Program Ends Report 2012-2013

Focus Group Reports: Student Objectives | Program | Culture | Staff | Finance | Facilities

High school students perform during the February 15 musical revue, Without Love. The production featured a variety of songs including "It Had to Be You."

CAJ strives to provide an exemplary, sustainable, Bible-based program:

I really enjoy watching the senior comps at the end of the year, seeing students communicate in writing and speaking why we should care about healing what's wrong in God's world. —Kim Essenburg, English Department chair

• We provide a challenging, relevant, coherent standards-based curriculum through a relatively wide range of course offerings that includes art, computer, music, and 12 AP courses.
• We provide a range of co-curricular opportunities, including athletics, fine arts, student government, and National Honor Society.
• We provide an effective array of support services, including English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, differentiated instruction, learning support in the Learning Resource Center, individualized educationl plans, nursing care in the Health Center, and personal and academic counseling in the Guidance Office.
• We have students take Bible class, learn to connect God's world and God's Word in their other courses, and participate in devotions, chapels, and Spiritual Life Emphasis Week.

This year's parent survey data indicates that...

CAJ's array of support services helps students with diverse learning needs to achieve their God-given potential. I enjoy being part of this. —Ruth Spalink, Support Team coordinator

• What students are learning helps them develop a biblical worldview, that the program is of high quality, that their children are given different ways to show what they have learned, that homework is meaningful, that technology resources support their children’s learning, that they can find out how their children are doing, that online grades are helpful, that the library offers a good variety of books and services, and that the co-curricular program offers adequate opportunities.
• Less than 75% of parents strongly agree/agree with the following: that CAJ school year has an adequate number of days, that amount of homework their children receive is just right, that their children's workload is balanced, that CAJ adequately prepares their children for the SAT (though there is significantly more satisfaction than on the 2010 survey), and that CAJ provides adequate college and career guidance (though a greater percentage of respondents indicate satisfaction than did in 2010).

This school year, CAJ improved its program in a variety of ways, including:

• The refinement of the alignment of the student objectives, standards, assessments/rubrics, instructional strategies, and technology resources.
• The refinement of secondary Bible learning targets and secondary English/social studies scope and sequences for MLA style and department assessments.
• The further development of our curriculum maps.
• The application of training in differentiated instruction, English language learner instruction, and technology for learning.
• The expansion of reading support into 2nd grade.
• The offering of speech and language services for elementary students.
• Preparing to implement standards-based reporting in middle school, starting next school year.

Questions we want to further consider include:

• How can we more effectively use curriculum mapping, differentiation, and technology to increase student learning?
• How can we more effectively use data to modify curriculum at the professional learning community level?
• How can we increase our students' English language proficiency?
• How can we address parent perceptions regarding SAT prep, college and career guidance, the number of school days, amounts of homework (elementary, middle, high), and workload balance?