Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School Content 3 Institutional History - PDF document

Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School

Content 3 Institutional History 19 Finances 4 Who are we? 20 Marketing & Recruitment 8 Student Demographics 22 Long-Range Planning 10 Student Test Scores 12 Technology Integration 14 Successes & Challenges 16 Differentiation 2

Institutional History Akiba South Side Day School established (Orthodox) 1949 Solomon Schechter South Side School established by Congregation 1965 Rodfei Zedek (Conservative) 1972 Akiba South Side Day School and Solomon Schechter South Side School merge to form Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School (ASJDS) and begins operating in buildings owned by Congregation Rodfei Zedek 1982 ASJDS preschool opens ASJDS purchases land and two buildings (Hoffman House and Preschool 1998 Building) from Congregation Rodfei Zedek Hoffman House replaced with new award-winning building designed 2003 by architect John Ronan Preschool building renovated 2006-07 Coleman Family Playground opens 2007 ASJDS begins participating in the B’not Sherut program 2007-08 2012 Mike’s Place Preschool Playground opens 2014-15 Five-Year Strategic Plan approved ASJDS Received provisional membership in ISACS 2015-16 3

Who are we? OUR MISSION THE PRESCHOOL We seek to promote academic ex- The Preschool is a community school that cellence and develop students with creates a safe, stimulating, and nurturing strong Jewish identities. By focusing environment. From Reggio Emilio-inspired on the individual gifts and needs of classrooms to a curriculum that emerges each student, our teachers create a from the students, our program reflects caring family of learners who are com- learning through play. Through secure rela- mitted to responsible citizenship, the tionships and hands-on activities, children performance of mitzvot and support develop a sense of independence and au- for the State of Israel and its people. tonomy, as well as an ability to understand the needs and concerns of others. 4

THE KINDERGARTEN The Kindergarten is a community school that serves as the ideal bridge from Preschool to Elementary School, both for children who continue their education at Akiba-Schechter and for those who do not. Kindergarten is the perfect balance of play and academics, and builds intangible, but fundamental skills: voicing an opinion, socializing, asking questions, thinking criti- cally, and working in a group.

Who are we? THE DAY SCHOOL LOWER SCHOOL At Akiba-Schechter, we teach children— In grades 1-4, the focus is literacy in both not subjects—giving them the skills of General and Judaic studies. In multi-age lifelong learning. Our child-centered ap- classrooms, children in 1st /2nd grade read proach empowers teachers to be creative one-on-one with a teacher daily. Open- within a set of core pedagogical principles, ended and collaborative assignments such as project-based study. Our family-like promote the fact that there is not one right environment, strong sense of community, answer. In addition to learning to read, and small student-teacher ratios help us write and speak in modern Hebrew, chil- focus on learning to love learning as much dren also gain literacy of holidays, the Torah as acquiring knowledge. portions, and biblical Hebrew. 6

MIDDLE SCHOOL numerous other scholastic achievements bear out the success of our approach. Core In Middle School, the focus shifts toward in- elements of our Day School include the dependence. Through hands-on activities, Buddy Program , which promotes au- problem-based learning, and seminar-like thentic inter-age relationships; the Bnot discussions, students learn to ask good Sherut Program, which integrates informal questions and find meaningful answers. Israel education into the school’s culture, Subject matter often transcends the class- and Facing History & Ourselves, which room through large-scale projects like provides strategies for wrestling with texts, debates, mock trials, and historical re-enact- history and society. Through FH, ASJDS ments. High standardized test scores, helps its students to be empathetic, reflec- awards in statewide competitions, and tive upstanders. 7

Student Demographics Communities Represented Skokie West Rogers Park 45% 7% 18% 13% 9% 8% Lakeview/Lincoln Park Hyde Park South Loop Other 2015-2016 Enrollment by Grade 15 P/T 13 R!S!G! 12 Age 2 32 Age 3 Age 4 34 20 KDG 18 1 17 2 3 20 14 4 24 5 18 6 15 7 15 8 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 NUMBER OF STUDENTS (Total: 267) 8

