Academics

Curriculum

City Academy offers a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum from basics and foundations courses through rigorous advanced study in the Cambridge International Exams program. Learning is authentic, investigate and rigorous across the curriculum.

At City Academy we are committed to maintaining a focus on academic progress and challenging learning for each student, each course, and each year. To that end, our classes taught in a demanding grade-level appropriate manner that leads to big learning. When a student's low ability in math, reading, and/or writing is a barrier to academic success, that student is placed in the Basics or Foundations of Learning program at City Academy. For more information about individual courses call the office to request a current list.

Assessment

City Academy provides a learning environment focused on students developing and demonstrating knowledge and competencies in both academics and personal citizenship. Students earn credit through demonstrating standards-based levels of competency. These levels are designated an Initial, Reaching, Solid, and Expanded. The four levels of competency from Initial to Expended do not compare in any way with traditional letter grades of A, B, C, D, F. City Academy levels of competency indicate students' demonstrated understandings, knowledge, skills, and abilities in a particular area at a particular time. City Academy does not rank its students. A GPA equivalency is computed quarterly for each student to provide information for traditional labels of "good" student or "honor roll" student for purposes of insurance discounts, community perks, and college admissions. For more specific information about our competency-based assessment system please refer to the Parent and Student Policy Handbook.

Student Service Learning

100% of City Academy students participate in service learning. Service learning is much, much more than volunteering; it is another means of accomplishing big learning. Service learning combines service tasks with structured learning opportunities that link the task to self-reflection and self-discovery, and to the acquisition and comprehension of knowledge, ideas, values, and skills.

At City Academy service learning is required for graduation. Students have opportunities to participate in school sponsored service learning in at least four different ways. Student service learning committees provide service for the school community while providing students the opportunity to learn about the area of service they are providing.  Academic service learning opportunities arise in classes across the curriculum when a controversy or issue emerges from the course of study. Students learn about this multifaceted concern and are then asked to develop a solution or resolution to the issue based on their study. Students perform a service when they communicate their solutions to those in the larger community directly dealing with the issue, or when they take action themselves on the issue.
Additionally, 10th through 12th grade students participate in internship placements of their choosing in non-profit or government organizations in the community. Students learn about the causes and issues of the organization within which they are serving. The student intern then helps the organization implement some of the interventions they have helped develop. Each year there is also several whole school service learning activities where the student body learns more about a particular community need and then acts to help resolve it.

Comprehensive Guidance

We recognize that successful young people must be not only knowledgeable when they graduate from school, but also emotionally and physically healthy, civically engaged, responsible, and caring. We believe every child deserves an education that fully prepares him or her for college, work, and citizenship. The role of the City Academy comprehensive guidance program is to support development of the "whole student" as they attend our school.

Counseling  

Our counseling program helps students develop both academically and socially and guides them through becoming competent in skills and knowledge that will result in their life-long success. Our Program is designed to focus on the personal, educational, and career needs of every student. Our desire is to help every student leave City Academy with more than a DIPLOMA . . . We'll help you leave with a portfolio of competencies!

The Advisory Program

Students are organized into grade-level advisories and typically remain with the same advisory group over time.
An advisory is a small, caring, supportive community within the school led by teacher advisor.  Advisory work focuses on academics as well as personal qualities and civics. Advisories are an integral component of our larger plan for learning. They are not "add-ons" or "one more thing to do" in a busy day.

The advisor's primary responsibility is to maintain an overview of the student's academic progress and to provide a day-to-day level of support to the student towards making appropriate progress. Advisors do not replace the school counselor, but do provide an initial level of counseling support. Advisors also provide each student and their parents with a first line of contact and an advocate in the school setting. The role of the advisor is vital in ensuring that no student "slips through the cracks" whether in terms of academic or social/emotional need.

Additionally, advisories are the smallest units of our civic structure, which connect to town and village meetings and student government. They are a forum for students to express and discuss ideas, concerns and wishes and to develop, through participation, their understanding of representative democracy. The experiences and processes of advisory should help advisor and advisees develop as stakeholders and citizens of our school community.

Educational Support Services (ESS)

Educational Support Services (ESS) Department encompasses a variety of special support services at City Academy.  ESS provides the following:

  • Diagnostic screening assessments in reading, writing and math for all students in grades 8 and 9.
  • Diagnostic assessments for students who are speakers of other languages.
  • Identification of and placement for students needing Basics and/or Foundations level classes.
  • Monitoring of students who have been identified as at-risk.
  • Academic assessment and diagnostic testing to identify needs of students who demonstrate significant difficulty in class after implementing interventions.
  • Services for students with disabilities who require Individual Educational Plans (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). City Academy IDEA Policies and Procedures are posted at http://my.uen.org/48778
  • Services for students with disabilities who require Section 504 plans under the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • English as a Second Language (ESL) Services for students who qualify.
  • Functional Behavioral Analysis and Behavioral Intervention Plan development and implementation for students with behavioral issues.
  • Support for teachers in implementing accommodations for students on IEP, 504, and ESL plans, including in-services and trainings, class observations by ESS personnel, and in-class support by co-teachers for IEP students.