Carden Virtual Academy Approved

The San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board approved Carden Virtual Academy’s charter petition on Tuesday, April 6. The new school is set to open in August. At the dais, Trustee Barbara Flores, Board President Danny Tillman, Superintendent Arturo Delgado, Trustee Judi Penman, Trustee Louis  Ayala, Trustee Linda Savage. Photo by Chris Sloan

 

 Carden Virtual Academy Executive Director Tim Smith addresses the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board moments before it approved the new charter school. Photo by Chris Sloan

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) A newly approved charter school, Carden Virtual Academy, gives San Bernardino families a new option for their children’s education.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board approved the charter for Carden Virtual Academy on Tuesday, April 6, on a 4-2 vote, with trustees Danny Tillman, Judi Penman, Linda Savage and Louise Ayala in favor.

“The mission of Carden Virtual Academy is to deliver a high quality, high tech, high touch, standards-based, personalized learning environment,” says Tim Smith, executive director of Carden Virtual Academy. “Now that we are approved, we will move forward with that mission.”

Carden Virtual Academy will be set to open in August.

Carden Virtual Academy will provide education options for all families with children in grades K-12 residing in the San Bernardino area. These options include in-class instruction, online instruction and independent study.

“Our highly qualified, certified teachers will work with parents as educational partners to design a personalized learning plan,” Smith said. We strive to help students develop the character, confidence and skills needed for success in the 21^st Century.”

Carden Virtual Academy’s curriculum begins with the state and national educational standards. These put in writing what students are expected to know in any given grade or subject. These standards will be taught by local California certified teachers, most of whom will have already had teaching experience in traditional schools.

Add to that a strong character education program encouraging citizenship, character, responsibility and school and community pride. Carden Virtual Academy also stresses the importance of integrity, gratitude, teamwork, compassion, leadership, parental involvement, patriotism, respect, classical literature, arts and music appreciation, citizenship, self-directed learning, technology literacy, problem solving skills, and time management.

Carden Virtual Academy will develop individualized learning plans, keeping in mind each student’s educational goal. For some students, that will be catching up academically to graduate from high school on time. For others, it might mean getting a head start on college.

“We serve students that may not have had success in a larger comprehensive high school setting,” Smith said. “Students work at their own pace on an individualized learning plan.  If they are behind in credits, we can help them catch up.”

“We are also a good fit for college preparatory students who seek opportunities to learn as much as possible.” Smith said. “They can graduate from high school early if they wish. We can also help them take college courses while they are still in high school,

Elementary and Middle School Educational Philosophy

Carden Virtual Academy provides a comprehensive (all in one classroom) curriculum for grades K-8. Subjects taught in the comprehensive curriculum include language arts, math, science and social studies, physical education and art. 

Students may also choose from elective courses as well, at both the elementary and middle school levels.

The philosophy of Carden Virtual Academy’s elementary and middle school teaching was based on the work of Mae Carden, a 20^th Century educator and author who developed a system of instruction for developing the whole child.  She believed that character played a large part in the role of learning in a school environment.  She believed that “life is a joy and so should be learning.”

Ms. Carden wrote two books, Let’s Bring Them Up Sensibly, which offered advice to parents about working with and educating young people and Quality Teaching, Successful Learning, which offered instructional support and mentoring to teachers and school administrators. 

Many people believed in Ms. Carden’s teachings and asked her to establish her own school.  Many other educators followed suit in the 1960s and many Carden private schools were established. She has since passed away and the Carden Educational Foundation was established to continue her legacy and continue to instruct schools in using her philosophy.

Carden Virtual Academy has partnered with several other programs that deliver research-based, standards aligned curriculum content.  Among these are Carden Traditional Schools, a system of K-8 schools in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Carden Virtual Academy will ultimately work with its sister schools in Arizona to develop curriculum for all of the schools, but will start out with programs Carden Traditional Schools have already found successful.

