Our Approach

We believe that the most important skill our students must possess is the ability to read. Reading is the gateway to a life of opportunities. All students have individualized, annual reading goals and over the course of the academic year, we track and celebrate both overall academic growth in terms of grade level reading proficiency.  In addition to embedding literacy across all content areas, our students have 30 minutes of dedicated time daily with specific reading interventions also offered to our students who most need them. Success in college and beyond demands strong reading, writing, and discussion skills regardless of the major/field of study that a student chooses.

We use a variety of instructional strategies to execute a rigorous academic program. In each lesson, teachers communicate clear key points, deploy frequent checks for understanding, and provide ample time for students to grapple with content. We embrace inquiry-based lessons that position students to engage in critical thinking, speaking, writing, and practice for the majority of learning time. Rigor at our school does not necessarily mean more content, but rather that we place high cognitive demands on students continuously throughout the lesson. Rigorous classes reflect a well-balanced tripod of conceptual understanding, skill fluency, and transfer. Teachers use inquiry-based teaching to guide students through the learning process as they uncover their own ideas and knowledge, assimilate new ones and make cross-curricular and cross-topic connections. Each learning cycle concludes with an assessment that mirrors the rigor that occurred throughout instruction and learning.

We are focused on collecting the right data, in the right sequence, and on the right cycles to most inform teaching an student learning. Students engage in weekly EETS to demonstrate comprehension and mastered skills during class and to inform teacher re-teaching and progress through curriculum. Robust data driven cycles with quarterly Interim Assessments in partnership with Achievement Network (A-Net) and Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) Testing to test mid-year growth with standards aligned data allowing for stronger remediation planning - specifically for targeted subgroups - and more predictive data on student MCAS performance. Likewise, we are able to compare our results with other schools in the network to help us understand our students’ performance in similar programs.

In addition, students complete Unit Assessments at the end of a unit (approximately 4-6 weeks long) to highlight student mastery and identify preparation to move to the next unit. Students are assessed in all core subjects on a weekly basis to determine their level of weekly mastered skills and identify where intervention and enrichment opportunities are most needed. Extended instructional time built into the school day provided additional learning opportunities for students. Daily planning periods, weekly professional development sessions, and quarterly “Data Days” are the cornerstone of this design element.

We believe that without great teachers, nothing else matters. Our team works  to recruit, train, and retain excellent teachers and staff who are mission-aligned, believe in our students’ limitless potential, and are committed to growing their craft. We have implemented a robust teacher coaching program that starts with a 15-day summer training and continues with ongoing coaching cycles throughout the year. Cycles are designed to develop specific pedagogical skills and instructional moves that place the academic rigor on student critical thinking and communicating as addressed above. Monthly teaching arcs aligned to specific student skills and comprehension and teacher foci and advancement (e.g. classroom environment, rigor, heavy lifting, feedback.

Our mission is to prepare our students to succeed in college and to become positive members of their community. In order to achieve this mission, our team continues to focus on developing the whole child. This includes intentional character development in a cyclical and holistic manner. Likewise, students partake in various social-emotional learning activities daily in advisory, monthly community meetings allow grades to unite, quarterly literacy and academic ceremonies celebrate student growth and achievement, and ongoing community events are all opportunities to foster student social and emotional growth and wellbeing.

We believe students will thrive in an environment where expectations are clear and push student potential and where adults are consistent and supportive in their push. The right amount of structures must be in place such that students feel safe to take academic risks but do not feel overly policed or restricted. Our team is composed of “warm demanders” who see our students’ potential and are deeply committed to cultivating it. Finally, we create a culture of celebrating both achievement and growth among our students and team. Our students work hard and we strive to celebrate them every step of the way through awards, student academic swag, and community celebrations such as Literary Red Carpet and Honors Programs. Our consistent, school-wide systems, rituals, and routines help us ensure that these expectations are equitably implemented across advisories and across grades in our implementation of structure, joy, and high expectations.

Our team remains committed to constantly tending to and proactively improving our partnerships with our families as we actively collect and respond to feedback. Various family engagement components include 1) administering quarterly family surveys to routinely capture and respond to family feedback; 2) sending home bi-weekly progress reports on student academic, attendance, and culture growth; 3) holding quarterly Parent and Teacher conferences to discuss student development with family stakeholders; and 4) creating community events with family support and attendance. Our families and community members are a key lever to fulfilling our mission and we consistently seek to grow our partnership with each and every one of them in service of our students. Click here to learn more about our families and specific family communities, resources, and communication efforts.