Parent Information Night for the Class of 2016 Nominees:
Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00pm in the North Commons of CHS
INVITATION ONLY ~ This event is for students and the parents of students who receive mail notification of nomination to the 2012-2013 CHS Freshman Academy.
The Camas High School Freshman Academy is a program whose goal is to facilitate a smooth transition from 8th to 9th grade. The program features smaller class sizes and a unique Lab study support elective where students have the opportunity to receive one-on-one or small group instruction from their English, math and Freshman Focus teachers in a collaboratively team-taught curriculum. The Freshman Academy is the only system in place at CHS for mainstream, college-bound students to receive additional support in math, English and science. While our goal is to maintain class sizes at 18-22, budget constraints during the 2010-11 school may result in classes as large as 24, though this is still smaller than other 9th grade English classes and will facilitate greater one-on-one support for students.
Unlike other programs with the "Academy" in their name, the Freshman Academy is not a remedial program or a program for behavior-problem students.In fact, the curriculum students experience in their Academy English 9, IPS (9th Grade Science), and Math classes is only modified by including the opportunity for more one-on-one teacher-to-student experience. The assessments, assignments, readings, and expectations are at the same academic level as classes outside the Academy. The difference comes in class size and in the Academy Lab study support period—fostering increased student-to-teacher connections.
Click here for a recent brochure with information for parents and students (.pdf )
Click here for a recent brochure with information for teachers and school staff (.pdf )
Click here for the PowerPoint presented at the February 22nd, 2011 Parent Night at CHS.
Click on the image below for a visual which helps explain the populations we serve.
In short… KEY DETAILS:
The Freshman Academy curriculum is mainstream, not remedial, though individual support is facilitated by our smaller class sizes and the extra support period team-taught by the math, English, and careers teachers. Students with significant skills deficits are welcome, but in math (for example), all Academy students are enrolled in Algebra I. However, if a student is not ready for Algebra I, but has a strong work ethic, they may be a good candidate.
The Freshman Academy is not a behavior remediation program either; it is not for students who “can’t cut it” in the mainstream, nor should students be excluded because of minor discipline history. The key to success in the Academy is the learning community—if a student has a track record of consistently disrupting their learning community, despite any and all teacher efforts, the Academy may not be the best placement for them. We leave this to the judgment of the 8th grade teams since they know the student in a learning context.
The Freshman Academy welcomes students served by special education services, provided that they are still able to enroll in whatever classes or supports are required by law outside of their Academy schedule.
The Freshman Academy does not limit a student’s future academic track. We have past students who have moved on to Pre-AP and AP English, AP Biology, AP History, and upper-division elective mathematics. Many strong students have benefited from the one-on-one support and community of learning provided by the Academy, and have therefore been able to establish a strong foundation for superior educational experiences in the higher grades.
Below is a prezi from our 2012 middle school visits. It includes "talking points," clicking through it will not necessarily give you all the details you might need…for details, check the text above and the links at the top.