Executive Summary. Iowa Christian Academy. Dr. Brenda Hillman, Administrator 2501 Vine Street West Des Moines, IA 50265

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1 Dr. Brenda Hillman, Administrator 2501 Vine Street West Des Moines, IA Document Generated On February 10, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 8

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? The educational process at is grounded in biblical truth and a philosophy which provides the Christian worldview and essential truths for life so that children may be prepared to assume their proper place in the home, the church and the state of Iowa. is a private, independent Christian day school ministry that exists to challenge young people to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, to adopt a biblical worldview, to love others as themselves and to grow in knowledge and skill through academic excellence, in order that they may serve our Lord and others through their character, spiritual integrity and leadership. Founded in 1999, (ICA) is accredited by the Iowa Department of Education, AdvancEd, and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Under the leadership of a Board of Directors, ICA is a kinder-prep thru 12th grade interdenominational school of 242 located in Polk County with more than 65 churches and 25 denominations represented by our school families. At, our commitment to excellence is exceeded only by our commitment to Jesus Christ. It is our desire to enroll students who will flourish in a Christian environment that challenges them spiritually, academically, socially and physically. Basic facts about Des Moines, Iowa, in Polk County: #1 Strongest Local Economy - POLICOM Corporation (2014) #1 Americas 15 Best Cities for Young Professionals - Forbes Magazine (2014) #2 Best Places in American for Business Careers - Forbes Magazine (2014) -Population = 451,677 -Median Household Income = $72,484 -Median Age = 35 -Institutions of Higher Learning = 5 -Major Employers = Wells Fargo (13,500); State of Iowa (8,800); Mercy Hospital Medical Center (7,100); Principal Financial (6,131); UnityPoint Health (5,505); Nationwide (5,000); Des Moines Public Schools (4,642); John Deere Company (3,100); DuPont Pioneer (2,849); Hy-Vee Food Store (2,100). School Enrollment SY Kinder Prep = 21 Kindergarten - 8th = 115 9th - 12th = % of 2014 graduates are attending institutions of higher learning retention rate = 85% Communities Represented = Altoona, Ankeny, Clive, Cumming, Des Moines, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Prole, Slater, Urbandale, Van Meter, Waukee, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset Page 2

5 Faculty = FT- 28, PT- 3 (1/3 of ICA faculty members have advanced degrees and boast an average of more than 16 years experience per teacher Administration = 1 Staff = FT - 6, PT - 7 's main challenge is to continue meeting the learning needs of a diverse clientele that seek a faith-based education for their child(ren). The students being served are more diverse academically and more demanding in terms of physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs. The largest undertaking the ministry has engaged in is a capital campaign which will provide the construction of a gymnasium and high school complex on the Jordan Park Campground off Grand Avenue. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. MISSION STATEMENT - Developing Leaders Committed to Christ VISION - was founded in 1999 to equip students to impact their world for Christ by providing an innovative community school system throughout central Iowa focused on introducing youth to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ in an environment of love and acceptance. It is the policy of, Inc. that the school be "seeker-focused" or evangelical in orientation, accepting the unchurched in fulfillment of the Great Commission, so long as the student and parents accept the Academy's standard and biblical curriculum and agree to abide by the Academy's standards School Verse - "My life is an example to many because You have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising You. I declare Your glory all the day long. Psalm 71:7-8 Our student community is referred to as the PACK in conjunction with our mascot Blaze. (P)urpose; (A)ccountability; (C)ompassion; (K)nowledge. The ICA student body is encouraged to strive toward a community exhibiting these biblical traits Academic Goals: Technology - implement strategies to utilize the breadth and depth of available technology to enhance the instructional environment. Critical Thinking - focus instructional strategies on opportunities to enhance high level thinking skills at all grade levels. FLIP the classroom - strategically and purposefully enhance the instructional environment with student-driven activities. An Classroom should: 1. be open to, encourage, and appreciate a variety of opinions 2. engage inviting and approachable pedagogy 3. celebrate students' uniqueness in Christ 4. promote corporate and individual responsibility 5. integrate academic work, personal life and spiritual growth 6. consider, engage, and assess work fairly 7. promote critical thinking 8. encourage high learning standards for all students and teachers 9. utilize technology to draw from a wide variety of sources 10. create assignments that nurture student expression of themselves as both individuals and ICA community members 11. build relationships both within classrooms and in the wider ICA community 12. clearly establish the Bible as the inerrant source of all Truth is a "seeker" school which was established to provide open enrollment to families willing to abide by the established standards. Although the mission statement of ICA may vary from many of our sister schools, there are certain characteristics that should be Page 4

