The purpose of this instrumental case study is to identify factors contributing to consistently high test scores for third through twelfth grade students at Xavier Charter School in Twin Falls, Idaho. At this stage in the research, the high test scores will be generally defined as 85% of students meeting or exceeding established state performance standards.
From 2007-2014, I was involved in founding Xavier Charter School. When the school started, carefully selected teachers were recruited and provided with a collection of home-schooling materials, minimal training in the Core Knowledge Sequence, Singapore Math, Excellence in Writing and the Great Expectations character development program. The school was to provide a classical education following the ancient model of the Trivium by establishing schools of grammar, logic and rhetoric and employing direct instruction and Socratic teaching methods.
From its inception, teachers were encouraged to teach the established curriculum rather than focus on the standards established by the state. Teachers were assured that if the …show more content…
While the cultures and school systems of Finland, South Korea and Poland are vastly different from one another, they share clearly identifiable commonalities of a rigorous curriculum held accountable through exit testing, school and teacher autonomy in practices, master teachers, and a school culture which highly values learning. It is my belief that the same factors which led to the high levels of student achievement identified through Ripley’s investigation are integrated into the Xavier Charter School culture and therefore contribute to its academic success. It follows that if those factors can be identified, replicated and emphasized, student achievement can be increased in schools
From 2007-2014, I was involved in founding Xavier Charter School. When the school started, carefully selected teachers were recruited and provided with a collection of home-schooling materials, minimal training in the Core Knowledge Sequence, Singapore Math, Excellence in Writing and the Great Expectations character development program. The school was to provide a classical education following the ancient model of the Trivium by establishing schools of grammar, logic and rhetoric and employing direct instruction and Socratic teaching methods.
From its inception, teachers were encouraged to teach the established curriculum rather than focus on the standards established by the state. Teachers were assured that if the …show more content…
While the cultures and school systems of Finland, South Korea and Poland are vastly different from one another, they share clearly identifiable commonalities of a rigorous curriculum held accountable through exit testing, school and teacher autonomy in practices, master teachers, and a school culture which highly values learning. It is my belief that the same factors which led to the high levels of student achievement identified through Ripley’s investigation are integrated into the Xavier Charter School culture and therefore contribute to its academic success. It follows that if those factors can be identified, replicated and emphasized, student achievement can be increased in schools