The American Creativity Academy is a private school that delivers a standards-based American curriculum within an environment in which Islamic values are respected and practiced. The school is dedicated to preparing students for university success.
The above two sentences represent the mission of ACA; the mission that drives the school to a unique blend of American standards-based education with Islamic values. What exactly is standards-based curriculum? And why is it so important?
A curriculum that is “standards-based” indicates specific criteria that defines what students are expected to learn and be able to perform, and usually includes both content standards and performance standards. A standards-based curriculum focuses on the students and asks;
- What standards will students learn?
- How can students apply what they are learning?
- How will students show what they learned?
- What help do students need to achieve the standards?
- How well did each of the students do?
All these questions focus on the students and their learning, compared to the traditional curriculum where the focus is the teacher.
At ACA, the curriculum is always reviewed and revised. Each academic year, one subject area is subject to intense evaluation. Groups of specialized teachers and administrators work on updating the current curriculum in the selected subject, as well as the associated resources. By the end of the school year, there will be an updated curriculum for the particular subject. The other subjects are also under general review, to assess the need for development. By the end of each academic year, the curriculum can be modified using the information gathered.
In September 2012, ACA purchased the Atlas software, which is used as a curriculum mapping tool. The software facilitates curriculum management to allow teachers more time in the classroom. Using this software allows the teachers to keep continuity in the students’ records for future reference. ACA has achieved full implementation of Atlas across all core and non-core subjects.
The curriculum at ACA is alive, developing and in continuous change. There is no time where we will have a perfect curriculum. By initiating reviews, the school will not wait for an external change to make modifications to the curriculum; on the contrary, the school updates the curriculum by looking at the changes around the world and technology.
ACA has also put forward its strategic plan for education and together with the teachers, we look forward to an ongoing process of reviewing, updating and developing our curriculum.