Key Characteristics of
SCALE Leadership Academy
Authentic Learning Experiences
Lesson, unit, and learning experiences are well-planned, creative, and authentic for the purpose of engaging students.
Family-Community-School Partnerships
SCALE Leadership Academy will actively engage families and the community in the life of the school. Students will engage in service to the community as part of their educational program. Parents and families will be expected to be active participants in the education of their student and the school community as a whole. To support this initiative, Parents will be expected to participate and initiate extracurricular and enrichment activities aimed to supplement online learning.
Focus on Results
In order to assess attainment of the school’s mission, it is essential that SCALE Leadership Academy staff commit to a focus on results. SCALE Leadership Academy will measure student success through a wide variety of assessments. One measurement of success will be student achievement on quarterly benchmark exams, ILP (Individual Learning Plan) results, and the Standardized Tests. The results will help teachers to focus their instruction on college-level skills and ensure academic rigor among all courses so that students are prepared to excel in college level classes.
High Expectations
All students will be expected to perform at high levels and all teachers are willing to provide the necessary support to allow for high achievement. Students are expected to turn in quality work, reach high levels of proficiency, and engage in high level thought. Students are not only expected to perform at high levels on classroom assessments, projects, and research papers but also regular benchmarks and state assessments. SCALE is committed to developing a standard that is set above state norms and establishes an ever-increasing bar to successfully build the learning capacity for a community of learners.
Strong Academic Support
SCALE will provide a variety of support services that address various student needs. Our goal is to ensure that every student has the confidence that they can obtain the assistance, resources, and the emotional, mental, and academic support they need to achieve their academic goals. SCALE understands our unique role to fulfill students’ hierarchy of needs as presented by Maslow.[1] School leaders firmly understand the importance of guiding each student’s development to better ensure that students have the ability to focus more closely on their academics. SCALE will provide supports through the Advisory curriculum, ILPs, school counselor, SSTs, enrichment activities, and quality guidance programs aimed at supporting parent needs. The school will also provide numerous online resources and learning tools that are easily for students and parents to access to assist with the learning process
Focused Time on Task and Flexible Scheduling
SCALE will have a year round calendar and will offer students a personalized learning program focused on intensive core-content area and electives instruction. As a nonclassroom based charter school, SCALE will file a funding determination annually and will comply with applicable laws, including but not limited to Education Code Section 51747 et. seq.
Strong University Partnerships
University volunteers, students, interns, professors, consultants, and researchers will be considered key stakeholders in shaping the SCALEcurriculum and evaluating student progress and SCALE SCALE is committed to the continued study of best practices and will establish strong university relationships to ensure their successful implementation.
Global View/Cultural Awareness
Students of the Academy will use their advisory studies and language studies to explore and develop their understanding of the world. Graduates will be leaders with a high level of understanding of other cultures and peoples.
Technology innovation and integration
By implementing technology within the curriculum, SCALE Leadership Academy will ensure that students learn computer literacy skills while pursuing academic goals.
Quality Instruction
All classrooms will show evidence of continued positive academic growth. Instructional strategies are rigorous, engaging, and standards based. SCALE teachers will display the 10 characteristics of highly effective teachers[i] and make learning inclusive and relevant for all students. The online learning system will incorporate differentiated teaching methods aimed at engaging all learning styles.