“In the teaching of reading, Carden Traditional School teachers and administrators have had much success in working with a McGraw Hill program called Open Court Reading,” Smith said.  “Open Court Reading uses a strong phonics-based approach to reading and writing instruction.  McGraw Hill has most recently launched the 2008 update of Open Court Reading with Imagine It, which has several online tools and resources that supplement the traditional textbook offerings. “

Open Court Reading has many supplemental components that make instruction more effective including:

·      Leveled readers

·      Games and other fun learning tools

·      Cross curricular activities in science, social studies, math and art

·      Resources for English Language Learners

Carden Virtual Academy’s K-8 program will utilize Real Math from McGraw Hill to challenge students in math.  Additionally, units and lessons will be designed around the California state standards.  Real world applications connected to state performance objectives will be emphasized.

Virtual Education

Carden Virtual Academy plans class sizes of no more than 25 students per teacher in all grades. Its staff believes this is the best way to help students graduate with a high school diploma and a grade point average that would not limit their choice of college.

But attending class with 24 other students is not the only option for Carden Virtual Academy students. They can also attend class online, in what is known as a “virtual course.”

For virtual education to work, teamwork between teachers and parents is crucial.

The teacher’s job is to manage each student’s individualized learning plan by developing lessons and assessments.

Teachers also work with the parents and other caring adults in the students’ lives, who serve as “learning coaches,” providing them strategies for teaching the lessons at home. The learning coach’s job is to manage the day-to-day instruction of the student.

“Virtual education offers many benefits to families of children in the K-12 grades including increased parental involvement, flexible options for schooling that can happen anytime, anywhere, and preparation of our youth to develop 21^st century skills,” Smith said.

“In an increasingly competitive global economy, it is not enough for students to acquire subject-level mastery alone,” Smith continued. “Skills such as creativity, problem solving, communication and analytical thinking are necessary for all levels of success, from entry-level jobs to engineering and technical fields.  However the United States K-12 education system as a whole does not yet teach and measure these skills directly.”

Smith offers these sobering statistics:

• Eighty-four percent of employers say K-12 schools are not doing a good job of preparing students for the workplace; 55 percent say schools are deficient in preparing students with basic employability skills (such as attendance, timeliness and work ethic); 51 percent cite math and science deficiencies; and 38 percent cite reading and comprehension deficiencies.

• A very small percentage of U.S. 4^th and 8^th grade students (less than 30 percent) perform at a proficient level in math, while up to 20 percent lack the competence to perform even basic mathematical computations. (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, November 2006)

Virtual schools and online learning are growing rapidly—an estimated 30 percent annually in K-12 education.  Recent research highlights that virtual schools expand access to rigorous academic courses and curriculum; and, training teachers to teach online can improve instruction.  When virtual schools intentionally focus on mastery of 21^st century skills, these schools take full advantage of their strengths. 

“In an online class, the student must learn a host of technical skills such as posting to discussions, attaching documents, and accessing online white boards,” Smith said. “This teaches self sufficiency and basic computer skills regardless of what class they are taking.”

Methods of Assessment

Learning coaches evaluate their students’ work on a daily basis at Carden Virtual Academy.  Certified teachers regularly evaluate tests, quizzes, portfolio samples, and are also responsible for determining grades and making promotional decisions. 

Quizzes are assigned after every few lessons within a given course, and are usually short checks to make sure that students are on track with their understanding of the material.  Unit tests are larger assessments that may also require some teacher review when answers include short or long answers, or even essays.

Other forms of testing, known as benchmark assessments, take place on a quarterly basis to measure overall student progress and mastery of subject matter.  The benchmark assessments act as an additional tool to measure student pacing.

Portfolio samples and other student work are also required.

In a virtual program, students and their learning coaches mail these assessments to the teacher.  These scores are then entered into an online grade book.

Carden Virtual Academy opens in August 2010, and will offer both in-class and online instruction for grades K-12. It is an option for families who wish to be directly involved in their children’s education, for teens who seek an accelerated schedule to begin college early, and for teens needing to catch up on credits to graduate with their classmates.

