Liberty Preparatory Academy 7th – 12 grade College Preparatory School

Liberty Preparatory Academy7th – 12 grade

College Preparatory School

Convergence

• Our success• Dr. Everett’s vision for Liberty High School• PSD reconfiguration• A national conversation about quality

Our Success

• Liberty Common School, an authorized charter school in the Poudre School District• A John J. Irwin School of Excellence• National NCLB Blue Ribbon School• National Charter School of the Year• Official Core Knowledge Visitation Site• Top 1-5% CSAP scores in the state• Financially strong, academically accountable

Our success

“With hundreds of successful charter schools now in operation, it should be a national

priority to replicate these schools in order to serve as many children as possible with their

effective models.”

• United States Department of Education, 2008

Convergence

• Our success• Dr. Everett’s vision for Liberty High School• PSD reconfiguration• A national conversation about quality

Expansion?

• Liberty Common School has been expanding since its inception• Washington Core Knowledge• Opening of Liberty Common School primary

grades• Addition of the upper school• ARTIOS addition• Addition of the track and field• High school?

Dr. Everett’s vision

“In authorizing charter schools, it is the intent of the general assembly to create a legitimate

avenue for parents, teachers, and community members to take responsible risks and create

new, innovative, and more flexible ways of educating all children within the public school

system.”

• Colorado Charter Schools Act, 1993

Convergence

• Our success• Dr. Everett’s vision for Liberty High School• PSD reconfiguration• A national conversation about quality

Liberty Common School

• Enrollment - 574– K-6th grade - 406– 7th-9th grade – 168

• 9th-grade alone = 55– Roughly 10% of our budget

• Now is the time to choose to expand or be left to contract

Convergence

• Our success• Dr. Everett’s vision for Liberty High School• PSD reconfiguration• A national conversation about quality

A national conversation

“The confidence that students and parents place in the diploma contrasts sharply with the

skepticism of employers and post-secondary institutions, who all but ignore the diploma, knowing that it often serves as little more

than a certificate of attendance.”

• American Diploma Project, 2008

A national conversation

• Nationally:– 28% of college freshmen students immediately

take remedial English or math courses– 53% of college graduates take at least one

remedial English or math class– In 2002, 59% of entering freshmen in the

California State University system were required to take remedial math or English

A national conversation

“60% of employers question whether a high school diploma means that a typical student

has learned even the basics, and they rate graduates’ skills in grammar, spelling, writing

and basic math as only “fair” or “poor.”

• American Diploma Project, 2008

A Colorado conversation

• Currently many Local Education Authorities (LEA’s), including some in Colorado, establish minimum high school graduation requirements that fail to meet the minimum entrance requirements for incoming freshmen in our own state universities.

Reimaging High School

• Colorado Department of Education, 2008• Provides direction for local school districts

– Align P-12 content standards with post-secondary admission requirements.

– Emphasize career planning.– Dual credit should be recognized.

Reimaging High School“Core Curriculum to Meet the Needs of the 21st

Century”• It is standards based;

– It completes the standards-based curriculum that begins in preschool and moves through the entire system;

– It is academic and focused on 21st Century skills;– It is the primary focus of the first few years of high

school;– It is relevant to students’ pathways;– It does not close doors the student may wish to go

through in the future.”

Reimaging High School

“The general assembly seeks to create an atmosphere in Colorado's public school

system where research and development in developing different learning opportunities is

actively pursued…”

• Colorado Charter Schools Act, 1993

Reimaging High School

“These councils will attempt to accomplish over the long term what Liberty Common School

and Liberty Preparatory Academy propose to do now: fully prepare children for any university through their high-school

experience.”

