4/24/2019 Signature Assignment part 1 - Google Docs

PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN LIFE BEYOND ACADEMICS

Project Based Learning for Answers

IMAGINE BELL CANYON

At a Glance:
Name Imagine Bell Canyon

Website https://www.imaginebellcanyon.org/

Location & Contact 18052 N. Black Canyon Hwy. Phoenix, AZ 85053 (602) 547-7920

Type Title IX Charter School

Grades Served Pre K through 8th Grade

Teachers 20 Staff Position Teachers

Students 405 Total

(White-48% / Hispanic-35% / Black-9%)

Great School Rating Overall 5 -

Test Score 6 (Math-37% / English-43% / Science-69%)

Neighboring Charter Desert Heights Preparatory Academy -7

Schools (With Rating) Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics - 8

Neighboring Public Mountain Sky Middle School - 7

Schools (With Rating) Desert Sky Middle School - 7
(GREAT SCHOOLS - https://www.greatschools.org/)
(Imagine Bell Canyon - https://www.imaginebellcanyon.org/)

SCHOOL NARRATIVE
Imagine Bell Canyon (IBC)is located in Northern Phoenix bordering Glendale serving grades
Pre Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Compared to its neighboring schools IBC is underperforming
with an overall rating of 5 according to Great Schools.
IBC serves a diverse population with a small majority of White students, 48% followed by 35%
Hispanic, 9% African American, 5% Asian, and 2% Mixed Race students. The student population
is split evenly male and female. Students attending IBC are close to or surpassing the state
average for English and Mathematics. Average overall English test scores are 43% compared to
the state average of 38%. Average overall Mathematics test scores are 37% compared to the
state average of 38%.

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Of all students attending IBC, 63% are designated as belonging to low-income families. Of the
students from Low-Income families, the students attending IBC are approaching the state
average in Mathematics with test scores at 26% with a state average of 27% and surpassing the
state average in English; within IBC test scores are 33% compared to the state average of 26%.
One of the main Focuses of IBC as an institution is to develop character, personal best,
accountability, and the general citizenship of both their students and faculty. Development starts
walking through the halls prior to arriving at class. The walls have a student and faculty
collaborative school “Constitution” modeled after the United States Constitution which outlines
student treatment, expectations, rules for implementing future enhancements. Most of the values
of the school's constitution can be seen in the IBC Vision, Vision Statement, Mission, and Mission
Statement, they are as follows:
● Mission- The mission of Imagine Bell Canyon is to provide a student-centered experience
through which Blazer World citizens are challenged to develop the knowledge, skills, and
character to positively and productively contribute in the 21st Century.
● Vision - Imagine Bell Canyon provides optimal teaching and learning in a safe and nurturing
environment which prepares Blazer World citizens to be their best in a global and diverse society.
Imagine Bell Canyon strives to be recognized as one of Arizona’s top schools for academic
excellence and a source of community pride.
● Mission Statement - As a national family of public charter school campuses, Imagine Schools
partners with parents and guardians in the education of their children by providing high-quality
schools that prepare students for lives of leadership, accomplishment, and exemplary character.
● Vision Statement - Imagine Schools’ vision is for every student to reach his or her full potential
and discover the pathways for life-long success.

These values are further enforced as the school day begins in homeroom. In addition to the
Pledge of Allegiance, there are two additional pledges one for Students and for Faculty; they are
as follows:
● Kids at Hope Pledge: I am a kid at hope. I am talented, smart and capable of success. I
have dreams for the future, and I will climb to reach those goals and dreams every day...
no exceptions!
● Treasure Hunter's Pledge: As an adult and a Treasure Hunter, I am committed to search
for all the talents, skills and intelligence that exist in all children and youth. I believe that all
children are capable of success... no exceptions!

IBC is rapidly approaching, however not completely as of currently a 1 to 1 school and (to a
lesser extent) a paperless environment. The primary technology for IBC is Google, to include
wide usage of Google Classroom, Google Slides, and Google Sites. Each of the classrooms
within IBC does have a Smart Board with internet connectivity. Most classrooms have enough
laptops (Google Chrome Books) to accommodate 90% of the students. Students are not issued
laptops to take home, or from class to class, instead, laptops are carted and administered to
students for individual classes upon arrival to the classroom. Most readings are issued on paper
with an online copy also available. Testing in the classroom is done both online and via paper
close to evenly. Teachers have access to lessons, grading, recording assessments and

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assessment trends, and resource materials online; Teachers can choose to print resources for
class use or conduct digital only lessons as they individually see fit. Teachers can monitor (class
specific) testing online in real time when tests are administered online, and record all grading (test
and projects) online via Google Classroom. Of the three major platforms, Apple and Microsoft are
not used.

