Executive Summary. Alexander-Smith Academy. Mr. David Arnold, President/Owner Richmond Ave Houston, TX

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1 Mr. David Arnold, President/Owner Richmond Ave Houston, TX Document Generated On February 25, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? is located in the Westchase District of Houston, Texas and serves students from all over the greater Houston area. ASA enrolls no more than 70 students in order to make sure each student receives the education, individual attention, and nurturing that is outlined in our Mission Statement and school vision. The size of ASA also allows teachers and administrators the opportunity to customize the curriculum of students whose needs are special. Identifying those needs, as well as continually changing and revising lessons and curriculum, satisfies the ASA goal of ongoing change and progress. ASA continues to change with the advancement of technology, using many new educational technological platforms in the classroom and making the platforms available for student use at home. Also, in the last 3 years ASA has begun enrolling international students. Administrators attended training with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, SEVP I-20s, and became certified to issue student Visas. ASA has enrolled students from Saudi Arabia, Australia, Scotland, Spain, China, Qatar, and Vietnam, to name a few. This has changed the ASA community in that everyone, parents, students, faculty and administration, have all been exposed to these different cultures. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. is a alternative school whose goals, vision and mission are to offer a college-preparatory high school education in a relaxed, safe and comfortable environment where treating students as young adults fosters graduates who are equipped to lead productive lives in a complex, pluralistic society. The realization of ASA's vision relies on a shared trust amongst administrators, teachers, and parents who work together to achieve a greater effectiveness within the framework of our fluid policies and procedures. The current ASA Vision Statement is: At, we believe our primary goal is to nurture young minds, providing the tools and tests necessary to help student develop intellectual maturity. Under the guidance of the Governing Board, the ASA Mission Statement below was created and is also scrutinized on a regular basis: 's mission is to offer a college-preparatory high school education in a relaxed, safe and comfortable environment. Students, teachers and advisors achieve an optimum learning atmosphere by working together. Treating students as young adults fosters graduates who are equipped to lead productive lives in a complex, pluralistic society. ASA's primary goal is to create an environment in which each student can acquire the knowledge necessary to develop intellectual maturity. A structured curriculum, which includes Honors and Advanced Placement course levels, is fundamental in achieving this goal, as is the unique class size of five to seven students and daily tutorials. Both the vision and mission statements are communicated to all stakeholders of the ASA community through student and faculty handbooks, the ASA website, student/parent conferences, acknowledgement forms, the ASA profile and an electronic bulletin board. 's beliefs regarding student learning are: - Optimizing student learning opportunities is the chief priority through learner-centered teaching. - ASA's safe and supportive environment promotes student learning and benchmarks for success. - Students learn in different ways and should be presented different opportunities to learn and to show their long term learning through various forms of summative evaluation. - Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and have appropriate opportunities for successful performance indicators. - Each student is a valued individual with unique intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs. - Students' self-esteem is enhanced by positive relationships and mutual respect and collaborative improvement between students and staff, thereby promoting a non-threatening learning atmosphere. - Students learn to make appropriate decisions given a comfortable, safe, and challenging environment. - Continuous student improvement is implemented through collaboration and information sharing of best practices. Action plans are developed through research, practice and reflection. The goals, mission statement, vision and beliefs of ASA are evident in all classrooms, extracurricular activities, and student organizations Page 3

6 and aid in determining expectations for all students. Page 4

7 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Enrolling international students, technology and student performance have all been noteworthy achievements in the last three year. The addition of more computer classes and the varied use of laptops and other devices in the classroom has fostered the inclusion of technology in addressing ASA's vision. In addition, ASA has addressed responsible risk-taking practices regarding the use of technology. The addition of the use of Edmodo, a safe social learning platform that lets our classes connect both at school and from home, has been a great achievement for ASA teachers, students and parents. The addition of more and varied computer classes has also contributed to ASA's commitment to keep up technologically. Increased scores in AP, PSAT, SAT, and ACT tests is a direct result of professional development and teacher AP training. Also, the collaboration of teachers, using each others ideas and best practices has also contributed to the improvement of student scores. This has contributed to an increase in admission into selective colleges and universities. ASA will continue to work on improving student scores and continuing to keep up with technology trends in education. Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. ASA is truly a collaborative action team of dedicated workers who really want to see every student not only reach their academic goals, but also have a fun time getting there. Every potential ASA student and his or her parents need to know that once you are enrolled at ASA you are on your way to academic success. The map is drawn, the directions are clear and all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. It's been over four decades since ASA was established. We have several teachers who have been here more than 25 years; their knowledge and wisdom is invaluable. We also have teachers who have more recently completed their own formal education and bring new, innovative and exciting teaching techniques to our classrooms and students. Page 6