Anthem Preparatory Academy

We will ensure that all interventions we implement address the academic impact of lost instructional time by using our research based programs; Anthem We will respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students.

The academy will provide every student opportunities along with Identifying gaps in their academics and provide intervention opportunities with research based programs and strategies, and will invest in evidence-based strategies to address lost instructional time, especially for students most impacted by the pandemic including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students.
The evidence-based practices that we will utilize are: Ask many questions and observe student responses; questions allow students to connect new material with prior learning. Guide student practice by asking good questions and providing feedback. Teachers also use formative assessments to monitor the effectiveness of their teaching practice and make modifications as necessary.
Summer school program implemented by 2 teachers for 8 weeks to work with students addressing learning loss through implementation of evidence-based interventions throughout the summer and ensure that such interventions respond to students' academic disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on the student subgroups. Our staff effectively analyzes and utilize all benchmark assessments to identify targeted students, inform intervention, and instruction. Identify specific learning gaps and then organize targeted students' intervention groups for each grade level based on findings, develop a student-centered data informed system of intervention to support at-risk students in meeting the State's Academic Standards. The average class size is 15 kids per class and the teacher to student ratio is 1:15. Anthem will focus on students who receive and require specialized services including students that are not meeting state standards and falling below grade level. This includes students who are identified as needing special education services and English language learners who have not yet developed English language proficiency along with each major racial ethic groups, children from low income, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and children in foster care. We are also focusing on the bottom 25% of students who struggle to demonstrate grade level proficiency in reading and require strategic interventional student performance and progress regardless of grade level or individual capability are measured and monitored formatively using quarterly benchmark assessments. The LEA will be implementing a math intervention using IXL as their evidence-based program. Stipends will be paid out for 2 teachers to run the summer intervention program. Student progress reports are uploaded regularly, so parents can monitor learning development, growth, and progress. All teachers administer in-class assessments once a week and conduct daily quick checks that serves as formal and informal checks for understanding

Understanding the challenges that our students have faced over the last two years has driven the decision to budget $68,607.50 for salary and benefits for the position of a School Counselor for the 2022-2023 school year. Anthem recognizes the strong connection between a student's social and emotional status and the ability to learn. For many of our students their learning loss may be directly tied to the struggle of 2020 and beyond. This position will address the social and emotional needs of the students, work on and provide strategies to support students in unique living circumstances that impact their adjustment to school, develop and run counseling groups for students identified as having life circumstances that impact academic or social well-being within the educational environment, and work alongside other school mental health staff and school administration to provide crisis supports as deemed necessary at Anthem in grades K-5. This includes students who are identified as needing special education services and English language learners who have not yet developed English language proficiency along with each major racial ethic groups, children from low income, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and children in foster care.