For more information, call Shannon Brander at (760) 927-5134.

Picture Slide Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I0uCBrXDd0

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Charter School Brings Test Scores Up

 

Jamie Crispin, principal of E-Institute High School in the Phoenix, Arizona area, tells the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board about the success his school has had, and how  the founding group could similarly help students in San Bernardino with Carden Virtual Academy. Photo by Chris Sloan

Carden's Arizona students take state reading and math tests in the third, eighth grades and 10^th grades. In 2008 the Carden Traditional Schools had 100 percent mastery of these tests in some cases, and no less than 80 percent in all other cases.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) A charter school that has helped elementary, middle and high school students in Arizona raise their state test scores and graduation rates plans to open in San Bernardino in August 2010.


“Carden Virtual Academy is not new to education,” said Executive Director Tim Smith. “We have a 14-year history of graduating 85 to 100 percent of our students in Arizona, and of producing state test scores that are well over the state average.”


Carden Virtual Academy will serve all students, kindergarten through 12^th grade, in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. It will offer individualized education plans, which can include on-campus classes and online classes.


The school’s curriculum will be based on California education standards, and employ California certified teachers.


“Carden Virtual Academy’s mission is to deliver a high quality education focused on building skills, character and confidence,” Smith said. “The curriculum will be personalized for each student, offering a mix of onsite classes in day and evening hours, online classes and independent study. Onsite courses will include hands-on learning activities and high technology.”


Carden Virtual Academy is affiliated with the Phoenix-area’s Carden Traditional School of Glendale, Carden Traditional School of Surprise, both of which serve kindergarten through eighth grade, and E-Institute Charter Schools, which serve grades 9-12 on three campuses.


“E-Institute Charter High School, which opened in 2000, has a proven track record of successfully serving high school students that may be at risk of dropping out of school or not successfully completing school,” Smith said. “It uses a “hybrid” approach – in-class instruction led by a teacher, combined with personalized computer learning.”


“Working with parents and teachers, each E-Institute student develops a personalized learning plan,” Smith continued. “This plan identifies academic goals and completion deadlines to keep the student on the proper path to successfully passing Arizona’s high school exit exam and graduating.”

Arizona students take state reading and math tests in the third, eighth grades and 10^th grades. In 2008 the Carden Traditional Schools had 100 percent mastery of these tests in some cases, and no less than 80 percent in all other cases.

Eighth-graders at Carden Traditional School of Surprise had 100 percent mastery in both subjects. Third-graders at this school had 89 percent mastery of reading, and 80 percent mastery of math.


Combined, the test results for Carden Traditional School of Surprise have qualified this campus for an elite list of Arizona’s “high-performing” schools. It is also the first charter school in Arizona to offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program.


Carden Traditional School of Glendale also has high test scores, and is ranked in the top 29 of Arizona charter schools for its growth in both math and reading scores. All of its third-graders demonstrated mastery of reading in 2008 and 91 percent of its eighth-graders. In math, 83 percent of the third-graders and 75 percent of the eighth-graders demonstrated mastery.


These Arizona schools started out in 1996 as International Studies Academy in Glendale, Ariz. At the time, International Studies Academy served college preparatory students in grades 7-12 only.


In 2000, the founders of International Studies Academy decided they needed to help the many Phoenix-area students who weren’t planning to go to college. This group developed the first campus of E-Institute Charter School, thus expanding the high school program to meet the needs of all students in the Phoenix area.


Since then, it has added two new campuses of E-Institute Charter Schools, one in the Phoenix metro area and another in Surprise.


In 2000, the founders also received a charter to operate Carden Elementary School for grades K-6 in Glendale, Ariz., now known as Carden Traditional School of Glendale. The founders opened the Carden Traditional School in Surprise, Arizona in 2002.


Carden Virtual Academy in San Bernardino is expected to be approved soon by the San Bernardino City Unified School District.


