Dimension 1 – Context
- Learning Communities
- Describe how the Academy will organize adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school, district, local community needs, and Academy.
- The school community will be disaggregated into nested learning communities charged with aligning the goals of the school, district, local community and Academy. Planning time and classroom space will be organized to best serve the needs of the school community in support of the AOIT learning teams.
- Meetings among school and partner team members will occur on a regular basis to meet the continually evolving needs of the Academy.
- Describe how the Academy will organize adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school, district, local community needs, and Academy.
- Leadership
- Describe how the Academy will provide skillful school, business, and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.
- The principal will serve as the instructional leader in regards to promoting the Academy’s mission, values, and expectations to all stakeholders. The summer NAF conference and the fall workshop will assist the principal in staying abreast of NAF philosophy.
- Academy leaders will use organizational performance data and attend the NAF Leadership Summit to improve their leadership effectiveness and the leadership system.
- Describe how the Academy will provide skillful school, business, and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.
- Resources
- Describe how the Academy will provide the resources to support adult learning and collaboration.
- The Leadership Team will allocate a minimum of 10% of the Academy budget for professional development.
- Migration to the 4 X 8 instructional day will provide teachers with a 90 minute planning period daily. This planning period is 25% of teachers’ time.
- Business partners will devote an appropriate amount of time for their own professional development relative to their Academy contributions.
- Describe how the Academy will provide the resources to support adult learning and collaboration.
Dimension 2 – Process
- Data-Driven
- Describe how the Academy will use disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.
- The Leadership Team will use data on student learning (school- and work-based learning) to provide the focus for professional development efforts. Data will be derived from classroom and internship experiences.
- The Leadership Team will use disaggregated data to ensure that subgroups of students are receiving equitable treatment/opportunities.
- Leadership Team will utilize various types of evidence (quantitative/qualitative, classroom/internship, formative/summative) to improve the quality of professional development.
- Describe how the Academy will use disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.
- Evaluation
- Describe how the Academy will use multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.
- A comprehensive evaluation program using summative data collected from all stakeholders will be used to modify and improve the AOIT program.
- The Leadership Team will routinely evaluate efficacy of professional development using such criteria as: data concerning knowledge gained by participants, level of implementation, and changes in student learning.
- Describe how the Academy will use multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.
- Research-Based
- Describe how the Academy will prepare Academy stakeholders to apply research to decision making.
- Leadership Team will engage in the disciplined practice of utilizing educational and career-related research to drive decision making.
- The Leadership Team will adopt improvement strategies based on research-based investigations.
- The Leadership Team will utilize pilot studies and action research as a mechanism to measure the effectiveness of new approaches.
- Describe how the Academy will prepare Academy stakeholders to apply research to decision making.
- Design
- Describe how the Academy will use learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal in professional development exercises, and applying knowledge about human learning and change.
- Academy teachers will employ interdisciplinary teaching practices: a knowledge construction process in which students and instructors come together to analyze differences in disciplinary approaches to a problem and to work toward a synthesis - a new, more comprehensive view than allowed by the vision of any one field.
- Academy teachers will engage in the use of instructional technology to stimulate student interests and creativity.
- Leadership Team will engage in professional development by attending NAF and other professional development conferences and will use acquired knowledge to design interventions and follow-up strategies.
- Describe how the Academy will use learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal in professional development exercises, and applying knowledge about human learning and change.
- Collaboration
- Describe how the Academy will provide Academy stakeholders with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.
- Professional development will prepare Academy stakeholders to use technology to collaborate.
- The Leadership Team will utilize team-building activities to engage in dialog with the Advisory Board. Focus will be on developing consensus regarding academy priorities.
- The Leadership Team will meet regularly with the larger school community to explore opportunities for curricular collaboration.
- The Leadership Team will utilize team-building activities to engage in dialog with the Advisory Board. Focus will be on developing consensus regarding academy priorities.
- Describe how the Academy will provide Academy stakeholders with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.
Dimension 3 – Content
- Equity
- Describe how the Academy will prepare Academy stakeholders to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for academic achievement.
- Leadership Team will champion the Academy’s practices that convey respect for students, their families, and students’ cultural backgrounds.
- Leadership Team will encourage high expectations for academic achievement, through work-based and school-based experiences.
- Academy teachers regularly shape activities to match learning styles of individual students.
- Describe how the Academy will prepare Academy stakeholders to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for academic achievement.
- Quality Teaching
- Describe how the Academy will deepen content knowledge, provide Academy stakeholders with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and will prepare them to use various types of assessments appropriately.
- The Academy teachers will participate in professional development opportunities, will meet to plan ways to incorporate technology into their instructional delivery, and planned interdisciplinary projects.
- Academy teachers will engage in many opportunities to develop deeper knowledge that will benefit their work with the Academy and to regularly monitor student progress.
- Describe how the Academy will deepen content knowledge, provide Academy stakeholders with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and will prepare them to use various types of assessments appropriately.
- Community Involvement
- Describe how the Academy will provide Academy stakeholders with knowledge and skills to involve families, local business partners, and other community stakeholders appropriately.
- Professional development will afford stakeholders with the knowledge to champion the Academy’s mission, values, goals, expectations and relations.
- The Leadership Team will regularly involve the local community in Academy activities, including Advisory Board meetings, Academy recognition and promotional events, and career related functions.
- The Academy will build relationships with students and parents through guest speakers, Open House, newsletters, media, job shadowing, web page and mentoring.
- Describe how the Academy will provide Academy stakeholders with knowledge and skills to involve families, local business partners, and other community stakeholders appropriately.
