ACT ACADEMY
● a community of learners ●
Philosophy Statement
The philosophy on which the ACT Academy is based comes from the belief that students are active learners who construct knowledge based on prior experiences, values, and beliefs. Therefore, the Academy strives to create an environment that acknowledges and affirms learners’ ideas and feelings and works to develop effective student decision making and critical thinking. This pervades all that occurs at the Academy and is woven throughout the curriculum, instruction and discipline procedures. The following five concepts are key elements of this philosophy:
Choice, Responsibility, Accountability, Continuous Improvement, Efficacy
Mission Statement
What:
To Create a twenty-first century community of lifelong learners who achieve and contribute to society.
In a Way That:
● Includes all stake holders in the decision making process.
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Creates and delivers a world class curriculum that is dynamic in nature, and integrates all facets of learning.
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Attracts, supports, and continuously develops a world class team.
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Uses technology and innovative ideas that ensures optimum learning and knowledge construction.
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Celebrates diversity and focuses on individual needs.
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Uses the world as a classroom.So That:
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Citizens of the Academy may become productive, successful, and independent life-long learners who participate effectively in a global economy and society.●
This generation of learners will dedicate themselves to community and humanity.
ACT ACADEMY
● a community of learners ●
Our Vision for the ACT Academy is…
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To create a dynamic environment that nurtures all participants within the community, allowing for their continuous social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development.(Culture/Environment)
● To design and facilitate experiential, collaborative, and independent life-long learning opportunities that weave the work, home, and community into a rich tapestry of learner success.
(Curriculum & Assessment)
● To maximize opportunities for learner success through self-directed responsible learning, partnerships, and enrichment activities that center on individual learning styles and community-as-a-classroom experiences.
(Instruction)
● To use technology as a springboard for learning, provide access to the world at large, and allow exploration of the unknown.
(Technology)
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To foster interaction and communication among parents, learners, facilitators, and community at large.(Communication)
So that:
The "ACT Experience" enriches present and future ACT learners, MISD learners, and learners throughout the world.
Curriculum
Curriculum and Instruction Foundation
The staff has worked with educators from around the country, has completed extensive reading, and has engaged in research to develop a foundation for the Academy curriculum and instruction. This foundation is composed of six tenets:
● Students are active learners who construct knowledge based on prior experiences, values, and beliefs.
● Learning must move beyond factual recall to deep conceptual understanding of topics.
● Learners bring to the learning process their own notions, myths, and ideas of particular concepts. These must be identified and valued with opportunities provided for students to evaluate, modify, and strengthen them based on new experiences.
● Learning extends beyond the four walls of the classroom through the use of technology, mentorships, internships, and local and national resources.
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Assessments and evaluations are embedded in the learning process and are an integral component of all activities and projects. Learner growth is measured against a standard, not against other students.●
Curriculum development is a dynamic and on-going process based on major concepts and consisting of an elaboration of students’ interests and needs.Life-long Learning and Subject Area Standards
Six life-long learning standards and national subject area standards drive the educational opportunities at the Academy. The life-long learning standards were created with input from community, business, and university members; the subject area standards reflect the work underway nationally to identify standards and benchmarks for the core content areas. Both sets of standards describe what we expect from all ACT Academy citizens.
Learning opportunities are developed using both single discipline and interdisciplinary approaches. Care is taken to balance the tension between what students want to know and what they need to know.
All Academy learning activities, projects, and events are based on the six tenets, the six life-long learning standards, and the subject area standards. This facilitates a common purpose for all learning opportunities and consistency throughout the school.
Life-long Learning Standards
Standard 1
ACT citizens construct, integrate, and apply a foundation of conceptual knowledge.
Standard 2
ACT citizens utilize a variety of complex thinking skills.
Standard 3
ACT citizens value themselves and the commonalities and diversities of others.
Standard 4
ACT citizens effectively work and interact in collaborative, cooperative, and independent environments.
Standard 5
ACT citizens communicate effectively in a global society.
Standard 6
ACT citizens contribute as productive members of the local, national, and international communities.
Learner Assessment
Information concerning student growth and development is collected through a variety of methods at the ACT Academy. The following represents the school’s daily assessment strategies:
● Observations-occur as facilitators and learners go about their daily work. The facilitators look for and record behaviors that provide evidence of learners’ growth and competence in the various standards.● Performance tasks-consist of projects that require an extended period of time to complete and allow learners to construct new knowledge.
