Academics

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Curriculum

Every aspect of Pan American Academy—from class size and calendar to pedagogy and assessment—fosters each student’s academic abilities and achievement. Key elements include:

Student Support and Academic Intervention

At Pan American, all students embrace the school’s high standards of excellence. The school prizes effort and hard work in all of our students and we provide everyone with various avenues of support through teachers, counselors, and Congreso’s support services located in the school. Students with special needs—cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or language-based—also get additional support they may need to succeed. Programmatic supports and interventions for students with special needs include:

  • After-school tutorials for both remediation and enrichment, offered from 3:00 to 4:00 daily.
  • Extra help and homework lab, offered before and after the school day.
  • Summer school: Pan American students will be invited to participate in Congreso’s academically-oriented summer program.
  • Teaming: Teachers, administrators, parents and the student in need meet to help solve that student’s academic or behavioral problems, using principles and protocols described by William Glasser.
  • Special Education: Pan American will evaluate students who may be eligible for special education services. If students are eligible, Pan American will create an Individual Education Plan and will monitor and measure progress as mandated by special education law. Pan American will support these students in regular classes and in some cases, through pull-out services.
  • Student Support Services including speech therapy and counseling will be contracted out so that eligible Pan American students, and/or students with disabilities receive help at school from licensed professionals.

Intensive instruction in foundational math and literacy skills. Pan American students spend an hour in Math class and two hours in Language Arts every day. In addition to foundational mathematics and reading skills, studies also include “learning-to-learn” skills that will help students transfer and apply their literacy and numeracy skills in other subject areas. Students will not only learn basic skills in a classroom setting, but they will also experience using reading and math in the real world.

Spanish language instruction and cultural awareness. In its first years, Pan American will offer a dual-language program for students in Kindergarten and world language Spanish instruction will be provided to 1st through 4th grade students. As many of our students are Latino/Hispanic, we will focus on the students’ own cultures and cultures of other Spanish-speaking peoples around the world. Students will learn ways to draw from the knowledge and traditions of their heritage to enhance their own learning and life opportunities. However, while a focus is placed on Spanish-speaking cultures throughout the world, Pan American recognizes and teaches about multiple cultures from around the world. We seek to create global citizens and we teach respect for all cultures.

Balanced instruction and curriculum to ensure deep understanding. The goal of Pan American’s curriculum and instruction is not content coverage, test-readiness, or student involvement; it is learning. To achieve this goal, students’ classroom experiences combine best practices of constructivist inquiry and problem solving, as well as more traditional, standards-based instruction. Classes at Pan American include both drill and discovery. Projects in the classroom and partnerships with organizations around the city ensure that students will have complex, real- world experiences through which to develop and apply skills and knowledge. In addition to these active learning strategies, Pan American also uses standards-based textbooks and clear, explicit instruction to make sure that all students are not only engaged, but are learning.

Highly-skilled, bilingual/ bicultural teachers. Many teachers at Pan American are bilingual and/or bicultural. All Pan American teachers are deeply committed professionals who are teaching in order to make a difference in the lives of their students. To continue to foster excellence within our own teaching staff, Pan American teachers collaborate on creating and evaluating school lessons (using Lesson Study protocols) during weekly Professional Development sessions.

Small classes and consistent behavioral expectations. Classes at Pan American are small enough to allow every student to get the academic support he or she needs; no student falls between the cracks at Pan American. Students in every class follow a school-wide set of classroom routines, customized by each teacher and tailored to meet the unique needs of his or her students, which provides a seamless net of support and consistency.

Strict code of conduct. To foster a climate of academic excellence, Pan American has drafted a clear description of the positive behaviors and attitudes Pan American students must exhibit. These expectations are stated in the Code of Conduct and written handbook, and “No Excuses” language also permeates every student and family’s introduction to Pan American. The Pan American handbook details prohibitions and clearly spells out consequences. Accompanying this strictness is a commitment to disciplinary interactions that are always respectful and viewed as learning opportunities.

A focus on the student’s sense of self as successful learner. The school’s academic program is organized around activities and learning experiences that support all types of learners and learning styles. Individual student progress is consistently celebrated whether it represents attainment of grade-level skills or gains toward academic excellence. In addition, Pan American students with special needs (including those with emotional needs and those who are English Language Learners) are served through personalized Learning Support programs and contracted learning and counseling services.

Accountability through ongoing and varied assessment. All programs at Pan American rely on data to develop and improve student learning and organizational efficiency.

  • In the classroom, standardized tests, student surveys, running records, teacher-made assessments, project-based assessments, formal examinations, and summative tests will be used to guide teaching practices and evaluate student learning
  • The Principal will use tools such as Learning Walks, Math and Literacy Walks, and Equity Walks to monitor instructional practices and various aspects of school culture.
  • Teacher surveys, student performance records, and other tools will be used to ascertain the need for curriculum revisions.

Family, culture and community as powerful learning assets. Unlike other charter schools which strive in vain for the parental involvement so critical to student success, Pan American has the great advantage of offering Congreso’s social programs and services as incentives to bring Pan American parents into the school. In addition, Pan American teachers will meet each of their students’ families personally before the school year starts, and keep in regular phone contact so that parents hear regularly about their children’s progress at school, not just their problems. Pan American will also hold frequent family events (including meals and performances) to build community and showcase students’ home cultures as rich, vital sources of pride and academic motivation.

Unique calendar. Pan American has an extended school day and year. The extended school day at Pan American begins with breakfast and homework lab, offered at 7:30. The regular school day runs from 8:30 to 3:00. The extended school day runs from 3:00 until 6:00, when students attend tutorials, cultural programming, homework or language learning labs. The regular school day is comprised of 6 blocks, one of which is a two-hour Language Arts block. The other subjects offered are Mathematics; PE/ Art/Music; Recess/Lunch; Science; Social Studies and Spanish. Students attend Pan American for 185 days during the school year (in comparison to XXX days in a regular school calendar). Pan American students will also be encouraged to enroll in Congreso’s academically-oriented summer program to continue their learning and enrichment during the summer months.

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