Executive Summary. Sage International School of Boise. Mr. Don Keller, Principal 601 S 9th St Boise, ID

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1 Mr. Don Keller, Principal 601 S 9th St Boise, ID Document Generated On October 15, 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 6

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? Sage opened during the school year with grades K-7 and 213 students. Now in our sixth year, we serve over 900 students in grades K-12. Currently, Sage has 214 high school students: 86 freshmen, 79 sophomores, 35 juniors, and 14 seniors. Eventually, we plan to have 90 students in each high school grade level. The Class of 2016 will be our first graduating class. Sage International operates two locations: an elementary and middle school on Parkcenter Boulevard and a high school in downtown Boise on 9th Street. Our primary student population is from the Boise School District (BSD) boundaries, but we also accept students from outside of the BSD area and some students travel over 30 miles to attend Sage. Our current student demographic is as follows: 86% White; 1% American Indian; 6% Asian; 3% Black; 4% Hispanic; 18% Free and Reduced Lunch; 1% LEP; and 6% Special Education. Sage has 77 employees: 63 certified staff and 14 classified staff. We have an 84% staff retention rate and our staff increased by 10% for the school year. Sage's mission is to prepare students to become true citizens of the world community, equipped to participate and engage in local and global issues. Sage International is a public school of choice offering students in grades K-12 an inquiry-based education modeled on the International Baccalaureate Programme (IB). Sage International is an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for the Primary Years Programme (PYP, K-5) and Diploma Programme (DP, 11-12). Sage is a Candidate school for the Middle Years Programme (MYP, 6-10) and the Career-related Programme (CP, 11-12). If authorized for MYP and CP, Sage will be one of only a limited number of US schools to implement all K-12 International Baccalaureate Programmes. Sage International's IB-based curriculum focuses on life-long learning, complex problem solving, increased global understanding, and rigorous math, reading, language arts, science, humanities, and technology curriculum. Students in high school are allowed elective options in the following classes: design technology, art, physical education, drama, world history, creative writing, French, and academic support classes. Elective options vary from year to year based on staff certifications. During the academic year, Sage International School students scored above state averages in math and language arts on the Idaho Standards Achievement Test. Sage also participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and scored above US averages in math, reading, and science. The average SAT score for the 11th grade students in the school year was 1,688; 18 students participated in this assessment and the average was the third highest in Idaho. The most recent PSAT scores for 10th grade students were above both state and national means in critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills and 57.1% of students were on track to be College and Career Ready. A unique aspect of our school is we have a "Mind the Gap" school fundraising campaign (participation is optional). During the school year we had over 50% of our families participating and raised approximately $155,000. The high level of family participation in our program shows that families believe in our school and are willing to make financial commitments to help ensure its success. Page 2

5 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. Our educational philosophy is grounded in the belief that an inquiry based international education should be offered to all members of our community so that together, we can create a learning community that fulfills the mission for education set forth by the state of Idaho. Vision: To create global citizens by equipping our students with the ability to think across disciplines and international boundaries, and inspire them to live extraordinary lives. Mission: Sage aims to develop students who are citizens of the world. We do this by employing best practices from data collected on elementary and middle school instruction from around the globe. is a community structured around an international inquiry based curriculum that cultivates intellectual rigor, curiosity, cultural understanding, sustainable living and passionate human beings that approach the world with intention, ready to participate and engage in local and global issues. "A Senegalese poet said 'in the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.' We must learn about other cultures in order to understand, in order to love, and in order to preserve our common world heritage." --Yo Yo Ma, White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy The secondary school continues to develop its program to meet the mission, vision, and values/beliefs of our charter. We are authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11 and 12 and are a candidate school for the IB Career-related Programme (CP). Our first cohort entered this rigorous college prep program in fall of Students in grades 9 and 10 are completing Idaho high school graduation requirements along with coursework that will help students be successful in the DP. Another purpose of Sage is to support students with outdoor education opportunities. Many of the courses are tied directly to curriculum at Sage. Other excursions help develop leadership, citizenship, and character outside of the classroom. Some of the programs offered include: Oregon Coast, Hell's Canyon backpacking, skiing/snowshoeing to back country yurts, river rafting throughout Idaho, rock climbing, and mountain biking. Students are also able to earn certifications in wilderness first aid. Page 3

6 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. Areas of Improvement - Facilities: We focus on how our enrollment changes each year due to our continued growth and the impact on facilities. Our operations director's primary responsibilities continue to be ensuring facilities are in place as needed. Our secondary program (grades 6-12) has grown from a one-room middle school of 28 students ( ) to having over 400 secondary students with a 22,000 foot downtown location with 214 high school students. As our high school expands, we plan to secure additional space in our Parkcenter location and become a unified K-12 campus in August Teacher Training: We continue to grow and hire new teachers, and we have to ensure we are training teachers in the instructional and assessment practices required at Sage, as well as meet the training required by International Baccalaureate. - Technology: We need to ensure we have technology resources available to students and teachers. - Communications: We continue to work on best practices for keeping our community informed through websites and communications as we grow and expand campuses. - Curriculum: In 2015, we became a candidate school for the IB Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10) and the IB Career-related Programme (grades 11-12). If successful in receiving authorization, we will become only a few public school in the US to offer the full IB scope and sequence. Notable Achievements International Baccalaureate Affiliations - authorized to offer the Diploma Programme - candidate school to offer the Middle Years Programme - candidate school to offer the Career-related Programme More Athletic Opportunities for Students - competing in mountain biking through the National Interscholastic Cycling Association - participating in ultimate frisbee games with other local high school teams - competing in Bogus Basin Ski and Snowboard races Outdoor Education We have provided many outdoor enrichment opportunities for students. Academics are included in these trips related to the sciences, literacy, art, physical education, service projects, and outdoor wilderness skills: Three-Island Crossing, Idaho Idaho State University Field Station, Lost River Range, Idaho Sawtooth Lodge, Grandjean, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho Page 4

7 Oregon Coast Boulder Mountain Yurt, Idaho Idaho Bird Observatory, Boise Foothills, Idaho Craters of the Moon, Idaho Hammer Flats, Boise Foothills, Idaho Grimes Creak, Boise National Forrest, Idaho Rafting the Lower Salmon River, Idaho Rafting the Payette River, Idaho Backpacking in Escalante National Monument, Utah Bruneau Sand Dunes, Idaho Mountain Biking, Idaho and Utah City of Rocks, Idaho Yellowstone National Park Giving - Mind the Gap Our annual giving campaign had over 50% participation and during the school year raised over $150,000. It shows our school communities commitment to supporting Sage and its mission. Teacher Professional Development The Sage schedule is a four-day student school week and teachers work on Fridays participating in professional development. In order to ensure best practices and research-based practices, teachers have completed State Department training, book studies for college credit, and collaboration with grade-level and interdisciplinary teams. The focus of professional development is instruction, assessment, and student achievement. In the next three years, we have three primary goals: - obtaining IB Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10) authorization - obtaining IB Career-related Prgramme (grades 11-12) authorization - graduating our first students in the spring of securing facilities for a unified K-12 campus Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. - We implement Common Core Standards - We had two National Merit Commended Scholars and one National Merit Finalist (class of 14 students) - We have a partnership with Boise State University (BSU) and work with BSU student interns and student teachers - A student "green team" works with Boise City Parks and Recreation - Students participate in service projects within the community through Sage and through their own initiation - We have expanded our staffing to include a college and career counselor - Students can earn college credit through coursework and assessment in the Diploma Programme courses Page 6