7 present in our instructional strategies: Uniqueness: Christian pedagogy should recognize each ICA student as uniquely gifted and always offer each child the dignity that extends from his/her creation in God's image. No student given to us is without dignity and gifts and the learning process should embrace that individual uniqueness. Our hope and vocation should be to recognize and encourage ICA student gifts and foster each student to flourish within a supportive learning environment. Relationship: Christian pedagogy should engage ICA students in purposefully sharing themselves with one another. When building relationships in the ICA learning environment, we recognize that key factors to a student flourishing are the nurturing and mentoring of relationships within our community. When relationships are nurtured and mentoring is strategic, they become reciprocal which enhances the learning environment. Community: The ICA community must speak to the power of shared purpose and care for others. Our efforts toward enhancing an understanding of our interconnectedness as a foundational value for a faith-based community welcomes everyone to a table of abundant blessings. Empowerment: Teaching from a Christian perspective should teach students that their actions can and will impact the world. Unfortunately, sometime in our classrooms children learn to believe they are not worthy of opportunities, hope or empowering self-definitions. Iowa Christian Academy believes the learning environment should help children come to believe they can impact the world powerfully. At ICA, the average class size is 18, providing ample opportunity for a student to be a big fish in a small pond. We are a college preparatory institution, building the foundation in the elementary grade levels toward success in the High School. In addition to the state mandated curricular offerings, ICA provides 9 advanced placement, honors or dual accredited courses. A senior can currently graduate with 14 college credits applicable to their freshman year. Page 5

8 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Notable achievement toward enhancing (1) Technology, (2) Critical Thinking and (3) Student-Driven Instructional Environment: *Moved from wired to 100% wireless with each faculty member provided a laptop and classrooms equipped with projectors. *Introduction and implementation of the Sycamore platform for families, students, employees and parents. *Obtained a $44,000 grant through Education for the 21st Century for technology equipment. *Selected as one of 150 Iowa schools to be part of the Microsoft IT Academy through the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. Students have access to online learning, digital books and certification exams valued at $50,000 per location. *ICA now provides Professional Development and license coursework opportunities to each full-time faculty member through ACSI's ConNexus. *Expansion of course offerings in History, Math, Science, Art, Computer and Foreign Language (Sociology, History in Focus, Logic, Environmental Science, Personal Finance, Advanced Computer, and expanded foreign language offerings through Online Iowa). *Obtained building permit from West Des Moines for Jordan Park Construction of Gymnasium and High School Complex with 87 school families pledging to give over $1,000,000 toward construction. Areas of Opportunity: * strives to increase the Reading and the ELA student performance score on the Iowa Assessment. ICA will strive to target a 3-6 grade NSS reading goal of 78% proficient and an ELA average of 86% proficient. ICA has implemented a curricular emphasis on strategies emphasizing comprehension and writing. Summer reading has been expanded and is being reinforced by a purposeful DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) program which encourages individual student reading for pleasure. * will align Iowa Core, AdvancEd and grade-level standards and expectations to increase the percentage of students in grades 3-6 that show standard growth in math as measured by the Iowa Assessment NSS for math. The ICA math goal for will show an increase in student performance in grades 3-6 on the Iowa Assessment from 62.5% proficient to 68% proficient. ICA will continue to maintain longitudinal data with HEART through AEA 11 for assistance with trend lines and measurable math goals. Ongoing Fall and Spring MAP Assessments for grades 2-6 are scheduled. The Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test will again be utilized to provide longitudinal data to determine readiness for Pre-Algebra. *Continue practice of strategically tying Faculty Professional Development Plans to school-wide measurable goals. ICA conducts an annual license audit and by policy, contracts will not be extended unless employees are current with their State of Iowa and ACSI license. *Complete a plan to achieve enrollment of 300 students by Fall *Ongoing update of the ICA technology plan to stay abreast of local, state and national digital learning trends. *Complete construction on Jordan Park Gymnasium and High School Complex: elementary students. modify the Vine Street location to better serve our Page 6

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10 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections number of cities represented at 59 - number of churches represented 9 - number of advanced placement and honors courses Average ACT score of graduating class of (ICA requires all students to take part in the ACT examination). Page 8