October 9, 2013

Greetings Stakeholders!

As a part of my ongoing effort to keep you informed about news and decisions impacting Bolton, I am starting a new initiative to address concerns and better inform parents, community members and partners of the efforts of Bolton Academy's teachers and staff to ensure that Bolton Academy meets our collective high expectations for teaching and learning.

Periodically, I will be highlighting programs to provide information about the school or addressing certain issues facing Bolton Academy. With this, my first effort, I felt it important to address our International Baccalaureate status by providing the following updates below:

IB Authorization Re-evaluation

Our upcoming International Baccalaureate (IB) Re-evaluation will occur on Thursday and Friday, November 14th- 15th. As you may know, Bolton Academy received its IB Authorization status in 2010. As is the practice of IB, we and other IB schools will be re-evaluated approximately every 3-4 years.

During the re-evaluation process, members of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) will visit the school over the span of two days to observe our instructional environment and instructional practices; and meet with teachers, students, parents and administrators. They will provide constructive feedback related to the implementation status of the IB program at Bolton. Together, evaluators along with school administrators will create an action plan to improve upon our successes in implementing our IB program.

Funding for Teacher Training

As part of our IB program, there is a heavy emphasis on teacher training so that teachers can effectively implement the program of inquiry. In the past, Atlanta Public Schools has provided financial support for such IB professional development; however, the District no longer offers subsidy for this specific purpose. Additionally, Title I schools, (like Bolton Academy), are not able to rely on funding through their Title I budgets, as IB training is no longer an allowable expenditure through this Federal budget. As a result, we are having to find new avenues for covering the cost of the IB training of our dedicated staff. Fortunately, our wonderful Bolton Academy community has stepped up to the challenge and we are so grateful for every parent, community member and business partner who was a part of our recent campaign to raise capital to support teacher learning related to IB. 

Thanks to the successful fundraising efforts benefitting the Bolton AcademyHooty Nest Egg Campaign, $11,040.00 has been raised to provide required, International Baccalaureate training for our teachers! Donations can still be provided through this wonderful program at the following link: http://www.boltonacademy.org/donate-to-bolton-academy/. Additionally, we want to recognize and thank the Soaring Owls Foundation which raised close to $8,000.00 on behalf of Bolton Academy! We are truly grateful for the contributions from our PTA and our Foundation's fundraising initiatives, and will be sure to use the proceeds we receive for the intended purpose of increasing our knowledge and familiarity with IB. As we train teachers this year, parents should be aware that IB provides leveled learning opportunities for teachers. More specifically, IB modules take into account the teachers' prior training, their understanding of the IB program and their current competency levels. We have been and will continue to provide this training on a yearly basis to ensure that we are providing the best practices in delivering the IB curriculum to our students.

Additional details about this year's training are as follows:

In an effort to maintain transparency and clarity around our instructional needs, I am providing an FAQ related to our International Baccalaureate program for parents and other stakeholders. I invite you to provide feedback in the way of suggestions for other topics for future editions of The Principal's Pen. Please anticipate a Principal's Pen email address that will be provided to parents for just that purpose. In the meantime, please be on the lookout for our next edition of The Principal's Pen in the coming days and weeks.

Educationally yours,

Laura Strickling
Principal

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does it mean to be an IB School?

A: The IB Primary Years Program (PYP) is a curriculum framework designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is defined by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance; and explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning. The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Program. An aim of the PYP is to create a transdisciplinary curriculum that is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant for learners in the 3-12 age range. The IB Primary Years Program (PYP) is committed to structured, purposeful inquiry that engages students actively in their own learning.

Q: When is our IB re-evaluation scheduled?

A: Members of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) will be visiting our school on Thursday and Friday, November 14^th and 15 ^th for the purposes of assessing our school's current implementation of the IBO program of inquiry for elementary learners.

Q: It appears as though we are training teachers solely for the purpose of preparing for the upcoming IB re-evaluation. If we were anticipating the IB re-evaluation, have we waited until the last minute to train teachers?

A: No, teachers are not being trained solely for the purpose of preparing for the upcoming IB re-evaluation, but it is understood how this could be a misconception that parent stakeholders may have. In fact, IBO requires all of its authorized schools to train teachers regularly and during their re-evaluation visits the IBO auditors typically ask school administrators to provide a list of teachers and the trainings they have attended each year since the prior re-evaluation.

The IBO philosophy is that teaching from a global perspective requires on-going professional learning and development. In order for educators to plan and assess student learning effectively, they must be continuously challenged to think critically, develop their own sense of inquiry and become true global learners themselves.

No, we have not waited until the last minute to train teachers. In years past, Bolton Academy was able to fund IB training for teachers through its Title I budget and we typically sent 5-8 teachers for specific levels of professional development each school year. This changed during the 2012-2013 school year when the Atlanta Public School District no longer permitted its IB authorized, Title I Schools to fund IB professional learning through the school's Title I budget. When this occurred, all IB training for Bolton Academy teachers came to a grinding halt because without the federal funding, it was impossible to provide teachers with much needed IB development.

During a Bolton Academy PTA Executive Board meeting that was held in April 2013, the need for teacher training was discussed and members of the PTA referenced how some of our "sister schools" in the North Region Cluster fund professional learning for their teachers. Schools like Morris Brandon ES, Sarah Smith ES and W.T. Jackson ES all have foundations that allocate monies specifically for IB teacher training. It was during that same PTA meeting in April that parent members made a recommendation that we begin to raise funding here at Bolton Academy for the same purpose and initiating a campaign to fund professional learning was born! J

Q: Can Bolton Academy lose its IB Authorization status if teachers are not trained by November 2013?

A: No, Bolton Academy cannot and will not lose its IB Authorization status if teachers do not receive training by November 2013; however, as a school community, we want to continue to provide professional growth and learning opportunities for our teachers to ensure the program is implemented with fidelity. Moreover, our goal is to ensure that teachers receive needed training before and after the IB re-evaluation visit takes place in November.

We anticipate that Bolton Academy will receive supportive feedback from the IB evaluators that reflects the great teaching and learning that occurs at our school. Additionally, we also know that if we receive recommendations from the evaluators in a specific area, they will be presented in a formatted document referred to as our Matters to be Addressed. Typically, when the IBO presents its Matters to be Addressed to a school, it also provides recommended timelines and activities that the school should pursue prior to a follow-up re-assessment of the school's program implementation. A re-assessment of any outstanding matters to be addressed typically occurs within the first 90 days after the issuance of recommendations for areas in need of improvement. Once recommendations are fully satisfied, the IBO immediately responds with a written acknowledgement of such and the school continues to be recognized as an IB Primary Years Program in good standing.  

Q: When and/or how can parents expect to be involved in the school's IB re-evaluation process?

A: As a means of keeping parents well informed about the IB Primary Years Program, (PYP), we are going to be conducting focused "Parent Universities" during which parents will participate in engaging hands-on learning activities that closely model instructional practices and methods used in classrooms throughout our school. Flyers will continue to be sent home notifying parents about our upcoming IB Parent Universities. Our first one was recently held on October 7 in the Media Center. Future dates will be announced on the school website, as well.