It is Thanksgiving Break for our students and the building is relatively quiet other than a basketball practice or two. A student did stop by on his bicycle and visit, he was curious what we do when the students are on break. He couldn't imagine why anyone would be here when school is out. It is great listening to their perspectives and it really is what drives us educators in this profession. Children are amazing and resilient. We never know what it is actually like to walk in their shoes and we would never pretend to know what some of them face daily. What we try to accomplish is to meet them where they are and support them as they work to achieve their next steps of success. We are definitely not perfect here at Eminence and our systems have flaws; however, we without a doubt have the best teachers around and our vision to re-invent education is truly changing where, when, and how learning occurs. Our vision is to create a personalized learning environment that allows for anytime and anywhere learning to accommodate a high level learning experience daily for every student through FIRE, ICE, and ACES. In this post, we hope to share some foundational insights into the FIRE Model and the ICE and ACES components of that work.
So, what really is it with all this talk of FIRE, ICE, and ACES? That is the most exciting and all at the same time hardest part of the work. FIRE stands for the Framework of Innovation to Reinvent Education. You ask, "What does that really mean?" The bottom line is that schools must improve our methods to support the 21st Century Student Learner, your student. We have had to ask the hard questions about our schedule, methods of teaching, what we are teaching, and even the question of grading and what does having an "A" really mean? You have enough experience with education yourself to know that an "A" in one teachers class would not equal an "A" in another classroom. Our desire is that grading becomes a complete mastery model that requires the grade be a reflection of knowledge versus compliance (pretty binders, kleenexes for extra credit and good behavior, none of which are a reflection of a letter grade communicating what a students knows). We desire our students to be thinkers who have the "grit" to achieve at high levels. We desire for them to be the very best. We believe they are the best and will continue to achieve at high levels as we fully implement the FIRE model.
The exciting part is that Eminence is making the shift from a factory model of educating to a personalized learning model through the implementation of ICE! While Eminence has always had elements of this new model in their work, we are becoming much more strategic and intentional about our instructional design and delivery. ICE stands for: Interventions, Connections, and Enrichment and they are all integral in the FIRE Model. Every Eminence Middle/High School student is serviced in one of these areas daily. While some may be embedded in the classroom experience, other students are assigned to specific courses designed specifically for targeted Intervention, Connection, or Enrichment based on their individual needs. We encourage you to talk with your child about their ICE experience and see how it has impacted their academic goals.
What does ICE stand for and mean?
Intervention is specifically for students who are six weeks or more behind in an academic area and need some varied instruction to meet their learning needs. Students are assigned to a teacher who designs specific learning strategies used by the student during Intervention time to help them master required content.
Connections is the opportunity for students who are struggling with a current standard being taught and a need to understand the material prior to their next class period. It allows for the standard to be re-taught in a different way to address the different learning styles of each student.
Enrichment services students who have mastered content and are being provided an opportunity to expanded learning and deeper thinking that often involves a level of problem-solving. Students who are not in need of Interventions or Connections are provided Enrichment opportunities.
Lastly, we have ACES. ACES is the Apple Computers for Eminence Students program in grades 9-12 that has revolutionized the concept of anytime, anywhere learning for all students. Students are provided a MacBook Pro that allows them access to classroom materials and teacher guidance on instructional lessons and assignments anytime and anywhere through Haiku (Learning Management System). This piece is integral in our vision to provide a first class education to the students of Eminence and prepare them for the new global world in which they will serve. We THANK our Board of Education for their support of the ACES program as it is imperative for the goal of personalizing learning for every Warrior.
We hope this overview begins to explain some of the foundations of the work we are achieving here at Eminence Middle/High School with your own Warrior. It is a dynamic approach to provide a solid educational opportunity for every child we serve. It is a work in progress as we strive to be better tomorrow than we were today.
In the previous post we shared a glimpse of how special the Eminence students truly are, but there is so much more to share. Education has changed each of our lives as educators and for that we are thankful. We strongly desire to give your children the education they rightfully deserve. The reality that schools need to change is very real, as is the work required to achieve FIRE, ICE, ACES and many other components to our personalized learning model that we will share with you over time. We believe it is worth every second for our Warriors! Warriors press on in the face of the unknown fears of uncharted territory...that is why we are Eminence, Home of the WARRIOR! Thankful today for previous dedicated WARRIORS who have made this place special and worthy of achieving FIRE, ICE, ACES and more for the WARRIORS we currently serve!
Now you know about our FIRE, ICE, and ACES! More to come.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families,
The Eminence Middle/High School Team
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