Academics Overview
CMASAS MIDDLE SCHOOL
You Cannot Put a Price on a Thriving Student!
The need for personalized education is more critical than ever. At Christa McAuliffe Academy School of Arts and Sciences (CMASAS), we are here for your family. We nurture the whole student. Our unparalleled team of experienced educators embrace students' individual learning preference and goals when developing the student's Personalized Education Plan (PEP).
CMASAS has spent decades creating content and curriculum with personalization in mind. Our methods for learning help students become independent, self-advocating, life-long learners. CMASAS graduates are prepared to pursue their dreams, and many go on to change our world for the better. There is a difference between going to school and being liberated to learn in a new way that supports one's goals. Personalized Education is not a buzz word at our school, it is our key differentiator that has kept our doors open, our faculty highly motivated, and our students thriving!
Courses at CMASAS are mastery-based (80% and above) and self-paced. The self-paced nature of our program allows a student to move more quickly through a course or take additional time to fully understanding a concept if needed. We also allow students opportunities to master the concepts by revisiting what they have learned.
PERSONALIZED EDUCATION PLAN (PEP)
Developed by students, parents or guardians, Personalized Education Coaches (PECs), Course Instructors (CIs), and school counselors, the Personalized Education Plan (PEP) encompasses academic and career aspirations, preferred learning styles, potential learning disabilities, and other factors influencing academic performance.
The PEP includes specific goals, strategies, and accommodations, periodically reviewed to ensure relevance and effectiveness. This customized plan maximizes each student’s potential, providing tailored support for success. The plan may be reviewed and revised periodically to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.
Students attend CMASAS for various reasons. While some pursue their career goals after graduation, many students choose to attend a four-year college or university. We have compiled a partial list of colleges attended by recent graduates.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
Middle school students work with different instructors for all their core courses and most electives. Course instructors support students through increasingly rigorous courses to ensure a smooth transition to high school material. They promote student growth through targeted instruction and emphasize higher-level learning that builds critical thinking skills. Most importantly, our middle school course instructors provide a personalized experience for each student. They encourage students to incorporate their own interests and hobbies into course work and emphasize a student-centered approach to lessons and assignments.
COURSE WORK & PERSONALIZATION
Our middle school program provides two semesters in each of the core courses: language arts, math, science, and social studies. We also have a list of engaging elective courses including visual and performing arts (VAPA), technology, health and fitness, music, digital photography, and world languages. Eighth grade students can take world language, math, and language arts courses for high school credit.
Our learning model encourages a personalized approach. If a lesson or assignment is not working for your student, your PEC and Course Instructor will work with the student to find a way that does. That could mean a discussion instead of a written assignment or extra help and resources for a complex topic. There are many ways students can learn and show us what they know.
