Dream School

2. A LA CARTE - AN ACRONYM WHICH STANDS FOR AUTONOMOUS LEARNER ACADEMY
CREATING AUTHENTIC RIGOR THROUGH EXPERIENCE.
THIS DREAM SCHOOL WOULD BE A HOME TO A MAXIMUM OF 735 STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-12. THIS SMALL
NUMBER WOULD ENSURE A LOW STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO.
ORIENTATION, INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT,
ENRICHMENT, SEMINARS, AND IN-DEPTH STUDY.

3. WELCOME!
Mission Statement
Mission Statement:
Education without boundaries

4. •THE INSPIRATION FOR OUR DREAM SCHOOL WAS THE AUTONOMOUS
LEARNER MODEL (ALM) SET FORTH BY GEORGE BETTS AND JOLENE KERCHER
IN 1978. WE FEEL THAT THE “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” MODEL OF EDUCATION DOES
NOT PROPERLY SERVE THE GIFTED STUDENT AND HOPE TO DEVELOP
INDEPENDENT, SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS WHO ARE READY TO LEAD OUR
COMMUNITY, NATION, AND WORLD INTO THE FUTURE.
RATIONALE

5. HOW WILL THIS DREAM SCHOOL WORK?
• EVERY NINE WEEKS, STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED TO TAKE A MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST TO DETERMINE THE
LEARNING STYLE WHICH SUITS THEM BEST.
• BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THESE TESTS, STUDENTS WILL BE GROUPED INTO ONE OF THE THREE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENTS; STEM, HUMANITIES, OR FINE ARTS.
• STUDENTS WOULD RECEIVE THEIR CONTENT IN THESE AREAS WITH A PERSPECTIVE THAT HELPS THEM LEARN. FOR
EXAMPLE, FINE ARTS STUDENTS MAY LEARN ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF WAVES BY STUDYING THE SCIENCE OF
SOUND. IN ADDITION, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE ONE DAY OF GIFTED ENRICHMENT EACH WEEK.
Fine Arts

6. GUIDE STUDENTS WITH MENTORS IN THE
COMMUNITY
• THROUGH THE CURRICULUM –EACH NINE WEEKS, OUR STUDENTS WOULD FOCUS THEIR LEARNING
THROUGH AN OVER-REACHING THEME RELATED TO LEADERSHIP.
• STUDENTS WOULD ALSO BE ASKED TO COMPLETE AN INTERNSHIP WITH A COMMUNITY BUSINESS
PARTNER. DURING THE INTERNSHIP, THE STUDENTS WILL PUT INTO PRACTICE WHAT IS LEARNED IN THE
CLASSROOM
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

7. A LA CARTE STUDENT SCHEDULE
1st Nine Weeks
Theme: Business Leadership
Day Content Gifted Enrichment
Monday STEM & Fine Arts Humanities
Tuesday Fine Arts & Humanities STEM
Wednesday Humanities & STEM Fine Arts
Thursday ALL Enrichment Planning
Friday Content Planning ALL - Internship

8. FUNDING PLAN
• A la Carte is a public school that is funded by local taxes
• Money is also received from the state as being gifted
• Local businesses contribute both financially and for services
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

9. DESCRIPTORS
• STUDENTS THAT QUALIFY FOR ENROLLMENT AT THE A LA CARTE SCHOOL MUST DEMONSTRATE
CREATIVITY, MOTIVATION, INTELLIGENCE, AND ACHIEVEMENT SKILLS
• EACH GRADE LEVEL 6-12 HAS 105 STUDENTS ENROLLED
• STUDENTS WILL PASS AN ENTRANCE EXAM AND ARE DIVIDED INTO 7 GROUPS BASED ON MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCE THEORIES
• EACH GROUP MEETS WITH AN ENRICHMENT/INTERNSHIP ADVISOR TO RECAP AND DISCUSS THEIR
EXPERIENCE
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

10. STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA
• FOLLOW GEORGIA ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR GIFTEDNESS
• SCORE IN THE 96 PERCENTILE ON NORM REFERENCED TESTS
• TEST SCORES MUST BE ADMINISTERED WITHIN THE LAST 2 YEARS
• MEET WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND PRINCIPAL
• STUDENTS MUST HAVE 3 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS – CURRENT TEACHER,
TAG TEACHER, AND ADMINISTRATOR
• ONCE STUDENTS ARE SELECTED, THEY WILL BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY ON THEIR PROGRESS AND
DETERMINATION CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

11. TEACHER SELECTION AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• TEACHERS CERTIFIED IN GIFTED AND AP EDUCATION
• MONTHLY IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROVIDED TO TEACHERS
• WEEKLY INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES ADMINISTERED TO REVIEW GIFTED STRATEGIES
• ONCE SELECTED, TEACHERS ARE ASSIGNED STUDENTS TO MONITOR THEIR LEARNING GOALS
• DEVELOP PARENT AND TEACHER SURVEY
• REVIEW SURVEY DATA ON STUDENTS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATORS EFFECTIVENESS
• UPDATE PROGRAM DESCRIPTORS TO ALIGN WITH GIFTED STANDARDS
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

12. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WORK TOGETHER WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO DISPLAY THEIR TALENTS SUCH
AS
• PARTICIPATE IN SCIENCE FAIRS
• ART EXHIBITS
• SHARE SUCCESS USING SOCIAL MEDIA
• BUSINESS PLAN WITH COMPANIES AND RETAILERS THAT STUDENTS FACILITATE
• THEATER PRODUCTIONS
• READING AND LITERACY COMPETITIONS
• WORK WITH LOCAL BOOK STORES TO PROMOTE READING AND LITERACY
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

13. • STUDENTS ORGANIZE PEP RALLIES AND LEARNING CELEBRATIONS ONCE A MONTH WHILE TEACHER
ATTEND WORKSHOPS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WORK WITH LOCAL TRAVEL AGENCIES TO ORGANIZE TRIPS ABROAD
• DEVELOP INTERNSHIP FOR STUDENTS TO TRAVEL GLOBALLY TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS
• ENCOURAGE LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

14. PROMOTE AWARENESS
• ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT WITH MONTHLY ACTIVITIES
• COMMUNITY LEADERS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS BY GIVING THEM RESPONSIBILITIES
• STATE AND NATIONAL RECOGNITION OF STUDENT PORTFOLIOS
• SUCCESS STORIES THROUGH ADVERTISING MEDIA SUCH AS TELEVISION AND LOCAL NEWSPAPER
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries

15. PHYSICAL SPACE AND DESIGN
A LA CARTE Education without boundaries