DREAM MAKERS ACADEMY

Fulton County School DistrictAlpharetta, Georgia

Lindsay AmosKathy Davies

Salimah Karim

TABLE OF CONTENTS▪ Executive Summary

▪ Rationale

▪ Philosophy Statement

▪ Mission Statement

▪ Description of the School

▪ Description of Educational Services

▪ Funding Sources

▪ Teamwork for Completion

▪ Community/Parent Involvement

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY▪ Dream Makers Academy is located at 3278 Hamby Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30004

▪ The school serves just over 700 students grades 6-8 who are achieving above their grade level

▪ Minority enrollment is 100% of the student body (majority Asian, and Middle Eastern) which is more that the state average of 57%

▪ Dream Makers Academy operates within the Fulton County School District

▪ The student: teacher ratio is about 16:1

▪ Dream Makers Academy encompasses a population from a diverse socioeconomic background. With such a high culturally and socioeconomic background, it allows for our gifted students to have opportunities to work with individuals who are diverse. It allows for collaborative learning when it comes to real world experiences.

RATIONAL▪ At Dream Makers Academy we offer highly challenging classes that

extend from high school to college levels for students ranging from 10 through 14 years of age.

▪ A critical aspect of DMA is providing our students with real world experiences within the safety of our school. This extends their knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom through partnerships with the community, the city, and with business leaders that are interested in the special needs of our most gifted students.

PHILOSOPHY▪ Dream Makers Academy strives at building the future of community leaders.

Our hopes are to engage students in the curriculum, but also challenge them in a productive and positive learning environment, where high ability learners can be challenged beyond the foundations currently placed in a classroom setting. The program’s foundation is based upon the 2010 Gifted Programming Standards by the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) and the of Education Policy 160-4-2-.38 laid out by the Georgia Board of Education.

▪ In keeping with Policy 160-4-2-.38: Gifted and talented students are students who must “either (a) score at the 96th percentile (for grades 3-12) on the composite or full scale score of a norm-referenced test of mental ability and meet one of the achievement criteria described in paragraph (2)(d) 5 (ii) Achievement, or (b) qualify through a multiple-criteria assessment process by meeting the criteria in any three of the following four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation.” As well as, “any data used in one area to establish a student’s eligibility shall not be used in any other data category.”

PHILOSOPHY CONTINUED ▪ Dream Makers Academy aligns itself to Renzulli’s statement that “gifted

behaviors, take place in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances)” (Renzulli, Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness, 1998). We at Dream Makers Academy understand that giftedness occurs at different times, and often times strong in a particular area/content than others, and that this giftedness can be nourished through our school’s program. We feel that providing students with a safe environment and offering opportunities outside the classroom will help to expand upon their knowledge and obtain real life skills. Also, we thoroughly believe in our teachers and their training since “teachers influence their students’ possibilities for success” (Blankstein, Failure is Not an Option, 2004, pg. 17).

OUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT IS THE COMETS

MISSION STATEMENT▪ The mission of Dream Makers Academy is to allow for our future leaders of

America to start their dreams here.

Comets Joining together to achieve selectively…

▪ C- challenging academic rigor

▪ O- obtaining professional skills

▪ M- making dreams come true

▪ E- exemplifying excellence everyday E3

▪ T- teachable moments made possible

▪ S- superior leaders in our community

DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING ▪ Dream Makers Academy is a two-story, brick, contemporary building. It will

be constructed based on a school in Arkansas. With the hope to open in the fall of 2017. It is located in Alpharetta, GA. The school will set on 10 acres and have fields for intermural sports.

▪ This school is basically a C-shape with connecting buildings that house the cafeteria with a state-of-the art chef’s kitchen, gym, auditorium/ theater, ceramics/ art studio, broadcasting studio, music studio, dance studio, a community room along with several other specialized classrooms.