● Learner self-assessments-provide an opportunity for learners to reflect on how and the value of what they are learning.
● Traditional tests-consist of teacher-made tests such as multiple-choice, short-answer, and true/false tests that are occasionally used to assess basic, factual information.
Portfolios provide a place to collect student work and provide an overview of the student’s best work and growth over time.
The Academy has established various methods for reporting learner growth:
● Phone calls and informal notes will go home to parents on an as-needed basis. These will inform parents as to work status, and/or specific behavioral observations.
● A learner process report is mailed home in some learning areas several times a year. This report provides a snapshot of the learner’s developmental progress on content standards and age level benchmarks.
● Learners conduct portfolio conferences with their parents several times each year to discuss progress, review portfolios, and determine future educational goals. The facilitators are available to answer questions. This conference may be videotaped.
● At the end of the school year (June-July timeframe), a comprehensive review may occur with a team of the ACT Academy staff, the learner, and parents/guardians. At this time, all information concerning the learner will be reviewed and a determination will be made as to which team the learner will spend the majority of time in during the next school year.
Technology The ACT Academy’s extensive resources are varied and include a great amount of technological resources. ACT students use this equipment to locate, analyze, summarize, manipulate, and present information. The Academy’s goal is to provide access to the data banks and software programs that facilitate learner research and support learner projects. Currently, specific resources at the Academy include: ●
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All major learning areas have numerous Macintosh and IBM computers that are compact-disc capable. There are also laser-disc players, VCR’s, laser printers, and TV monitors available in the learning areas.●
Each facilitator has their own Macintosh PowerBook or IBM Think Pad with fax modem as well as a Newton Message Pad.●
Students in the 7-11 age level have Macintosh PowerBook duo computers at a ratio of two students for each computer. These may be checked out for home or field use.●
Students in the 12-18 age level have Macintosh PowerBook duo computers at a ratio of one student for each computer. These may also be checked out for home or field use.●
Camcorders, still video cameras, scanners, LCD projectors, overhead projectors, boom boxes, tape recorders, 35mm cameras, electronic copy boards, video visualizers, cable TV access, and satellite programming are available for learner and facilitator use.●
Software programs allow students to make meaning of their world and subject areas. In addition to productivity software such as word processing, databases, and spreadsheets, ACT students have access to a wide variety of content software through the school’s network.
Spotlight on McKinney I.S.D.’S
ACT Academy
Did you know…
…The ACT Academy is a year-round school serving students ages 5-18 in a multi-aged setting. The student population is a representative sample of McKinney I.S.D.
…In place of traditional report cards, Individual Learning Profiles are developed using national curriculum standards as the foundation. The ACT Academy values the even intelligences of learners and shapes the curriculum to maximize learning.
…One hundred percent of ACT Academy graduates who have applied have been accepted to the major universities of their choice.
…In the area of discipline, student learners are involved in Peer Mediation, a peaceful way of solving problems and dealing with conflict, which helps achieve the Academy’s goal of developing internally managed, responsible learners.
…General funding per student at ACT Academy is equal to that of McKinney High School. The cost of renovations, the first two years’ staff salaries, technology, and consultation fees were paid for by the federal grant, not MISD taxpayers.
…Computers and other technology are used as tools to assist in the learning process. The student-to-computer ratio for students ages 7-11 is 2 to 1. The student-to-computer ratio for students ages 12-18 is 1 to 1.
…All MISD campuses are benefiting from the ACT Academy grant. More than $360,000 has been spent to train staff and purchase hardware and instructional software for all MISD campuses.
…The ACT Academy is producing students who will become life-long learners. Real life assessments measure the academic progress of learners. The learners work collaboratively to present demonstrations of their learning using a variety of delivery methods, including technology.
…ACT Academy students have many opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. Learners take part in band, fine arts (visual, music, theatre, and mentorships), Model United Nations, and Odyssey of the Mind. Learners are also able to participate with other MISD students in such things as athletics, drill team and cheerleading.
…ACT Academy staff members have made presentations on topics learned through their ACT training at national and international conferences. The staff members are available to share this knowledge with groups throughout the community.
…During morning class meetings, learners have the opportunity to facilitate creative problem-solving and to work collaboratively to ensure a true community of learners.
…At the ACT Academy, the realm of learning extends beyond the four walls of the classroom.
…All learners are involved in community service projects.