Enrollment Over Time 350 KDG-8 Preschool 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1988-89 1990-91 1992-93 1994-95 1996-97 1998-99 2001-01 2002-03 2004-05 2006-07 2008-09 2010-11 2012-13 2014-15 2015-16 Graduates, Last 5 Years Attendance Ida Crown Jewish Academy * Payton, 6 7 Whitney Young, 3 Chicagoland Jewish High School 2 Jones, 3 Fasman Yeshiva High School 19 Northside Prep, 2 Hannah Sach Bais Yaakov Lane Tech, 1 15 CPS Selective Enrollment * U of C Lab High School 8 Other 10 3 Numbers represent students, not percentages. Admission 13/19 students who applied to CPS selective 6/7 students who applied to the U of C Lab High enrollment high schools were admitted to their School were accepted. 100% of students who 1st choice: Walter Payton, Jones, Northside, or applied to Jewish high schools were admitted to Whitney Young. their 1st choice. 9

Measuring Up Akiba-Schechter administers TerraNova tests year in which the tests are taken (in this case, to students each year. It is a norm- the .6 mark), which makes the appropriate referenced, nationally standardized achieve- grade equivalent to the grade level plus .6. ment test, with norms set to the time time of 10

15 13.0 12.4 12.3 Grade Level Achieved 11.0 12 10.9 1 0.7 10.6 2015 9 7.5 7.4 7.2 7.1 6.8 6.7 6.3 6.0 6 5.5 3 0 5 6 7 8 Grade 15 13.0 13.0 12.2 Grade Level Achieved 12 11.1 10.7 9.8 9.7 9.4 2014 9 7.4 7.4 7.2 7.1 7.1 6.7 6.3 6.1 6 3 0 5 6 7 8 Grade 15 13.0 13.0 12.9 12.4 12 Grade Level Achieved 11.1 10.4 2013 9.0 9 8.4 7.8 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 6.8 6.7 6 5.9 3 0 5 6 7 8 Grade *GME = Grade Mean Equivalent Nat’l GME*, Nat’l GME, Akiba- Akiba- Reading Mathematics Schechter Schechter 11 Mathematics Reading

Technology Integration O n the whole, Akiba-Schechter faculty and stafg months and years. We are in need of a comprehensive have a measured approach to technology using technology strategy with a budget and stafg training to it more often as a tool for learning or communication go with it. That said, there are many highlights in our rather than an end in itself. Unfortunately, the use of use of technology. Here are a few: technology in our curriculum and classrooms varies Several classes (including the 7th/8th grade Hu- greatly across the grade levels and subject areas. Our manities classes, a 5th/6th grade Science class, strategic plan calls for “technology integration bench and a 5th/6th grade Chumash class) host student marked to the best schools” to be realized within the driven class blogs that are used to continue and next 4-5 years. To date, we have been hindered by a further learning beyond the daily lessons. historically sub-par internet reliability and limited Several Middle School hebrew classes are taught funds for upgrading our equipment. We will benefjt using the Ulpan-Or online curriculum. from focusing on this area more intently in the coming

Students learn the beginning of coding as early as Students in grades 5-8 rely heavily on Google 1st grade with the help of Micro-worlds software. Docs to work on drafts of written assignments both individually and in groups. Teachers readily 3rd/4th graders spend time each week learning to provide comments, often in real time, within the keyboard. Google Doc which streamlines the drafting and Students in grades 3-8 are expected to use Mi- editing processes. crosoft software including Excel and PowerPoint, At least 5 classrooms use Smart Boards as a regu- website building programs such as Weebly, and lar tool for instruction, but often not in more ad- movie making software such as i-Movie to com- vanced ways than a simple projector. plete various presentations and assignments throughout the year.