Annual Education Report 08-09

Central Academy

A Global Educational Excellence School

Mission:Central Academy promotes lifelong learning by

nurturing academic excellence, positive character, and an appreciation of cultures.

Belief StatementsThe foundational beliefs that the board holds which drive the mission and vision for the school are:• All students are entitled to reach their highest potential through a meaningful educational experience.• It is important that the academy provides a respectful, safe, orderly, and positive learning environment providing a school climate that is welcoming for staff, students and the community at large.• Parents are partners in the learning process and educational success is most often achieved when schools provide opportunities for parental involvement and support.• Learning is a lifelong process that empowers individuals to succeed and contribute to society.• All employees have the right to have a safe and supportive environment in which to effectively perform their work.• Although it is important for staff to be highly qualified on paper, it is equally important for staff to be highly qualified in their practice.• High expectations for students from parents, from teachers and from administrators will help students to succeed.• Well-defined goals and objectives are essential to a quality educational program.• Each and every employee functions as an integral member of the school personnel team and makes a highly significant contribution to the educational program.

Board of DirectorsRonald Jaworowski, President

Muhammad Jaffer, Vice PresidentSuzanne Baccouche, Secretary

Zeyad El-eswed, TreasurerElaine Rumman, DirectorNaziha Bashshur, Director

Shabbir Khan, DirectorSchool PrincipalDr. Luay Shalabi

Dr. Luay Shalabi earned his MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Eastern Michigan University and his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Wayne State University focusing on bilingual and bicultural education. He has been in the field of education since 1981 when he started teaching English as a foreign language oversees. He has a wide experience and a great passion in the field of bilingual bicultural education. Dr. Shalabi joined the founders of Central Academy, the first of all GEE schools, even before the school started its operation in 1996. His focus is on meeting the individual needs of every child. He bases his philosophy on the fact that schools must expect the best effort and performance from every single student. This stems from his belief that EVERY child is capable of learning and success is within the reach of ALL students. He works very hard with his staff to achieve this goal by creating an effective classroom instruction, developing high expectations, nurturing all students and sharing the school with the community. Meeting parents and community members and listening to their feedback is what he enjoys the most.

Central Academy is authorized by Central Michigan University Charter Schools Office, and was established in August of 1996. It is one of the many Public School Academies serviced by Global Educational Excellence.

GEE is an educational service provider founded in 1998 in Michigan, with the mission to empower schools of choice by nurturing academic excellence, positive character traits and an appreciation of cultures.

Mohamad Issa, Director of GEE, and Said Issa, Associate Director of GEE, ensure that GEE provides the following services to the school: recruit and engage personnel, best suited to the school and its community, facilitate the development and implementation of a curriculum fostering growth among all children, supervise

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDER

Central Academy opened in 1996 and received Michigan North Central Association re-accreditation in 2008. The academy serves pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades, having a school enrollment of 483 and an 89.47% student graduation rate. The retention rate is currently over 99% compared to last year’s rate of 96.5%.

The academy offers adult classes in small class sizes with an average of 19 students and full-day kindergarten classes. Computer use and English as a Second Language are offered to parents and other adults in our community.

Building One is the original location of the Academy and is approximately 4,200 square feet of space, with four classrooms and four restrooms.Building Two contains two portable classroom buildings. Each portable classroom building holds two classrooms. The two portable classroom buildings are attached to create a four classroom unit.Building Three was constructed in 1998-1999 and designed for the Academy’s unique educational program. The building is approximately 29,317 square feet, with an attractive exterior of brick and metal. A large outdoor playing field is adjacent to the building and allows for recess and physical education.Grades are separated along wings. Classes at the lower elementary level are mixed-age and therefore more integrated amongst each other. The building features a fully functional industrial-sized kitchen capable of serving lunch for all students at the

OUR ACADEMY

the maintenance of the school’s physical facility and environment, and manage all record-keeping and financial aspects associated with the operation of the school.

The staff of Global Educational Excellence have a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences which makes the team unique in its ability to serve the Global Academies. The departments at Global Educational Excellence have over 15 years experience in handling Federal and State Grant Reporting requirements and Board Policy. They also handle all No Child Left Behind Requirements, including Site Manuals and Administrative Guidelines for the buildings and school board. As an Educational Service Provider, Global Educational Excellence is prepared and equipped to handle any educational needs of the Academies requested by the School Board.

Through their mission, GEE has worked with communities throughout Southeastern Michigan and Northern Ohio to provide a strong educational program specifically developed to meet the needs of the English as a Second Language student. Global Academies, through the Educational Service Provider GEE have been recognized state-wide in Michigan as well as nationally for the academic achievements of their academies’ students.

In accordance with School Board recommendations, the academy holds parent-teacher conferences to permit two-way communication between home and school. About 95% of our parents attended parent-teacher conferences in 2008-09, which is a slight increase over the previous year. In addition there are meetings of staff members and parents of those students having special abilities, disabilities, needs, or problems and an open house to provide parents with the opportunity to see the Academy facilities, meet the faculty, and sample the program on a first-hand basis.

Research indicates that the leading predictor of student success is parental involvement. As such, the academy includes parents in every aspect of the education program. The school governance structure relies on significant parental input and cultivates a close working partnership between staff and parents. For the benefit of children, the Board believes that parents have a responsibility to encourage their child’s career in school.

To that end, the academy has a parent/student coordinator that conducts parent meetings and workshops in addition to informational meetings with the principal. This motivates parents as well as the community to get involved in a variety of ways and gives the opportunity for them to voice their opinions. Central Academy offers events and activities that encourages parents and educates them in ways they can help to increase academic achievement for their children. The academy has an “open door” policy where parents are always welcome to visit.

