Executive Summary. Bethlehem Christian Academy. Mrs. Rhonda Whiting, Headmaster 544 Christmas Ave. (Hwy 11 N.) Bethlehem, GA

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1 Mrs. Rhonda Whiting, Headmaster 544 Christmas Ave. (Hwy 11 N.) Bethlehem, GA Document Generated On January 29, 2016

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 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?, a ministry of Bethlehem Church, was established in Our mission, to create a desire to know and serve God in the Heart of each student by equipping them academically, physically, spiritually, and socially to fulfill God's purpose for their lives, is integral in all areas of BCA. BCA began as a preschool and a grade was added each year. When the school outgrew church facilities, the current facility was constructed. Since then, the campus has expanded to include two academic buildings, a gymnasium, and an athletic complex including two athletic fields. As of November 2015, 565 students from preschool through twelfth grade learn in a safe, engaging, and caring environment where class sizes are small and personal relationships with our 78 staff members thrive as teachers work to meet our mission in each classroom every day. Bethlehem is historically a rural community which has become more suburban in recent years with growing population and businesses. Students at reside in several surrounding counties including Barrow, Walton, Gwinnett, Jackson, and others. BCA's board and leadership are committed to planning for the future through strategic planning as we prepare for the expanding population projected for our area. The last two strategic plans included challenging goals in every area to accommodate the school's rapid growth. BCA has experienced astounding growth since the last accreditation visit as the school has developed. Technology infrastructure has been installed to support student learning utilizing a one-to-one technology program and various online databases for research and instruction. Administration has also been expanded and organized to better meet our mission by adding leadership to specifically support all four areas of our mission: academic, physical, spiritual, and social. This has resulted in great advancement and added programs in every area that enhance the educational experience for all BCA students. 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. BCA's mission is integral to every area of the school driving decision making and operations in administration, instruction, and student life. Our commitment to achieving the mission through intentional and frequent evaluation of program offerings and expectations for students leads to the embodiment of our vision and purpose. Our Mission The Academy will seek to create a desire to know and serve God in the heart of each student by equipping them academically, physically, spiritually, and socially to fulfill God's purpose for their lives. Our Vision The vision of is to produce students who are fully devoted followers of God that are thoroughly prepared to fulfill the will of God in their life who will powerfully demonstrate their Biblical worldview through Character, Wisdom, Leadership, Service, and Achievement. Philosophy exists to effectively educate and prepare students for a successful future as godly members of their family, church, community and world. educational programs or courses of instruction shall be conducted consistent with the teaching of the inerrant Word of God. Any assertion or belief which conflicts with or questions a Bible truth is a pagan deception and distortion of the truth which will be disclaimed as false. It is the responsibility of every instructor or teacher to present the inerrant Word of God as the sole infallible source of knowledge and wisdom. shall endeavor to build the academic, physical, spiritual, and social lives of our students within the framework of a Christian worldview (Luke 2:52). has an evangelical view of Christian education. The school will partner with the family and church in bringing the student to faith in Christ. believes parents have the primary responsibility for the nurture, maturation and development of their children. Non-Negotiable Core Values These statements define BCA and gives it its soul. Our values help clarify and resolve issues, determine direction, and build community. All genuine truth originates with God; therefore the pursuit of knowledge of that truth is a pursuit of God Himself. At BCA we will value the pursuit of all genuine truth. Every human being is of great value to God; therefore each person connected to BCA will be treated with the respect, dignity and compassion. Page 3

6 Excellence is a standard that God set in the creation; therefore it is the goal of BCA to demonstrate excellence in every endeavor whether academic, fine arts or athletics. Developmental balance was demonstrated in the life of Jesus Christ; therefore BCA will attempt to foster the academic, athletic, spiritual and social development of its students. Grace typifies God's relationship to man in our age; therefore grace should characterize all relationships at BCA whether they are with student, parent, faculty, or staff. God has given parents the responsibility for rearing their children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord"; therefore BCA receives it authority from parents and exists to assist them in educating their children. God has a plan and purpose for the life of every individual; therefore one of the goals of BCA is to assist each student in understanding that plan and to equip them to fulfill it. BCA embodies its purpose in all that we do. Board and administrative meetings are organized around the pillars of our mission statement. All curriculum is designed with biblical integration as well as excellence in academics. Student life, spiritual life, and athletic events are designed with our mission in mind. Authentic relationships are cultivated among staff and students to encourage discipleship and growth in all areas of the mission. Page 4

7 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. BCA has made numerous great strides and notable achievements as our school has developed in the last three years. One of the most effective improvements was adopting a Curriculum Management Database to manage curriculum. This system allows us to efficiently store and utilize expansive curriculum guides; departmental mission, vision, and learning principles; vertical maps; unit plans; digital lesson plans; and assessments. We have also expanded course offerings to include more AP opportunities in high school along with three different sections of courses in all core academic courses for sixth through twelfth grade. This allows for more effective differentiation in instruction and smaller class size. Another area of improvement was the reorganization of the Academic Partnership Program to more effectively serve students with varied learning needs. The administrative team has been organized to represent all four areas of our mission (academic, physical, spiritual, and social). An impressive notable achievement was successfully meeting all goals from our previous strategic plan. We have expanded facilities and invested in emergency management planning including consulting with GEMA and training staff. The Annual Fund Program was developed to raise funding to support areas of need for BCA through financial donations. BCA is constantly striving to improve. Over the next three years a new strategic plan will be implemented highlighting improvements in each pillar of our mission. Academically, we will work to effectively manage growth, continue capacity building and excellence of faculty, and build new relevant learning strategies. Physically, we plan to augment our coaching staff to better serve our athletes, continue equipment and facility expansion, and improve the Jr. Knights program for our youth athletes to build a strong athletic foundation and sense of community. Spiritually, leaders will be added to more effectively minister to all students in focused areas. More varied spiritual growth and discipleship opportunities will be added. Strong spiritual formation training will be implemented for faculty and staff to improve capacity for spiritually impacting students in each classroom. Socially, programs will be developed to equip students for facing current cultural issues, parents will be better equipped through training and resources, the guidance department resources will be expanded to more effectively serve students in moving to the next level, and extra-curricular opportunities will be added to improve the total educational program for all students. In addition to the strategic plan, the student assessment plan has been revised. This will allow us to improve by tracking longitudinally to give a more accurate picture of student achievement by utilizing data to effectively impact instruction. Current technology programs will be augmented through the improvement of our infrastructure allowing for growth and adding new tools for student learning. BCA has identified projected growth. To accommodate growth, plans are being developed to complete the top floor of the high school building, possibly acquiring more property, and continuing to develop our site plan. 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. One of the greatest achievements we would like to share with the public and community is how much BCA has grown and developed in the past five years since our initial accreditation visit. Although we are a relatively young school, great achievements have been made. We acknowledge that every accomplishment is due to the blessing and favor of God. We are thankful for each student, family, and staff member God has brought to BCA to make the school what it is today. Page 6