▪ The foundation is covered in brick and limestone and the exterior walls are covered in stone. There are windows surrounding the C-shaped building to bring in natural light. The school strives to be a green-efficient school and takes pride in all the natural light. We have turned the outside pavilion into a courtyard to allow for outside eating. This area will also be used for green houses to grow some of the food used throughout the school.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING ▪ Dream Makers Academy is open five days a week with school times consisting

of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. By allowing these extended school times, our hopes are to be able to compete with rivaling schools that operate under the same functions in Japan, Sweden, and Finland. The school also provides tutoring as well as a study hall period throughout the day to allow students the opportunity to prioritize their work according to the schedule.

▪ At DMA we strive to keeping up with current technology and provide Macbooks to each student along with self supplied internet access. This allow students to work from home even if they do not have personal Wi-Fi. Each classroom is also supplied with the required technology for the content being taught in the class. At Dream Makers Academy we strive to connect our students with the community and aim to do so through internships and weekly fieldtrips into the community which allow for more connections/ community work to take place and show students various skills needed in the real world.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OFFERED ▪ The local board of education shall develop curricula for gifted students

that incorporates school board of education approved curriculum. LBOE curricula for gifted students shall focus on developing cognitive, learning, research and reference, as well as metacognitive skills. For each grade they use principles of differentiation in one or more of the following content areas: mathematics, science, English/language arts, social studies, world languages, fine arts, and career, technical and agricultural education. LEAs shall make available to the public and the GaDOE a description of the differentiated curricula used for instruction of gifted students. The LEA shall review and revise, if revisions are needed, its curricula for gifted students annually.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OFFERED▪ Parallel Curriculum Model: The Parallel Curriculum Model allows students to look at a standard from a real-

life perspective. That means, how do real people use it in the real world? Once students look at an abstract concept through the lens of a profession, the concepts become concrete and engaging. To do this, however, students must see that all disciplines or subjects are used. For example, students can learn about botany and agriculture by maintaining a school vegetable garden. The students act as professional agricultural engineers and chefs. They can calculate the precise amount of water and fertilizer needed to raise crops like beans, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, and herbs. Then, students research recipes that incorporate their grown food, and later cook up these dishes.

▪ New Integrated Curriculum Model: Goes hand-in-hand with the Parallel Curriculum Model where all content areas work together to develop student learning through a common theme. For example, if the common theme is fire, all content areas focus instruction around fire. Therefore, science will look at the essence of fire. Social studies will look at the history of fire and the effects of famous fires. Language arts can have students research fire as a theme or symbol in literature or even write poems about fire. Finally, math can look at the combustion rates of fire.

▪ Depth and Complexity can be used throughout the school as a personalized learning tool. Students can have access to different symbols to direct their learning. For example, if a student is unclear about a standard or the lesson, he can use the “Unanswered Questions” icon to dig deeper into the standard. On the other hand, if a student is grasping the idea, then have him look at the “Big Ideas” icon to develop a general statement on how the standard relates to themes. Plus, this model can be integrated into the Parallel Curriculum Model by having students look at the “Across Discipline” icon to relate their area of study to other subjects and professions.

FUNDING SOURCES▪ We will be funded under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which allocates state and local

tax dollars to public education agencies based on the number of pupils in each grade level. Additional funding is provided for students with high needs, such as low-income pupils and English learners. Public funding generally follows the student to the public school the parents choose, whether a charter school or a traditional district school. When charter schools are funded, there is no overall loss of public school money because charter schools are public schools.

▪ Our charter school will also be operated by a non-profit public benefit corporation. We will also become organized as a limited liability corporation so we can receive private funding.

▪ If a student chooses to go to our charter school, tax money is allocated to the charter school to educate that student. In other words, the money follows the student. It is the student's money, not the district's.

▪ From there we will ask The National Alliance of Public Charter Schools for help with funding. They receive donations from all over the United States. These funds will be applied for by our local school governance.

▪ We will look for various grants to get new programs going and to secure monies for high levels of education. These will be looked at through our school governance council.

▪ Fundraising events leading up to the construction and after will play an ongoing role for this school.

