Our dual language immersion curriculum is standards-based, centered on
communication skills, and culturally relevant. Language Arts and Science
are taught in English, while Math and Social Studies are taught in Spanish,
thus allowing students to develop their oral, writing, thinking, study,
and social skills in both languages. Classes will be less than 20 students
each, with a combination of both native English and Spanish speakers, and
students will be placed in buddy pairs so each has a native speaker to
support the other in all classes. The school will be a multicultural setting
where all students will feel valued and important and where an atmosphere
of cooperative learning is conducive to the development of strong academic
skills and language acquisition.
Students respond to high expectations by rising to meet them. ABC draws
from the best national and local academic standards in all subjects to
create a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum. Our students are both challenged
and stimulated as they work hard and see their academic and language skills
develop, their overall knowledge base strengthen and grow, and as they
meet and exceed their own goals and expectations. ABC students graduate
academically prepared for high school and future success, with solid language,
study, and thinking skills.
Through our focus on communication skills, we incorporate the students'
lives, communities, and cultures into the curriculum to make education
personally relevant. Families are invited to participate actively in their
children's education and are provided with a Community and Family Resource
Center (CFRC) at the school. The CFRC provides an entry point for families
to engage in their students' education with computers to access their children's
records, grades, and curriculum materials. Also, families receive one progress
report per quarter along with end-of-quarter report cards, for a minimum
of eight reports on their child's progress per year.
Educational support includes skills-based English and Spanish classes to
provide additional support to students with weaker language skills and
to challenge students whose skills are more advanced. Each day, students
participate in Focus class, during which they will receive additional academic
support through direct instruction on study skills, such as note taking,
time management, and organization. Emotional support includes Advisory,
during which students meet weekly in a small group with a staff member
to discuss academic concerns, social issues, and students' thoughts.
The school day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with an optional breakfast
for all students, and classes will run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
(one and a half hours longer than a typical public school day).
Extracurricular activities will be offered, and students can stay at
school and be supervised until 6:00 p.m. each day. The school year
will be divided into quarters with 188 days of instruction. Class
sizes will be small enough to allow teachers to provide effective
differentiated instruction and personalize their academic support to
each of their students. ABC will also utilize block scheduling to
foster academic growth. Our longer classes and Advisory also enable
students to develop better relationships with teachers.
The school day begins at 7:30 a.m. with an optional breakfast for all students,
and classes run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Extracurricular activities
are offered, and students can stay at school and be supervised until 6:00
p.m. each day. ABC's school year has 188 days of instruction. Class sizes
are small enough to allow teachers to provide effective differentiated
instruction and personalize their academic support to each of their students.
ABC uses block scheduling to foster academic growth. Our longer classes
and Advisory also enable students to develop better relationships with
teachers.
ABC has two innovations to provide intensive language support in addition
to its immersion model. First, we have a four-week long Intensive Language
Academy just before classes begin in September. This month-long academy
allows us to accurately assess students' language skills and proficiencies,
provide language support and help acculturate students and staff to ABC's
programs. Second, we have the Language Development classes. These are skills-based
classes that will provide remedial support to students who need it and
challenging work to our advanced students -- these classes will be offered
in both Spanish and English and will be required of all our students.
ABC was founded by a committed group of educators, lawyers, business professionals,
students, community activists, and parents who have a diverse set of skills
and experiences. In addition, ABC has partnered with National Council of
La Raza to draw upon their experience of working with 89 schools in their
national network.
|