MY PLACEMENT OBSERVATIONS
I have had the fortunate opportunity to be a faculty staff instructor for the following classes:
● 8th Grade Accelerated class for English Language Arts and Social Studies
● 8th Grade Standard class for English Language Arts and Social Studies
● 7th Grade Standard class for English Language Arts and Social Studies
All three classes use a close to identical curriculum, materials, content delivery, and content
delivery modifications. The difference between the three classes occurs with the assessment and
group discussion. Using Bloom's taxonomy 8th Grade Accelerated has a higher focus on the
creating, evaluating and analyzing of material. Although 8th Grade Standard does integrate the 3
higher functions of Bloom's Taxonomy, the primary focus is on applying and understanding.
Surprisingly after the initial stage of remembering 7th Grade Standard spends an equal amount of
time on the other 5 stages of Bloom’s taxonomy, although not at the in-depth level as both 8th
grade classes. In all three grade levels, the focus has been on reading comprehension having
students the RACES strategy:
Restate the Question in your own words; Answer the question; Cite the source of your
answer; Explain the supporting evidence; Sum up the overall meaning.
The RACES strategy is used both in English Language Arts as well as Social Studies to
encourage and foster reading comprehension.
The racial makeup of all three classes very closely resembles the racial makeup of the school
as a whole, the only notable exception being 8th Grade Standard has a slightly higher number of
Hispanic students, (approximately 45% resulting in a slight decrease of White students
approximately 39%).
As with all Junior High Schools, there are some discipline issues, as students at the 7th and
8th grade level are still maturing and lack adult level self-control. It is my observation that
although discipline issues exist they are in line with most other schools at the same grade level,
generally minor in nature, and nonextensive in frequency. I believe that Project Based Learning
will address and minimize disciplinary issues by fostering internal motivation, connection to their
academic community, collaborative efforts that will bring a new found sense of appreciation for
their fellow students, and most importantly a deeper understanding of their own role in society.

WHO IS WILLIAM W. CAREY II

My name is William W. Carey II I am a 21 year veteran of the United States Army. For the first 11
years, my job was combat support communications, the following 10 years my job was a certified
instructor. After I saw my 4th grey hair I knew it was time to retire. My credentials include:

Arizona State University Certificate in Secondary Education

CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer
Educational Psychological Instructor Program

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Certified Total Army Instructor

Total Army Instructor Small Group Facilitator

The most valuable lessons that the armed service taught me was training (in this case
education) needs to be flexible, adaptable, and relevant, simply because events are
unpredictable.

I was inspired to become a teacher almost 32 ago after watching the movie “Stand and Deliver”
starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Edward James Olmos. Set in a failing High School in Los
Angeles a teacher teaches a group of inner-city poverty-stricken children advanced Calculus
when all administrators say that it is impossible. The children actually pass a standardized test
administered by the state. To everyone's surprise, they do so well on the test they are accused of
cheating. It is a teacher's job to deliver content, this part of the process defines why teachers are
professionals and as such, each teacher should be allowed to deliver content as they see fit so
long as they are pedagogically competent. This defines the How of teaching. The What of
teaching should be a collaborative effort between the district, state and federal government. How
important are concepts to content delivery? It is the reason why:
● Understanding a whole note is 4 measures allows a musician to play ANY music and not
simply one song
● Strategies that promote reading comprehension such as RACES allow students to
understand anything new from the biology of a frog to the relevance of “To Kill a
Mockingbird
● Intelligently understand why Congress makes laws
● Mathematics from the simple example above all the way to the most complex advanced
Calculus

The children in this school listen to Jay-Z and Tupac. If this comes as a surprise to any adult
consider yourself out of touch, irrelevant, and desperately needing to retire immediately. As an
educator, I promise I will NOT replace William Shakespeare with Tupac and Jay-Z. I do, however,
promise you, I WILL use Tupac and Jay-Z to make Shakespeare relevant to our students.
Technology must have a proper balance. There is a point where it can become a distraction to
understanding as well as a point where it can enhance education through creativity and
collaboration. The world is becoming more and more dependent on technology and it is the
responsibility of a teacher to prepare students to enter a technologically interdependent world
successfully while at the same time avoiding students become so dependent on technology they
are incapable of functioning without it. This is a balance a teacher must be aware of; too much or
too little can become a handicap for our students. Technology in the classroom must enhance the
learning experience, not stymie the ability to think critically and act independently.

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