HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 06-03 WA Accepting the MYP Report WESTLAKE ACADEMY
RESOLUTION NO. 06-03
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WESTLAKE
ACADEMY ACCEPTING THE MYP CONSULTATION VISIT REPORT
WHEREAS,the Westlake Academy Board of Directors accepts the report from
the MYP Consultation Visit, and
WHEREAS,the Westlake Academy Board of Directors find that the passage of
this Resolution is in the best interest of the Academy.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
WESTLAKE ACADEMY:
SECTION 1. That the Board of Directors of Westlake Academy hereby accepts
the MYP Consultation Visit Report.
SECTION 2. That this Resolution shall become effective upon the date of its
passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2006.
Scott Bradley, President
ATTEST:
qDwinnell, Secretary Trent O. Petty, CEO
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Atant�on Att ey
INTERNATIONAL BACCALUAREATE NORTH AMERICA
MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME
Consultatign Visit Report
Westlake Academy,Westlake,Texas
Visit Date: January 4-5,2006
Consultant: Nancy LaVier
BNA Consultant,Richmond,VA.
School Principal: Mrs.Barbara Brizuela
School MYP Coordinator: Mr. David Jenkins
Introduction
Westlake Academy is a charter school currently housing grades k-eighth grade,on schedule to add grades
nine through twelve over the next four years.The Academy is located in the town of Westlake in the Ft.
Worth area of Texas. Currently the school shares facilities with the town council of Westlake.
Mrs.LaVier conducted a two-day consultation visit. She met with the principal,the coordinator,the
teachers,the technology specialist,the librarian,students,and a parent group representing the community.
Mrs.LaVier did provide some guidance to facilitate development of the units of inquiry,as well as the use
of the on-line curriculum center.
Standard Al:There is close alignment between the educational beliefs and values of the sobool and those
of the programme.
Westlake Academy has a mission statement presented in school publications as well as posted in each
classroom that closely mirrors the philosophy and objectives of the Middle Years Programme. The entire
staff is fully engaged in holistic learning and has embraced student centered learning. The staff is also
aware of the need to promote internationalism and is working together to discover ways to address that
need. The school librarian is particular aware of this,and is working diligently to make the library a visible
center for internationalism, The school will be a whole school program,with 1BPYP offered through
grade six,the MYP offered through grade ten,and plans are being made to offer the 113DP program in
grades eleven and twelve.
Standard A2:The school promotes international-mindedness on the part of the adults and the students in
the school community.
The school is supportive of the philosophy of the MYP and it has a philosophy and a set of objectives that
are compatible with the philosophy and the objectives of the 180. The school demonstrates,a commitment
to the development of international perspectives and understanding. The staff has been carefully selected
to advance an international perspective_ The student body and school community is fairly homogeneous.
Efforts are being made to solicit the aid of international businesses in the area to foster international
mindedness within the school community_ The school's involvement in various Model UN
opportunities are reflective of their commitment to international views.
Standard 81: The school demonstrates ongoing commitment to,and provides support for,the nro agr come
through appropriate administrative structures ands stems staffing and resource.
The administration is fully aware and supportive of the MYP. The school's strategic plan has been
developed and is continuing to be refined in accordance with IBO guidelines. Currently the staff has
planning time incorporated into their instructional week for the purpose of developing lessons,school wide
interdisciplinary units,and cross-curricular units to enhance the delivery of the program. Staff
development days are also designated in their school calendar for this purpose.
Funds to support the Middle Years Programme are allocated by the town of Westlake to support continued
teacher training and staffing requirements that the growth of the program will necessitate.
The principal and most of the staff have participated in level I iBMYP training. New staff members have
received some in-house instruction and will be sent to training in Austin this summer,or to one the training
conferences in the fall of 2006. Plans will be made for experienced teachers to attend advanced level 2
training in the future_
Standard Cl: A comprehensive coherent,written curriculum based on the re uirements of the
pro and developed bY the school is available to all sections of the school communi
Westlake is structured with enough class offerings to accommodate the IBMYP eight subject:area
requirements. The development of detailed course offerings for grades nine through twelve is currently
being constructed that brings the needs of the Academy to reach future IBMYP objectives and the
requirements of the state of Texas into clear alignment. Once developed,the completed course offerings
will be publicized throughout the community.
Standard C2: The school has implemented a system through which all teachers plan and reflect in
collaborative teams_
Due to the size of Westlake Academy's student body and staff,there is limited collaboration within subject
areas. Currently there is only one social studies teacher for grades seven and eight.This is fte case in most
of the subject areas. As the school expands,the staff looks forward to increased subject area collaboration.
There is scheduled time to collaborate with the seventh and eighth staff both vertically and horizontally to
develop inter-disciplinary units as well as time for Area of Interaction leaders to meet and discuss plans for
the incorporation of the areas into the school program.
Standard C3:Teachin and learnin g at the school empowers and encourages students to become lifelong,
learners,to be responsible towards themselves,their lea rnin ,other people and the environment,and to
take appropriate action_
Teacher at Westlake share a commitment to holistic and student centered learning. Many varied teaching
strategies are used to enhance student achievement. A comprehensive community service programme has
been put in place to enhance student responsibility for the community both within and without the
Westlake area.