• Liberty Preparatory Academy

A Vision for Growth

A Vision for Growth

August 2010

Liberty Common School

K-6th grade

Elementary

Add third track starting with K-2

Liberty Preparatory Academy

7th-10th grade

College Preparatory School

A Vision for Growth

August 2011 – August 2013

Liberty Preparatory Academy

7th-12th grade

College Preparatory School

Approximately 350 students

Liberty Common School

3 track K-6

Elementary

180 additional lottery students

A Vision for Growth

• Elementary school considerations• 3 track K-6 school• Additional 180 lottery students• Move grades 5-6 upstairs• Remodel some classrooms to support new

configuration• Hire additional staff to support third track

A Vision for Growth

• High school considerations• Small school approach• Core humanities with enriched math/science

and engineering courses• AP courses offered but not required• Character/moral development• Combined campus• Shared facilities and staff• Sports offerings (boys and girls):

• Soccer, track and field, basketball, volleyball

Curriculum

• Four years required (40 credit hours)• Math, science, English, social studies

• Three years required (30 credit hours) • Language

• Optional four-year pre-engineering track• Dedicated art/music track • Dedicated study hall

A Vision for GrowthGraduation Requirements

PSD minimum LPA Minimum

Math 20 hours 40 hours

Science 20 hours 40 hours

Humanities 30 hours 40 hours

Social Studies 35 hours 40 hours

Foreign Language Not required 30 hours

Total academic hours 105 hours 190 hours

P E R I OD C OU R SE T Y P E

7th G r ade 8th G r ade 9th G r ade 10th G r ade 11th G r ade 12th G r ade

1 M ath (40 c r ) P r e- A l gebr a A l gebr a G eometr y A l gebr a I I P r e- C al c ul us M ath E l ec ti ve

2 Sc i enc e (40 c r ) Sc i enc e 7 Sc i enc e 8 B i ol ogy C hemes tr y P hys i c s Sc i enc e E l ec ti ve

3 E ngl i s h (40 c r ) E ngl i s h 7 E ngl i s h 8 B r i t i s h L i t . Sur veyC l as s i c L i ter atur eA mer i c an L i ter atur eE ngl i s h E l ec i tve

4 Soc i al Studi es

(40 c r )

H i s tor y 7 H i s tor y 8 E c onomi c s Wor l d G eogr aphy Wes ter n

C i v i l i z ati on

Soc i al Studi es

E l ec ti ve

5 For ei gn Language (30 c r )Lati n 1 Spani s h 1 or Spani s h 2 or Spani s h 3 or Spani s h 4 or

Lati n 2 Lati n 3 Lati n 4 A P Lati n

6 Fi r s t Semes ter K eyboar di ng M us i c H i s tor y Speec h P er s onal

Sec ond s emes terA r t P E Heal th C ompos i t i on 1

7 Fi r s t Semes ter

Sec ond s emes ter

8 Fi r s t Semes ter Sec ond

Semes ter

Dedicated music/ ar ts tr ack

Core 60 60 60 60 50 40Elective 20 20 20 20 30 40

C OR E R E QU I R E D C OU R SE E LE C T I V E / ST U D Y HA LL T I M E

C OR E R E QU I R E D C OU R SE

Culture

• Moral/Character Education– Virtue, honor, patriotism, discernment– Reasonable dress standards

• Sports– CHSAA Division AA, Mile-high League

• Drama, art, band, Student Council• Community Service requirement

A Parent’s Role

“With that in mind, the Council believes that it is important to engage parents in a constructive

dialogue about their child’s education. High schools need to find better ways of utilizing

parents as assets by undertaking a concerted effort to inform them of what is going on, involve

them in reform efforts underway, and to enlist their support.”

• Colorado Department of Education, 2008

A Parent’s Role

“With that in mind, the Council believes that it is important to engage parents in a constructive

dialogue about their child’s education. High schools need to find better ways of utilizing

parents as assets by undertaking a concerted effort to inform them of what is going on, involve

them in reform efforts underway, and to enlist their support.”

• Colorado Department of Education, 2008

A Parent’s Role

“With that in mind, the Council believes that it is important to engage parents in a constructive

dialogue about their child’s education. High schools need to find better ways of utilizing

parents as assets by undertaking a concerted effort to inform them of what is going on, involve

them in reform efforts underway, and to enlist their support.”

• Colorado Department of Education, 2008

A Parent’s Role

“With that in mind, the Council believes that it is important to engage parents in a constructive

dialogue about their child’s education. High schools need to find better ways of utilizing

parents as assets by undertaking a concerted effort to inform them of what is going on,

involve them in reform efforts underway, and to enlist their support.”

• Colorado Department of Education, 2008

A Parent’s Role

Liberty Preparatory Academy exists to assist parents in

preparing their children for college.