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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.