025-11-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/0442ec80-7cbf-429d-b95f-d66a6aa79584/tempImageHWTOBj.jpg Careers - Helping out We provide unique learning experiences for our learners…and you could be a part of it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/41119911-ca30-4311-8080-ccbbff6eec9a/table+display.jpg Careers - Careers We are not currently hiring, but always accept outstanding resumes from exceptional candidates who are excited to become an “Educator Scientist”, learn the technology of teaching, and be part of the remarkable breakthroughs in the lives of our learners. https://www.btacademy.org/about-learningenvironment daily 0.75 2025-04-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1588623299475-RS432IQTWX7HA3VT59Y1/red-logo-new1.jpg Learning Environment & Curriculum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1588623389663-TZHK34POPB8K2AJVYECL/cfbbfe5b0c65fcdd15490c600596271d.png Learning Environment & Curriculum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1619374606385-FI8E1601QO0LRL4KD0X0/GBG.png Learning Environment & Curriculum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1588623513260-VGMH3LVUO9O8YVGJD3TY/8fbf711fcf7c5f5488a1570e20ac88b2.jpeg Learning Environment & Curriculum https://www.btacademy.org/founder daily 0.75 2025-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/76ad02f8-9df2-4c4e-bfb7-f1a51c9c986b/2023_BreakthroughAcademy.Kris.2020.jpg More About Our Founder Kristina Blackledge, MS, MFT Founder, CEO, & Executive Director kristina@azbreakthroughacademy.org Tel: 866-620-9380, ext. 1 https://www.btacademy.org/home-alt daily 0.75 2020-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500612440-PGQSIY8KL9F7T5VIXQLO/chambers-2.jpg Home Alt A better world Starts with a choice Contact Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500503574-5BAPXZO9U06UV61P49UO/chambers1.jpg Home Alt Sustainability Starts with you Join Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390500933384-LII4SRIPHFYOUFX0UCXC/chambers-4.jpg Home Alt A better world Starts with a choice Join Us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390504287124-HQ8GNX1JCE22V047MSQ9/chambers-8.jpg Home Alt Preserve Nature Join Us https://www.btacademy.org/resources daily 0.75 2025-04-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1606586677485-2OBSM37ESV919VGDANGH/What+is+Precision+Teaching+-+CentralReach.jpeg Resources The behavioral data science process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1606591796102-KENKTKAR6LV94E00XE4H/NIFDI_logo.png Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/f2c92b17-8777-4452-8145-7c8715ddedd9/CERI-header.jpeg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1606589834623-VERDZCP0FOJJ3R5UOSZ3/social+thinking.jpg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0bd7d2cfe80c0e8acadf20/1608061672067-LMC9BPRZYBSR0B7HLING/AIM.jpg Resources A curriculum to teach the principles of ACT https://www.btacademy.org/read-me-bedford daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52a74d9ae4b0253945d2aee9/1390928870858-4D9B6T9WGP8017NSS9W3/topography.jpg Read Me