Teachers at Central Academy are highly qualified, holding at least a Bachelors Degree and Teaching Certification from the state.

TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

school. There are fifteen classrooms and six restrooms in the main building, along with a multipurpose room/gymnasium which permits both full-school assemblies and full court basketball or volleyball games. The Academy’s media center and science lab also significantly enhance student learning opportunities at the Academy. Throughout the building, a network of over 120 computers keep students and staff connected to each other.

ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS

AYP Status (Adequate Yearly Progress) Met AYP

Composite Grade B

Percentage not tested in Grades 3-8 MEAP were 1% or lower.

GEE Academies, including Central, understand that measuring academic success requires more than just looking at grades on a report card four times a year. As such, all of our schools participate in administering standardized tests for their respective state. These tests serve to measure our students’ performance against state curriculum standards to ensure our students are receiving the proper instruction.They also serve as a good way to measure year-to-year progress and compare school performance across an entire state. The data from the state standardized testing is closely evaluated by each school’s administration teams to assess areas of strength and weakness enabling us to continually tailor instruction as needed.

The School Improvement Plan prepared initial guides developed to help our school in the process to improve student achievement, develop goals and analyze our achievement results. It helps to produce a baseline by which to set and achieve goals to ultimately meet AYP standards.

Current Improvement GoalsBy June 2010, all school students plan to show: - An increase their reading comprehension across the curriculum.- An increase their writing conventions across the curriculum.- An increase in their understanding of mathematical computations and conceptualizations.- An increase in their capacity to reason and inquire in Science.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

FINANCES

Central Academy School is audited yearly by Plante Moran, PLLC, of Michigan in the summer of 2009. The current audit of 08-09 reported no findings and reported this to the Academy School Board at a school board meeting in the fall of 2009.

2008-2009 Foundation Allowance $7,580Fund Balance $1,145,112Fund Balance % of Expenditure 27.5%Instruction % of Expenditure 44.81%

CORE CURRICULUM

The Board of Directors provides a comprehensive core curriculum to serve the educational needs of students of this Academy. The curriculum is in line with the curriculum that was adopted by the State of Michigan School Board and is consistent with the Michigan School Code. The Educational Service Provider and School Leader prepare guidelines for the description of the core curriculum as well as the sequence, in grade clusters, in which such courses will be taught. The curriculum is intended to provide a basic framework for instruction and learning. Within the framework, each teacher uses the curriculum in a manner best designed to meet the needs of the students for whom s/he is responsible.

The goal of the Arabic language and culture program is to educate students in Arabic language and culture in order to help make them knowledgeable and active members of a global society. Students will learn to use Arabic language for meaningful communication in both spoken and written form. The Arabic language program emphasizes language as it is used in real-life situations that students are most likely to encounter. Through Arabic language and culture study, students develop sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic heritage of other ethnic groups, understand their influence on other cultures, and become prepared to participate in a society characterized by linguistic and cutural diversity.

ARABIC LANGUAGE PROGRAM

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is a model that works well with the English Language Learners served by Bridge Academy. This model was developed by the National Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence funded by the US Department of Education. The theory behind this model is that language acquisition is enhanced through meaningful use and interaction with the English language. Through the study of content, students interact with the English Language Learners in a meaningful way with material that is relevant to their schooling. All content lessons incorporate activities in the language processes; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The teachers make the content comprehensible for all students through techniques such as the use of visual aids, modeling, demonstrations, graphic organizers, vocabulary, adapted texts, cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and native language support. All professional staff members are trained on this instructional model and through its use, students are able to master the state-required expectations for yearly improvement.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

MEAP Proficiency Score Percentage by GradeCentral Academy 07/08 Central Academy 08/09 State Ann Arbor

English

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

71.8

60

67.9 65.6 63.9

52.2

71.7

62.8

75

66.7 67.664.1

83.2

76.6 78.2 79.5 80.176.7

89.9 88.8 87.8 90.1 91.9 90.7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

75.6

86.5

69

58.8

70.3

52.2

87.5

74.4

85.4

56.1

66.7 68.3

91.3 87.9

76.8 79.9 82.674.5

96.3 94.3 91.9 90.5 92.887.8

Math

Science

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

5th 8th

75.9

60.965.9

54.8

83.176.3

8377

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

6th 9th

55.9

34.6

56.1 55.6

73.6

85.6

74 72

Social Studies

MEAP Disaggregated Proficiency Data 08/09

Grade3rd English Math

MaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

62%85%

*67%80%70%58%

89%86%

*88%90%85%71%

Grade4th English Math

MaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

55%69.6%

*65.6%

*57.5%27.8%

80%69.6%

*78.2%

*69.7%

50%

Grade5th English Math Science

MaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

86.6%68%

*69%

*75%

45.5%

93.4%80.8%

*83.4%

*83.8%58.3%

80%58%

*60%

*65%25%

Grade6th English Math Social

StudiesMaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

69.6%62.5%

*59.3%81.8%63.6%

*

93.4%50%

*60%

54.6%51.4%18.2%

59%67%

*63%

*55%75%

Grade7th English Math

MaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

58.3%72.7%

*73.1%

*61.5%33.3%

71.4%63.6%

*71.4%

*60.7%42.9%

Grade8th English Math Science

MaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

42.8%76%

*58.6%

*60.6%

25%

64.3%70.3%

*64.5%

*62.9%42.8%

43%61%

*48%73%50%27%

* = Fewer than 10 students included

Grade9thMaleFemaleAsianWhiteBlackDisadvantaged

ELL

79%31%

*45%

*50%8%

SocialStudies

2459 South Industrial HighwayAnn Arbor, MI 48104

Phone: (734) 822-1100www.centralacademy.net

A

G E E S c h o ol