Annual Report 2010-11 - PACT Charter School

P R O G R A M S U C C E S S E S A N D C H A L L E N G E S
2010-2011 PROGRAM SUCCESSES
Small Class Sizes – Research indicates the benefits of small class sizes, and PACT Charter
School has been able to balance its budget while maintaining this as a priority. There are 20
students in each K-2 class, 24 students in grade 3, and approximately 26 students in each class in
grades 4-6. There is some fluctuation in the class sizes in grades 7-12, since students choose
electives that impact their core subject class placement. Generally, classes do not exceed 28
students (at the secondary), and many electives have 10-20 students per class. Long-term PACT
would like to bring classes back down to 24 in all grades (1-12).
Lottery/Waiting List – The lottery/waiting list for PACT has continued to grow over time. The
current lottery/waiting list exceeds 2,000 students, which is a reflection on the school’s program
successes. Parents and students are looking for choices in education and they like the array of
programs, the academic success, the small school atmosphere and the parent involvement
provided by PACT Charter School.
“Looping” – Multi-grade classes have been a core program element at PACT Charter School
from its inception. However, after much research, discussion and consideration, these were
discontinued at the elementary level, while retaining the most important aspect of the practice,
which was that the teachers “loop” with students allowing the opportunity for them to work with
a student for at least two consecutive years. This practice allows the teacher to better understand
the student’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. It also allows for a strong family
connection. After one year of implementation in 2010-2011, teachers indicate that they are
further ahead in their curriculum and they know all of their students better the second year
(allowing them to progress faster at the beginning of the school year).
Math Program – Across the elementary program, math is taught at the same time every day,
allowing students to attend the math class based on their skill level (regardless of grade level). In
the secondary program, after much research, a new curriculum was approved in the spring of
2011, College Preparatory Math or CPM. It is felt that this program will better prepare PACT
students for algebra in middle school and overall success for students who struggle with a more
traditional approach to mathematics.
Honors (Language Arts and Social Studies) - An honors option is provided to secondary students
who desire more challenging work within the language arts and social studies classes. Although
PACT is a small school, and student numbers do not make it feasible to offer separate honors
classes at this time, the practice has been to use multiple approaches and differentiation within
the classroom to make this option available to interested students.
Change in Weighting of Grades – In the winter of 2011 a task force completed their work to
develop a better method of determining the weighting of grades in the high school program. The
old way was tied to grade points, versus weighted grades. The new method weights grades
according to difficulty across the board. It will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2011.
Page 49