TEAM WORK FOR COMPLETION ▪ ARCHITECTURAL FIRM who will design and create the blueprint. This firm will

also hire the structural and mechanical engineers who will build the Dream Makers Academy. According to Fulton County; ▪ All engineers and architects shall be registered in the State of Georgia

▪ They must be certified by the International Code Conference

▪ Professionals shall have completed “advanced Fundamentals of Erosions and Sediment Control” course from the University System of Georgia

▪ All participants must be familiar with all the Fulton County Codes and Regulations

▪ Architects will also look at PARENTS AND STUDENTS for input and ideas. The Dream Makers Academy should incorporated personalized learning space, creative zones, and other areas that promote student learning.

TEAM WORK FOR COMPLETION▪ After an approval from Fulton County Schools, designs must be approved by the FULTON COUNTY

SCHOOLS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT, which oversee the construction, operations, and design requirements of all district schools. The architectural firm and engineers work closely with this department in order ensure that all space, curriculum, and funding requirements are secured.

▪ COMMUNITY ZONING BOARD and the FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (BOC) – public hearings and zoning request must be made prior to any construction. They insure that any land use petition is made public for resident input and concerns. Once all public hearings are conducted, the BOC approves or denies the request.

▪ If the land use petition is approved and adopted, and after the builders secure $1,000,000 Comprehensive General Liability Insurance, they must attain all building permits from the FULTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. Builders must follow all sediment, erosion control, and pollution control measures before any inspections can take place.

▪ As the construction continues, various inspections take place which involve the CODE ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT. Finally, the FIRE MARSHAL must make all safety inspections before an occupancy permit is issued.

COMMUNITY / PARENT INVOLVEMENT ▪ School Governance Committee will meet weekly to

▪ Set goals/review the goals

▪ Implement partnerships throughout the community

▪ Committee will be elected by the following criteria:▪ 3 teachers (one per grade level)

▪ 1 Principal

▪ 5 parents

▪ 1 government official

▪ 3 community members

▪ They will serve 1 year beginning in the Fall ending in the Summer

▪ They will be charged with setting 2 year long goals as well as, 2 short term goals per year

FUNDING COMMITTEE ▪ A Separate serving committee has been created through the

Governance Council. This serving committee is charged with the task of funding issues and finding lobbyists designated to representing our school.

▪ DMA is phase one of our long-term goal to expand throughout Southeast region of the United States. If our rating score is in the exceptional range, funding will begin for phase two, where property has been secured in Valdosta.

STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA ▪ Prior to students application to DMA, students must meet the following

Fulton County criteria:

(a) score at the 96th percentile (for grades 3-12) on the composite or full scale score of a norm-referenced test of mental ability and meet one of the achievement criteria described in paragraph (2)(d) 5 (ii) Achievement, or (b) qualify through a multiple-criteria assessment process by meeting the criteria in any three of the following four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation.” As well as, “any data used in one area to establish a student’s eligibility shall not be used in any other data category.”

▪ The students will also need to submit a personal reflection on why they should be selected to attend Dream Makers Academy

▪ No disciplinary action have been recorded in pervious schools

TEACHER SELECTION CRITERIA▪ Prequalification:

▪ Teachers Certificate

▪ 5 years previous teaching experience

▪ No less than a score of 3 in all 10 TKES performance standards

▪ At least 3 years TAG certified

▪ You must submit your application through the Dream Makers Academy website

▪ Interview Process will consist of three interviews▪ First interview will be with the Administration

▪ Second interview will consists of coworkers through similar content

▪ Third interview will involve the Principal, the lead content teacher, and two parent members on the local School Governance Committee.

CONTINUING TEACHER TRAINING▪ The local School Governance Committee will come up with a list of

three educational development trainings that they would like the teachers to participate in. Teachers will then choose one training from the three options and will be required to attend the session which is the first Wednesday of every month from 12-4. During this time the students will go to their community internship, community work program, or community field trip.

OUR VISION▪ To be the most elite gifted and talented school in the nation. We strive

to compete with countries all over the world, to make our Dream Makers the leaders of the future.