Educational Model
With the Charter Schools USA Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum as its core, the Charter Schools USA Educational Model provides the process for improving student learning and academic achievement. Our Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum is aligned to specific state standards and grade-level expectations and is the framework of what is taught at each grade level. Timely and specific feedback based upon formative assessments of student performance on grade level expectations is given to establish individualized goals for all students and to modify instruction to meet students’ learning needs.
The six steps included in the Model are:
- Baseline assessment
- Data-driven instruction
- Assessment
- Grading
- Reporting
- Decision
A network of administrators, teachers, parents, students and the Charter Schools USA Education Team supports each transition to the next step.
Educational Goals
The Charter Schools USA solution includes five equally critical and mutually reinforcing educational goals:
Students will demonstrate academic improvement and success by either meeting high standards or making annual learning gains as defined by the Florida A+ Plan. Making
Annual learning gains can be measured in the following ways:
- Improve achievement levels from 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, or 4-5; or
- Meet high standards in level 3, 4, or 5
- Maintain within the relatively high levels of 3, 4, or 5; or
-
Demonstrate more than one year’s growth within achievement levels 1 or 2 as indicated by the developmental scale score of the FCAT, or by meeting the state requirement for proficiency on the NRT.
- Every Charter Schools USA-managed school will make adequate progress with the lowest 25% in reading as defined by the Florida A+ Plan.
-
Every Charter Schools USA-managed school will improve writing performance by 1% or maintain a minimum of 90% proficiency as required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Proficiency is defined as receiving a 3.5 or higher on the FCAT Writes.
The goal of NCLB is to achieve 100 percent student-proficiency by 2013-2014. Florida has set intermediate goals for reading and mathematics for all schools and all students across grade levels in order to reach 100 percent proficiency by the end of the 2013-14 academic year. Charter Schools USA’s educational model ensures that every effort is made to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) or that ‘safe harbor’ criteria is met, as defined by No Child Left Behind. For the school year 2005-2006, AYP criteria is projected by the State at 53% scoring at or above a level 3 in FCAT Mathematics and 48% scoring at or above a level 3 in FCAT Reading. FCAT Science measures achievement in science for Florida students by assessing student progress on benchmarks identified in the Sunshine State Standards.
Primary school
American children start
school at the age of five years. The first year at school is called
kindergarten. It is required of all American children enrolled in the American
education system. The second year at school is considered the first year of
primary school and is referred to as first grade. In America, the word grade has
two meanings: (1) the score achieved on an exam or in a course, and (2) a year
of education in primary or secondary school. Primary school most commonly
consists of five years of education, referred to as first through fifth grades.
Secondary school
Upon completion of fifth
grade (the last year of primary school), American children enrolled in the
American education system advance to secondary school. Secondary school most
commonly consists of a total of seven years, referred to as sixth through
twelfth grades. The ninth through twelfth grades are most commonly referred to
as high school. Upon completion of twelfth grade, American
students are awarded a certificate called the high school diploma. In the
American education system, students must have obtained a high school diploma
before they are admitted into college or university. Foreign students who would
like to attend an American college or university must have completed coursework
that is equivalent to what is taught at an American high school. Foreign
students who would like to attend an American high school, need to consider how
the high school they select will give them access to the best
colleges.
Undergraduate school
Education in the United States will almost certainly be different from the system offered in your country. This chapter gives you an introduction to the degrees available in the United States, the different types of institutions, and some key terms and ideas you will come across if you want to study at a U.S. university or college.
Colleges, Universities, and Institutes:
The Distinction
Degree-granting institutions in the United States can
be called by any of these terms, and colleges and institutes
are in no way inferior to universities. As a general
rule, colleges tend to be smaller and usually offer only
undergraduate degrees, while a university also offers graduate
degrees. The words “school,” “college,” and “university”
will be used interchangeably throughout this
booklet. An institute usually specializes in degree programs
in a group of closely related subject areas, so you
will also come across degree programs offered at institutes
of technology, institutes of fashion, institutes of art and
design, and so on.
Within each college or university you will find schools,
such as the school of arts and sciences or the school of
business. Each school is responsible for the degree programs
offered by the college or university in that area of
study.
Graduate school
Students who have obtained a
bachelor’s degree can continue their education by pursuing one of two types of
degrees. The first is a master’s degree. This is
usually a two-year degree that is highly specialized in a specific field.
Students are sometimes admitted to a master’s degree program only if they have a
bachelor’s degree in a closely related field. However, there are many exceptions
to this, such as with students who want to pursue a Master’s in Business
Administration (MBA) degree. Students who want to advance their education even
further in a specific field can pursue a doctorate degree, also called a PhD. A PhD degree can take between three and six years
to complete, depending on the course of study chosen, the ability of the
student, and the thesis that the student has selected. The thesis is a very
intensive research paper that must be completed prior to earning the degree. It
is always required of students pursuing a PhD, and may sometimes be required of
students pursuing a master’s degree (depending on the school).
Certain courses of study are
only available at the graduate school level in America. The most notable of
these are law, dentistry, and medicine. Students who want to pursue a degree in
one of these fields must first obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Other External Links:
http://www.articlestree.com/education/how-to-get-into-law-school-tx366496.html
http://www.educationindex.net/educationarticles/graduateschoolstips/admissionsapplying/index.html
