School Profile

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SABIS International Charter School 2009 2010 Annual Report.pdf	569.965

Summary of Educational Philosophy It is the SABIS^® philosophy that all students can learn. Students of average or slightly below average ability can achieve high academic standards provided that they want to learn and provided that the school does not allow them to develop gaps in their knowledge. SABIS^® offers a systematic way of ensuring all prerequisite knowledge is mastered before a student moves on. The school’s philosophy is that a core curriculum, coupled with a methodology that emphasizes students’ mastery of essential concepts, leads to success.

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The school strives to provide each and every student with the tools necessary to be successful throughout their lives. The SABIS^® goal is for students to recognize the importance of higher education and for all students to attend and be successful in college.

SABIS^® strives to instill proper and positive social interactions while students are in attendance so they may recognize the impact of their words and actions on the greater community. SABIS^® stresses knowledge, responsibility, and acceptance of differences in individual backgrounds, a combination that produces valued citizens.

Curriculum Design and Teaching Methods The SABIS^®curriculum remains rigorous as SABIS^® Educational Systems, Inc., administrators, and faculty work together to align it to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. It is integrated, sequential, and includes the teaching of age-appropriate skills, knowledge, and values.

In addition to the core subjects of English, mathematics, and Spanish, the SABIS^®curriculum is designed to provide knowledge of a broad range of subjects. These subjects include social studies, science, art, music, health, physical education, and computers. The three core subjects are divided into distinct areas, each with its own focus. English, for example, is divided into comprehension, composition, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. Each section is tested independently.

The entire staff is held accountable for the attainment of our school’s goals and objectives while, at the same time, being responsive to the needs of the students.

Essential Concepts Each subject is broken down into the smallest unit of knowledge, identified as an "essential concept." Essential concepts are considered the building blocks of learning; thus, mastery of each concept is necessary to ensure that the student will move on to the next level of learning. In the charter proposal, the founders of our school stressed that gaps hinder learning; therefore, the teaching methods employed identify the beginnings of these gaps in a child’s education before they turn into major crevices.

Tutoring is a means through which we address such gaps, and when needed, a teacher will often turn to Student Life^™ to seek peer tutoring for his or her students. One student in the Student Life Organization^® is responsible for running the peer-tutoring program, which includes seeking tutoring referrals from teachers.

Pacing Charts Teachers use a variety of assessment tools to ensure that students master the curriculum. The Academic Quality Controller (AQC) provides each teacher with a "pacing chart" for his or her subject area. The pacing chart serves as a detailed syllabus, providing the teachers with a timetable for the introduction of new materials and subject matter. Pacing charts identify what should be taught, week-by-week, throughout each of the three terms. Teachers who teach the same grades and/or the same subjects typically present the same concepts on the same day (or minimally within the same week). These teachers meet together regularly to maintain a consistent instructional pace. For the most part, due to the carefully created point-by-point pacing chart, all students master the same material and progress at the same pace. If a class is unable to demonstrate mastery of the materials (as indicated by weekly test scores) the teacher consults with the AQC and other teachers for a solution.

Intensive Program One of the most important components of the SABIS^® instructional strategy is the Intensive Program. Students in grades 2 through 7, who do not have a definable disability but are working below grade level in English and/or mathematics are placed in this program. On average, these classes have a substantially lower number of students than the regular classrooms. Students are periodically tested to determine if they are ready to return to regular classes.

Internal Assessments SABIS^® has developed a patented testing program that assesses what the students are learning . The program incorporates weekly testing in the form of SABIS^® Academic Monitoring System^™ (AMS) tests, and Periodic Exams for both the lower school and upper school. Students final examinations are given at the end of each term for all students grades K − 12.

The multiple choice AMS tests are computerized tests developed by SABIS^® to determine whether the students have learned the essential and important concepts being taught. Administration and teachers receive a highly detailed, sophisticated, computerized report of student AMS results, providing information that analyzes whether students are ready to advance to new material, whether teachers need to re-teach certain concepts, or whether some students need tutoring. Students and teachers look forward to the weekly results.

Periodic Exams follow the same basic format as the AMS tests; however, they are more comprehensive in that they cover material that has been taught over a longer period of time. Periodic exams include short answer, open response, and essay questions.

SABIS^® Point and Prefect System of Instruction Teachers use the Point and Prefect System of Instruction. A "point" is a specific skill or essential concept; it is an outcome-based learning objective. Each point is very specific; it helps teachers focus on exactly what they will teach and helps students focus on exactly what they will learn. A teacher lists points for a lesson on the board for all to see, thereby letting students know what they will learn and be tested on. A typical lesson covers three to four points. The points are taught, one at a time, through teacher-centered instruction: explanation, presentations, examples, and questioning. The teacher follows this with a written activity to check for understanding, and mastery.

Students are broken into groups and are led by a student academic prefect. These prefects are selected based on their proficiency in an academic area and ability to work with others. The prefects check the other students’ work in their group, thereby enhancing their own understanding of the material as well as their speaking and listening skills. If students need further explanation of the point, the prefect provides it if possible. Prefects report back to the teacher on whether or not the concept is understood by all. By monitoring the students’ work, the teacher can determine if it is necessary to re-teach a point.