Framework

Up until about 150 years ago, the majority of the world learned in the classical education style. Our own founding fathers including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin all learned in the classical education style.

But, what is classical education?

Classical education is a framework in which students learn the basic foundational skills, upon which they can build all other learning. The age groups are divided into 3 groups, called the Trivium. These groups allow the tailoring of learning to developmentally appropriate levels so that students are able to master content efficiently. We will go more in depth in that below.

Classical education emphasizes a connection between Language Arts, History, Science, and Mathematics. Meaning, students learn about famous events in history, and read literature and scientific or mathematical discoveries at the same time. For example, students learning about ancient civilizations would learn that the people at this time learned a great deal about animals and plants around them, mostly for agriculture. Therefore, this would be a great time to lean about biology concepts, including hereditary traits, survival needs, and many other concepts. Simultaneously, in literature, students would read ancient myths, perhaps about how different peoples envisioned the beginning of the world, or creation of different animals.

STEM has taken center-stage in many education conversations, but unfortunately, most schools in the United States still do not provide students with the skills necessary to be thought leaders in any of these areas.

At CCA, we believe that the basis for all learning must be strong foundations in reading, writing, and math. Students who cannot read, will not be able to learn STEM concepts in a meaningful way. To be truly successful, students must be exposed to STEM vocabulary and concepts early and consistently throughout their Grammar school years. This exposure encourages a sense of wonder in the world and motivates students to delve deeper into their learning as they enjoy the learning process as a whole.

As students progress into the Logic stage, they are exposed to and investigate more and more complex concepts. Students begin creating their own investigations into concepts and problems which they are presented or themselves find.

Within the Rhetoric stage, our students conduct investigations independently or in groups in areas which they find fascinating. As part of their process, students share their learning with fellow students, and community members who they identify as having an interest in their learning. This is when students become more aware of how their learning can have an impact which reaches far beyond the classroom.

All students need a little extra support sometimes to be successful. The MTSS system is used to identify students who may need some extra support, provide that support, and then track the progress students make to get them back on track as quickly as possible.

Each student, when joining our school, participates in formative assessments which identify their reading, spelling, writing, and math levels. This information is used to determine if any remedial supports are needed to bring students up to grade level.

Any students requiring additional support are met on at least every 6 weeks to determine progress, and next steps. The amount of support provided is determined by a team of educators and the parents. This team determines the goals (both long and short-term), support and monitoring frequency. Students are expected to make significant progress toward reading, spelling, writing, and understanding math concepts on grade level. Students who are not making adequate progress will be met on so that supports can be adjusted appropriately to meet learning goals.

All students at CCA start with learning personal responsibility. Our students learn to take ownership of their personal bodies and items. As they mature, students are taught to take on more and more responsibility for their own learning, including taking notes, turning in assignments, and studying for tests.

Once students reach the Logic stage, our students begin to look outside themselves in terms of responsibility. Taking on more responsibility in terms of our school and even local community that directly impact them. They participate in our school and community garden, helping to make community decisions about what plants to grow, where, and how. They begin exploring more responsible ways to conduct our agriculture projects, such as recycling items, or finding ways to reduce water consumption in the garden.

As students enter the Rhetoric stage, they begin to have a larger influence in decision-making on a broader scale. They reach out to local community stake-holders to assist in identifying and solving more complex problems, including finding more or better ways to support the diverse flora and fauna in our and adjacent communities. Or, for some of our students, stewardship may mean researching and finding ways to preserve the local history of our community, as they find interesting and needed. They work together to find economical, as well as efficient solutions to problems faced by their community. This includes their work in their capstone project for graduation which includes presentations to share their learning and solutions to stakeholders.

Through their extensive research and work, our students learn responsibility for themselves, as well as an understanding for their responsibility as efficient stewards of their future moving forward.