Academics

Achieve Academics

We are committed to to provide a rigorous, Minnesota Standards-Based, data-driven, best practices educational program for students in grades preK through 8th grade. Achieve, a public charter school, educates the whole child in a safe environment that values diversity and promotes world cultures with a focus on Hmong and Spanish languages.

Curriculum & Student Evaluation

Achieve Language Academy staff work hard to develop an educational program that will challenge your child academically and will also prepare him/her for the social and emotional challenges he/she may encounter after leaving our school. It is our goal to meet each child where he/she is at in the learning process and move them forward in the process.  

1. It is our goal that every child at Achieve Language Academy makes a minimum of one year’s academic growth in each of the curricular areas.
2. At each grade level our teachers will incorporate the Minnesota State Standards into the appropriate curriculum area.
3. All of our students participate in learning a second language. The language choices are Spanish and Hmong.  
4. All of our students receive instruction and practice in music, physical education, library skills and technology. 
5. Seventh and eighth grade students participate in the Achieve-created STARS Program. There they focus on oral, writing and study skills in addition to focused work in their curricular areas.
6. To assure growth all students in grades 1-8 will take the NWEA Measurement Assessment Progress test in the fall, winter and spring of each year. Our students will also take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment in April and May. >read about testing
7. Achieve Language Academy has an innovative and innovative English Language Learner (EL) program that is available to all qualifying students. Students are assessed using the WIDA ACCESS test once per year.
8. Our core values of Work, Respect, Belong guide us in educating the needs of the whole child. Our teachers have been trained in the Developmental Design and Responsive Classroom Strategies. All staff have received training in Restorative Practices.

Achieve Literacy Framework

Achieve continues to use a balanced literacy framework. Within this framework, we use the Reading and Writing Workshop Model. Students in grades K-5 use the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom; students in grades 6-8 are using My Perspective.

Fountas and Pinnell uses five main contexts of learning, which are shared reading, guided reading, interactive read-alouds and phonics/word work. We are excited to have beautiful new nonfiction and fiction books in many genres. There is a strong focus on reading and writing in collaboration.

Achieve uses a three tier framework for literacy intervention. Students in K-4 may receive small group reading instruction at tier II of RTI. Students who are below grade level by six months in K-1, and one year or more in grades 3-4, are able to receive an additional reading lesson per day. This does not take the place of their classroom reading lesson. Achieve also qualified for a Reading Corps grant providing additional one-on-one instruction for students who are slightly below grade level. The goal of Reading Corps is to reach students who will catch up quickly, allowing them to work at grade level.  

Homework

Homework is any extra learning assigned by a teacher and is an extension of school learning time. Homework encourages students to be responsible for some preparation and practice and helps foster independent learning. It can provide an opportunity for parents to be involved and informed first hand about what is being learned in the classroom. We ask that you support and encourage your child to complete homework on a daily basis.

>read more about classrooms