Standard C4:There is an agreed approach to assessment,_and to the recording and reporting of assessment
data which reflects the practices and requirements of the programme.
Report cards have been drafted that currently use the One to Seven scale as reflective of the IB0 final
assessment levels. Work continues to be done to refine the process and come to a consensus as to the
method and description of the grading model to meet parent and state expectations. Consistency within the
programme at Westlake in the area of assessments is also a goal of the faculty and administTation and the
staff continues to work to become comfortable with MYP assessments. The use of the Online Curriculum
Center was encouraged as a means to develop level appropriate tasks and assessments. Work on
introducing the use of Criteria based assessments to the students and parents is ongoing.
Standard DI: Students learn to choose to act and to reflect on their actions,so that tbey contribute to their
own well being and that of the community and the environment.
As previously mentioned,the school has created an excellent community service component to demonstrate
their understanding and commitment to the IBMYP programme objectives. The students havv hour
requirements and write a reflection of their experiences. The majority of the student body is very receptive
of the community service component of the 1BMYP programme and of the approach taken by the Westlake
faculty and administration. There is a designated faculty member that is the Area of Interaction leader for
community service.
Standard D2:In the final ear of the row amme all students coin lete a ro amine-s ecifi:nroiect that
allows them to demonstrate a consolidation of their teaming,in the case of the PYP and MY P and to
demonstrate the extension and develo ment of their I arning in the Di loma Pro amme.
Currently Westlake is experimenting with a personal project for the eighth grade students based on the
Personal Project guide. Plans are being made to write a detailed and comprehensive plan for the Personal
Project to begin in the ninth grade with completion scheduled to occur in the tenth grade. The use of the
online curriculum center personal project tutorial was mentioned as a good sample of the process and the
opportunity to assess a project.
Commendations:
• To the Westlake community and town council for snaking a formal decision to adopt the iBMYP
programme,implement it and support it throughout its development.
• To the administration for providing planning time for teachers to implement the program.
• To the administration for staffing that reflects internationalism and a commitment to holistic
education.
• To the librarian for her efforts in upgrading the library with an emphasis on intercultural
awareness,language B development and involvement and support of the instructien of research
skills.
• To the administration for implementing a language program beginning in the early grades that will
meet 5L and HL requirements for the iBDP program.
• To the administration for providing a technology specialist and making technology a course
offering.
• To the staff that have written course curriculum planners and are beginning to use the Areas of
Interaction as lenses for future curriculum development and inquiry based instruction_
• To the school and community for generating a mission statement that closing aligns with the
IMBYP philosophy and objectives.
• To the staff and administration for their emphasis on student centered learning anc cross-curricular
linking of subjects.
• To the staff and area leader on the excellent job being done with community service as well as the
method developed for recording activities,hours,and the reflection piece.
• To the staff and administration responsible for the creation of the notebooks for portfolio work and
reflections being compiled by the students.
• To the staff for their continued acceptance ofthe demands placed upon their time,for their
collegial support and for their dedication to making learning meaningful and significant for their
students.
• To the administration for the excellent presentation of documents of the school charter,
organization,forms,policies and budget,as well as the Westlake Handbooks and website.
• To the staff and admn istxation for the receptive attitudes in accepting suggestions from the
consultant.
Recommendation•
• That the administrative governing body continues to accept and approve sufficient funding to
provide professional development(regional workshops,in-service workshops)for teachers,the
coordinator and the administrator.
• That planning time for curricular development both vertically and horizontally continue to be a
priority in order to further the implementation of the programme.
• That the administration ensure that all teachers have a password for the OCC in order to have
working copies of current MYP subject guides,the Area of Interaction guide,and other relevant
document.
• The administration,MYP coordinator and staff continue to address the role of assessment and
work toward the development of essential agreement and understanding throughout the school
community.
• To vertically plan to demonstrate that each area of interaction is coordinated effectively over all
MYP levels.
• To further articulate the school's desire to house within the same school facility,PYP through the
sixth grade and implement a four-year MYP programme from seventh through tenth grade.
+ To have the full staff receive level 1 MYP training.
To develop and use modified rubrics to assess student work and to implement the we of MYP
subject criteria.
To develop course outlines and descriptions for years 3 and 4(grades 9 and 10),th21 will also
align with the state of Texas standards.
To develop the course of study selected for the IBDP program that will be offered at the eleventh
and twelfth grade year to ensure that math and foreign language offerings in MYP'will be
adequate and appropriate.
To create a detailed plan of implementation for the Personal Project.
• To present to both students and parents the method of reporting assessment for 1BA4YP and grades
for the state and university systems.
• To present examples of interdisciplinary units focused through an Area of Interaction.
Action:
As a Candidate School in the intermediate stage of implementation,Westlake Academy will send their first
progress report to the consultant during the week of February 17`h_ The report will include a narrative on
the progress made and difficulties encountered,an updated action plan,and a response to the
recommendations made by the consultant.The consultant will review units of work submitted by Westlake
Academy . The consultant will offer feedback and suggestions. A second progress report will be made
during the first week of April. Application B will be completed by the end of April for review by the
consultant,and will then be submitted to IBNA by June I"for authorization.