FAQ Small Learning Community
Q. What is a small learning community?
A. A school-within-a-school that fosters a greater sense of school community and belonging among the students and allows for closer and more comprehensive oversight of a student's academic and social progress.
Q. What are the characteristics of small learning communities?
A. Key elements include personalization, identity, autonomy, instructional focus and accountability.
q Personalization and identity are addressed through a theme-based community where students and teachers share a common interest and develop productive relationships with each other thereby fostering a sense of belonging.
q Instructional focus and accountability means teachers create as many connections as possible to the theme of the Academy thereby capitalizing on the students’ interest to increase achievement. These connections are being reinforced through business and community that help to establish real-world relevance. Throughout the process students will be provided with enrichment activities allowing exposure to career-related fields pertinent to the Academy. Those activities may involve job shadowing and guest speakers and may culminate into experiential internships and apprenticeships. A “best practice” for ensuring rigor involves utilizing “standards-based curriculum” to generate integrated subject area academy projects.
q Assigning each Academy to a specific area within the larger school setting fosters Autonomy.
Q. How is this beneficial to the students?
A. The research is clear. Schools implementing small learning communities experience higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, less behavior problems, improved attendance and increased achievement. More students feel a sense of belonging, more students participate in extracurricular activities, more students feel safe, and more students feel that they are truly known for who they are.
Q. How does a Freshman Academy student transition into one of the Academies, and what happens thereafter?
A. During Advisory, each student in the 9th grade will draft a 6-year career/academic plan for high school and beyond. Various exploratory assessments, interest inventories and curriculum activities will enable each student to select a thematic Academy that closely matches the interests and/or goals of the student. Each student will identify an interest and select a pathway for Academy placement. During the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, students will take electives courses geared to that interest.
Q. What is an Academy?
A. First, Academies are small learning communities within a larger school
Second, Academies combine a college preparatory curriculum with a career theme
Third, Academies embody partnerships with employers, the community and local colleges
Q. What is a “pathway?”
A. A Career Pathway is a coherent, articulated sequence of rigorous academic and career/technical courses, commencing in the ninth grade and leading to an associate degree, baccalaureate degree and beyond, an industry recognized certificate, and/or licensure, or entry-level employment. The career pathway is developed, implemented, and maintained in partnership among secondary and postsecondary education, business and employers. The articulated curriculum of a Career Pathway provides the opportunity for dual enrollment and the earning of postsecondary credits in high school. (National Tech Prep Network)
Q. How can you ask a student to pick a career at so young an age?
A. Although students will be provided with experiences that help to identify aptitudes and interests, and will be asked to examine post-secondary destinations related to those interests, they will not be asked to “pick a career.” Placement will be based on students’ interests.
Q. What happens if the chosen Academy is full?
A. Research suggests that in a school of Joliet Township High School’s size, and as long as all the interests/careers are represented, the diversity of the student population will result in a “branching out” into all the Academy areas, making first choice possible for all.
Q. Will classes be closed?
A. Closed classes will not be a result of the small learning communities initiative. Joliet Township has always had to cap classes by class size, teacher availability and facility requirements, and this will continue to be the case.
Q. Will everyone be allowed his or her choice of electives, even if the electives do not fall within the Academy?
A. Students will be able to take electives outside of their Academy.
Q. How will Academies impact band, orchestra and ROTC?
A. Those students interested in band, orchestra and ROTC will continue to have that option regardless of what pathway and Academy they choose for placement.
Q. Will extracurricular activities and school-wide spirit suffer?
A. The research shows that students who feel a sense of belonging are more apt to become involved in school activities. Thus, SLC’s should promote increased student participation in extracurricular activities and increased school spirit
Q. Will the credits from one academy transfer to the next academy?
A. Yes. The curriculum is driven by state and district standards, not the content. However, to meet those standards, materials are sometimes interest/academy specific. For example, mathematic problems in the Engineering Academy will be applicable to real world engineering problems.
Q. Are “Honors” classes being eliminated?
A. No. However, in cases where students have options to take dual enrollment courses instead, they are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to gain college credit.
Q. Do all academies accommodate Honors and AP courses?
A. All students will receive a rigorous college prep level of instruction. However, if an Academy does not contain within it a desired Honors or AP course, the student may cross over to another Academy. For example, if the Academy of Arts & Communication does not offer an Honors class in Anatomy & Physiology, the student may cross over to the Academy of Health & Sciences to take that course.
Q. Will course offerings be restricted thereby jeopardizing admittance into four-year universities?
A. No. Students must still take all courses required for graduation (e.g., four years of English) as directed by School Board Policy, the State of Illinois and the desired post-secondary education institution.
Q. Will student choice be limited?
A. No. Students will not only have more choice, but will also have input into what those courses should be. Dual enrollment courses, as well as, new elective courses are being added. Further, research shows that smaller learning communities promote increased enrollment in more rigorous courses.
Q. Will the school day change?
A. There are no plans to change the school day. All sophomores, juniors and seniors will continue to have a seven-period day beginning at 8:20 a.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m.
Q. How will class curriculum be changed to accommodate Academies?
A. The required standards of the State of Illinois and District 204 will be taught to all students. That will not change. The standards will continue to drive the curriculum. However, those standards can be met through standards-based integrated curriculum projects specific to each Academy.
Q. How will college-bound students benefit?
A. According to a report generated by the Department of Education, although 97% of students aspire to enter college, only 63% enroll in the fall following their graduation from high school, and only about half of those earn their bachelors degree by the time they are 29 years old. A report published in 1998 by America’s Career Resource Network maintains that informed and considered career decisions are linked to improved educational achievement, attainment and efficiency. Students who make informed and considered career decisions (Academy students) are more likely to complete a baccalaureate degree in less time (less dropping of courses) and with more likelihood of a better “fit” leading to increased job satisfaction.
Q. When and where do students sign up for the Academies?
A. Student selection will begin within their 9th grade Advisory. There, the Advisor will speak with each student, individually, reviewing Career Cruising Interest Inventories, ACT Career Planning Survey Reports and discussing with students their interests. The student will preliminarily choose courses for the 10th grade, a pathway and will be placed within an Academy. The next step involves the student taking the information home to the parent for discussion. The last step in the process is a meeting with the student’s 9th grade Counselor to finalize course selection, pathway identification and Academy placement.