In summary:
- Legacy Traditional Schools aim to align our curriculum with Arizona’s standards while offering tools to support young students’ readiness.
- We leverage middle-grade programs, such as arts, technology, and athletics, that replicate those found in high school to help build student habits for future success.
- Our staff uses assessment results, along with educational best practices, to guide tailored education and ensure students’ enrichment.
We consider our key objective to be empowering students with charter school preparation for high school. We do this with key academic steps and the teaching and training of key skills in students that match the expectations of a high school before they even get there.
With clear learning targets and practical feedback cycles, we aim to close as many learning gaps as possible before the student enters the ninth grade.
With key charter school tips, academic preparation should be much easier, allowing students to achieve a higher level of high school readiness.
Are Charter Schools More Effective at Preparing Students for High School?
We understand that the transition to high school can be difficult, so we take every effort to stay up to date on the latest research and support for student success strategies.
We use a range of digital portals, through which both parents and students can access systems that show the learner’s growth in capability over time. Those overseeing their education can use information available on these platforms to guide discussions on instruction and readiness as students move forward. They also allow us a direct line of communication with a student’s family when necessary.
As our curriculum aligns with Arizona’s standards, you can also rest assured that what we teach keeps pace with the state’s curriculum each quarter. Our students remain on track, helping them to avoid falling behind in the courses they wish to excel at.
With clear schedules and guidance from our staff, we aim to improve students’ mental stamina and engagement. They see their own ways to learn and maintain their academic success.
Do Charter Schools Have Extracurricular Activities That Support the Transition to High School?
To help with this, Legacy offers several programs focused on specific areas where students can excel. These well-chosen electives prepare students by helping them understand many of the processes used in high school. By highlighting them, young people can better plan for their future workloads.
Similarly, the attendance policies in our Parent/Student Handbook set clear expectations for activities, helping students to understand how we will hold them accountable for their actions. At the same time, the goal is to demonstrate how they can take responsibility for their own ambitions.
When it comes to grades that are more challenging to assess, such as the arts or technology-based areas, we use rehearsals or project-based engagement, aligning our efforts with those of a high school year.
Steps to Ensure Student Readiness Before the Year
Our enrollment process involves applying through systems that comply with Arizona admissions mandates. We post our annual enrollment calendar as early as possible, clearly listing application windows and deadlines to prevent delays.
To address uncertainty, check back regularly for updates and see the latest application information.
If students need to transfer from one school to another, we can provide families with information to help them find other nearby campuses that fit their commute or offer the required services.
Then, if families undergo a transfer, we can provide them with clear information on a student’s progress through Schoology and other systems. These records preserve a student’s learning progress when they move to or from our schools.
Aligning Our Curriculum for Ninth Grade Readiness
Ensuring that students are ready for the ninth grade requires consistently assessing young people’s capabilities so we can offer tailored support in areas where they face challenges.
For example, by the end of grade eight, we will test students on:
- Readiness for starting Algebra
- Argument and informative writing
- Reading and sourcing strong, textual evidence
- Clear documentation of processes and results
- The use of evidence and reasoning
We will also help students understand how to make better records of their work, such as by using Cornell notes. Specifics may vary by campus.
After students have been following our proven curriculum, Arizona assesses all students in grades three through eight in key curriculum subjects:
- English Language Arts and Mathematics (AASA)
- Science (AzSCI) in grades five and eight
We then use the results of these tests to align our teaching practices for each class, ensuring that our goals align with students’ goals to guide them through their academic careers.
Student Success Strategies That Build Executive Skills
Asking students to plan their week using a planner helps us ensure they understand what we require of them. For this reason, Legacy runs a school-wide planner system that resets each week, helping students gain independence and learn to advocate for themselves with documented information. We also teach them skills which will help them in professional settings, starting in high school, including:
- Email and online portal etiquette
- The benefit of asking clarifying questions
- How to use feedback for one’s own benefit
- Methods for seeking help from tutors or peers
- Tracking success to build confidence
We also encourage students to share these planners with their families, so that everyone connected to the student can have a comprehensive understanding of their situation.
We find that students can use habits like these to reinforce helpful routines, long before they become invaluable in high school. Through this, we support young people’s long-term independence, which helps them flourish in their education.
By building students up in these ways, Legacy Traditional Schools continues to prove itself a key leader in educational excellence, earning accolades that demonstrate the quality of its schooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Parents Pick Charter Schools for High School Preparation in Arizona?
Charter schools align their academic programs with Arizona’s academic standards while also offering parents a clear picture of what our education entails. The transparency this offers allows families to see how middle school content is well-suited for ninth-graders.
We also make careful efforts to choose practical and valuable electives, as well as robust extracurricular activities, such as performing arts and fitness. These build transferable skills, which we ensure are usable in later education.
At Legacy Traditional Schools, we also use some of the latest family communication tools to centralize all information, including calendars and announcements. These help parents remain informed throughout their transition year, subsequently helping students by allowing you to know how best to support them at home.
Are Charter Schools Harder to Get Into During the Move to High School?
Enrollment remains open to all eligible students. However, if the number of applications exceeds the number of seats, a school is mandated by Arizona law to enroll students through a specific set of steps. These steps include, but are not limited to, giving preference to:
- Children or grandchildren of school employees
- Siblings of children who currently or previously attended the school
- Children of members of the armed forces or those killed in the line of duty
Giving preference to timely applications, and to siblings or returning students, and, if necessary, running an equitable lottery.
We make sure to publish our application windows, including clarifying the documents you will need, so you can know precisely what you need before applying. You can then plan to gather this within a clear timeline, removing stress.
Across Arizona, we also have several campus networks offering additional site options. You can also apply to more than one campus if you feel you want to increase your chances of attaining a seat near your home, for example.
In some cases, midyear school entry is open when seats become available for any reason. When this occurs, our registrars will coordinate with other establishments to ensure transfers and class placement proceed as smoothly as possible.
What Challenges Do Charter Schools Face During Charter School Preparation for High School
We keep an eye on the trends America is setting regarding teaching. As algebra and literacy continue to be challenges across the country, we continually reassess and reteach students who are having trouble in these areas.
Our schools also offer academic support when needed, helping students stay ready for any activity teachers might ask of them in ninth grade.
Over time, we understand that students may want to try multiple extracurricular activities before they find their calling. We want to ensure that their efforts in these areas remain valuable as they progress through the different grades. As such, we can often provide students with uniquely tailored support so they can stay ready to succeed in these areas and meet the demands of graded courses.
Moving Into Ninth Grade With Confidence
Charter school preparation for high school can be intense. However, when a school aligns with a local curriculum and offers timely feedback to students, as Legacy Tradition Schools do, said students have a much better opportunity to be ready for whatever may come.
If you are looking for a school in Arizona that offers programs to ensure young people excel, such as Mozart Performing Arts and Technology Applications, start the enrollment process today. Give your young learner the best opportunity to benefit from effective education at no cost.