To attend an information session on March 25, or for more information, call Shannan Gonzales at (909) 888-0017.

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San Bernardino Has A New Choice In Education

 Tim Smith, executive director of the Carden Virtual Academy, explains the school to the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board.

Carden's Arizona schools have an 85 - 100 percent graduation rate, and score in the 80^th percentile and above on standardized tests for their state.

(SAN BERNARDINO)  Parents are invited to learn more about Carden Virtual Academy a new high tech charter school starting in San Bernardino in August of 2010 in San Bernardino.  The school will educate students in grades Kindergarten through the 12th year. 

The information session is set for Thursday, March 25 at the Feldheym Library at 5:30 pm.  The library is located at 555 West Fifth Street in San Bernardino.

“We will make learning exciting for students,” said Tim Smith, executive director of Carden Virtual Academy. “They will not only learn critical academic skills, but we also will help them develop character and confidence.”

Carden Virtual Academy is not new to education.  The company has operated four charter schools in the Phoenix, Ariz. area for 14 years. These are Carden Traditional Schools in Glendale and Surprise, and E-Institute Charter High Schools on multiple campuses in the Phoenix area.

The Arizona schools have an 85 percent graduation rate, and score in the 80^th percentile and above on standardized tests for their state.

“San Bernardino is similar to the communities in Arizona where we have had success in serving,” Smith said. “We are familiar with the needs of students who are at risk of dropping out, and students who are English learners. We have been able to meet the needs of these students, and help them have academic success.”

“Carden Academy will create your child’s educational plan to meet his or her educational needs, with on campus classes, online classes and/or independent study. Carden Academy will be open during the day and evening,” said Smith.

Smith added, Carden Academy is for students who are at-risk, failing, or don't fit into the traditional school environment.  “We want to be a community resource and partner with the San Bernardino City Unified School District, and help your students achieve academic success,” Smith said.

College-bound students looking for accelerated programs are also a good fit for Carden Academy.

Carden is expected to be approved soon by the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Carden Virtual Academy will start out as one campus, providing all of its K-12 students the same range of options and benefits as the campuses in Arizona.  “We will hire a local administrator and 30 credentialed local teachers,” said Smith.

Carden Virtual Academy’s mission is to deliver a high quality education focused on building skills, character and confidence. The curriculum will be personalized for each student, offering a mix of onsite classes in day and evening hours, online classes and independent study. Onsite courses will include hands-on learning activities and high technology. The school’s curriculum will be based on California education standards, and employ California certified teachers.

To attend an information session, or for more information, call Shannan Gonzales at (909) 888-0017.

Picture Slide Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agt9Q7_V_tE

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San Bernardino Considers New Charter School

Tim Smith, lead petitioner for Carden Virtual Academy, explains the school he wishes to bring to San Bernardino to the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board. Photo by Chris Sloan

Crispin Zamudio, principal of E-Institute Charter High School in Glendale, Ariz., discusses with the San Bernardino City Unified School District the success his students have had on tests and in graduating. Zamudio’s employer has petitioned to bring a similar charter school to San Bernardino.

San Bernardino resident Carl Dameron shares with the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board why he believes Carden Virtual Academy would help local students to have academic success. Photo by  Chris Sloan

About 40 people came to the San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board meeting to support the petition for Carden Virtual Academy. Photo by Chris Sloan

(SAN BERNARDINO) The San Bernardino City Unified School District governing board is looking at a new charter school that has already greatly improved student test scores and lowered the dropout rate in other cities.

Tim Smith, president of the proposed Carden Virtual Academy, presented his petition to the board in a public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

“We want to be a community resource and partner with the San Bernardino City Unified School District, and help your students achieve academic success,” Smith said.

If approved by the San Bernardino City Unified School District, Carden Virtual Academy will offer students in grades K-12 options in education, including on-site courses in day and evening hours, online courses and independent study.  Teachers will work with families to create individualized learning plans that best meet their students’ needs.

