What is "Academic Excellence"?

What is “Academic Excellence”?

At Good Foundations Academy, our mission is to “provide excellence and fairness in education through a common educational foundation.”   We often use the term “academic excellence” when we describe our school program, but what does that mean?

• Does it mean we are obsessed with test scores?  
• Do we define “excellence” by grades? 
• Do we confine learning to the classroom only? 
• Do we cover material in a prescribed curriculum, memorizing facts and names that mean little to the students?  

At GFA, we take the “long view” of education.  We are educating our students with the goal that each one will be ready and able to succeed at the high school and college of his or her choice.  Our curriculum, based on the Core Knowledge Sequence, is like a rich and generous banquet.  Each child is invited to partake.  Each child is exposed to the concepts, ideas, and skills that we teach.  We work hard to ensure that each child will walk away nourished and satisfied, trying something new, enjoying a few old favorites,  and sharing a valuable experience with friends.

At Good Foundations Academy, we define success through multiple measures, including growth, effort, character, and mastery.  Yes, students who earn high grades are celebrated on the Honor Roll.  We also celebrate a classroom which meets its target for growth on NWEA tests.  We honor a student who works hard and contributes to her community with U Rock! cards and Stepping Stone Awards.  We offer science fairs, geography bees, and forensics so that students can strive for excellence in a variety of disciplines and activities.

To answer the questions above:

• No we are not obsessed with test scores.  We use assessment data to improve our program, identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, and to seek ways to support our students.
• No, grades are not the only, or even best measure of excellence.  We recognize that academic excellence can be demonstrated in many forms, and that each child has unique talents and interests.  Grades are an important measure of achievement and our teachers work together to make sure classroom grades are valid, consistent and meaningful.
• No, learning is not confined to the classroom.  We understand that learning takes place wherever the opportunity presents itself.  We actively seek to help students make connections between what they learn in at school and their life outside the classroom.  Field trips, projects, guest speakers, and special events such as the Renaissance Festival, Roman Marketplace, and annual Science Fair are just a few important examples.  
• Although the Core Knowledge Sequence defines the baseline content and skills that are taught at each grade level, our teachers enrich, expand, and connect lessons to make learning at GFA a participatory sport.  We also believe that in order for our students to be able to learn critical thinking skills, they need to have something to think ABOUT.  Therefore, we teach basic facts, map skills, and names and dates to support our students’ growing ability to think critically and creatively.  Our students learn domain-specific vocabulary that will enrich discussions, build understanding, and foster written and verbal communication skills at all levels.

At GFA, academic excellence means that we value education, making it a priority in our lives, and doing our best every day.  We teach our students to achieve mastery in content and skills and to demonstrate achievement through a variety of expressions.  We guide our students to growth in character through a deep connection to great ideas, lessons in heroes and history,  and service to our community.