World Academy’s Personalized Learning Plans Inform Each Student’s Roadmap To Success
At World Academy, development of the ‘whole’ child is a pillar of our school philosophy. This term refers to all facets of the child’s being, including cognitive/intellectual, physical, social-emotional, cultural, and creative aspects. For each student, development of these variables will differ. As our students learn more, they grow more independent. We embrace this growth and ask that they - at the appropriate age - get involved with determining their own educational path. In a coalition with the student, teachers create Individual Learning Plans based on detailed observation, class performance, and standardized testing specific to each child’s developmental and educational needs and interests.
The Importance Of Individualization
Individualized Lesson Plans scaffold upon themselves and lay the framework for each subsequent stage of your child’s education. Each stage of this progression focuses on the development of 21st century skills such as collaboration, early introduction to World Languages, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication, grounded in a firm understanding of the digital tools at their disposal. Technology introduction begins in preschool and is embedded into the curriculum of our Elementary and Middle School students.
In The Beginning [Infants, Toddlers, Preschool]
World Academy’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program begins with learning focused on sensory integration opportunities and directed play that builds the necessary foundation for critical thinkers and independent learners. Students at this stage learn the basis of cooperation by helping and sharing with one another. Teachers closely monitor these social interactions and introduce necessary coping skills for the child to learn in order to self-regulate and learn to accept differences.
As students transition into Kindergarten, they begin to demonstrate leadership qualities and self-control. The students become active participants in this newly introduced structure called the classroom. This is a new community to them where they learn to expand self-regulation, test theories, and learn to grasp conflict resolution skills as an expansion on tolerance and cooperation skills learned in earlier years.
In terms of curriculum, students learn sound recognition, spelling patterns, and basic grammar skill. Students also begin to investigate their developing mathematical and scientific thinking. This curriculum is introduced using various means; from creating models with manipulatives, to expressing thoughts and developing ideas in writing, to using applications and web-based programs on our mobile iPad cart.
Laying the Foundation [Elementary School]
Students transition with acquired skills from our ECE program into the primary grades. As students progress from Kindergarten to Grade 1 and Grade 2, we provide more opportunities to develop independence and student-driven learning. This includes cross-curricular projects involving Language, Math, Science and Social Studies, realizing that reading and writing are essential in all content areas. Students are also introduced to creating simple codes using our mobile iPad lab and to the online grade book, class pages, and digital communication tools that eventually become a part of their daily school routine. A gradual increase in responsibility is granted for students to maintain a classroom space that supports learning by having them take ownership of their workspaces.
Set Up For Success [Middle School]
As students progress, the unique individual continues to emerge. Starting in Middle School, students target their learning interests in a variety of elective courses and comprehension from earlier grades leads to analysis here. This caters to each student’s personal learning-style and interests as well as helping teachers to track progress and avoid any gaps in understanding supportive services.
Entering Grade 4 and Grade 5, students are exposed to more technology-driven platforms on their laptops that build upon those introduced in Grade 3. Students also have increased opportunities to delve into world languages and cultures through our talented World Languages Team and partnership with VLACS (Virtual Learning Academy Charter School). Starting in Grade 4, teachers are able to use data from the online-based NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) testing to further develop each student’s Individual Learning Plan, and the students are given digital learning paths based directly off of the NWEA results.
Beyond curriculum, students in Grade 7 and Grade 8 participate in service learning opportunities throughout our school community, working with children in the Early Childhood programs and Lower Elementary classrooms. Other community-based projects begin as early as Kindergarten. For instance, this year a group of World Academy Kindergarteners collected the paper goods needed for Thanksgiving Dinner at a Harbor Homes - a local nonprofit that provides low-income, homeless, and disabled citizens with supportive services.