“We will make learning exciting for students,” Smith said. “They will not only learn critical academic skills, but we also will help them develop character and confidence.”

Carden Virtual Academy already operates several charter schools in the Phoenix, Ariz. area. These are Carden Traditional Schools in Glendale and Surprise, and E-Institute Charter High Schools on multiple campuses in the Phoenix area.

The Arizona schools have an 85 percent graduation rate, and score in the 80th percentile and above on standardized tests for their state.

“San Bernardino is similar to the communities in Arizona where we have had success in serving,” Smith said. “We are familiar with the needs of students who are learning to speak English, students who are at risk of dropping out, and students who have special needs. We have been able to meet the needs of these students, and help them have academic success.”

About 40 supporters of Carden Virtual Academy attended this hearing, including Carden administrators and teachers who came from the Phoenix area to discuss with the board what they do at their schools, and the successes they’ve had.

“We are excited about the progress we have made in student achievement,” said Vicki Mc Farland, director of curriculum and instruction of Carden Traditional Schools. “We have surpassed all the schools in our area, as well as the Arizona statewide average.”

Crispin Zamudio, principal of E-Institute Charter High School in Glendale, shared similar statistics.

“We have a successful track record of helping students to pass Arizona’s high school graduation test and receive a high school diploma,” he said.

Carden’s existing schools rank high in state results, even though many of their diverse students have not previously had academic success.

Although the schools’ curriculum initially focused on college prep students when the first campus opened in 1996, Carden staff soon realized they wanted to do more to meet the needs of all students with whom they came in contact. So, they established the first E-Institute Charter High School in 2000, targeting “at-risk” students.

Now, Carden has re-aligned its program so that the Carden Traditional Schools teach K-8 offering more flexibility than a regular elementary school, and the E-Institute Charter High Schools teach grades 9-12, giving options to all students – college bound, at-risk, or simply not fitting into the comprehensive high school environment.

Carden Virtual Academy, if approved, will start out as one school, providing all of its K-12 students the same range of options and benefits as the campuses in Arizona. It will hire a local administrator and 30 credentialed local teachers.

Other supporters of Carden Virtual Academy are California education experts who believe the proposed school is an education option the San Bernardino City Unified School District needs to help its students succeed.

“The petitioners have demonstrated they have the knowledge and experience to sufficiently operate a charter school,” said retired Hemet Unified School District superintendent Dr. Stephen Teele. “With your approval, Carden Virtual Academy will be a vital part of the San Bernardino City Unified School District.”

While serving as Hemet’s superintendent, and in previous administrative positions, Dr. Teele said he has had opportunities to review numerous charter petitions, and once worked to revoke another school’s charter.

Teele now serves as a consultant, reviewing the petitions of proposed charter schools to determine if they are educationally sound, and believes Carden Virtual Academy’s petition proposes a school that San Bernardino City Unified School would be proud to have in its district.

San Bernardino resident Carl Dameron agrees. Dameron, who is providing public relations services to Carden Virtual Academy, reviewed its proposal and finds five reasons to support this school.

These are: 1) Carden Virtual Academy will be fiscally responsible, 2) Carden Virtual Academy will deliver academic success, 3) Carden Virtual Academy will deliver a culturally relevant curriculum with a diverse local faculty, 4) Carden will give students options to help them succeed and 5) Carden Virtual Academy will work in collaboration with the district.

“Carden Virtual Academy has a 14-year track record of delivering successful students in a fiscally responsible manner, and they have assembled a highly competent team to meet our students’ needs,” Dameron said. “I whole-heartedly recommend the San Bernardino City School District approve its petition.”

Carden Virtual Academy’s mission is to deliver a high quality education focused on building skills, character and confidence. The curriculum will be personalized for each student, offering a mix of onsite classes in day and evening hours, online classes and independent study. Onsite courses will include hands-on learning activities and high technology. The school’s curriculum will be based on California education standards, and employ California certified teachers.

For more information, call Tim Smith at (602) 439-5026.

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