The New Village Leadership Academy prides itself on a strong academic program delivered in a variety of teaching methods. The guiding principle of our program is the individual student in the learning process. NVLA operates within an articulated curriculum for reading and language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, the fine and performing arts, library and technology skills, and physical education. Within this framework, teams of teachers design their program to meet objectives of the curriculum as well as to meet the needs of their individual students.
The core subjects of math, language arts, science and social studies are taught every day. NVLA boasts a one-to-one student to laptop (Apple) ratio, and technology is seamlessly integrated into the class day. Students attend technology classes twice a week in which they learn keyboarding skills and work on multi-media projects on laptops, or iPads and also learn various applications on the iPod.
The School embraces new, innovative, and diverse experiences to encourage learning. Teachers participate in continuing education to learn alternative teaching methods and review new materials. Faculty are encouraged to share particular talents and interests to enhance the curriculum.
Parents are kept informed of student progress and needs through progress reports, notes, formal and informal conferences and telephone consultations.
The following offers a brief synopsis of our curriculum:
MATHEMATICS
The Everyday Mathematics program is used at NVLA. Everyday Math is a comprehensive Pre-K through 6th grade mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. It is designed to produce a solid understanding of and use of math concepts and application. NVLA’s math program balances a mastery of basic skills with critical thinking and problem solving. It provides opportunities for active multi-sensory, hands-on learning to promote students’ understanding of the concrete realities underlying mathematical concepts. Math lessons include time for whole-group instruction as well as small group, partner, or individual activities. These activities balance teacher-directed instruction with opportunities for open-ended, hands-on explorations, long-term projects and on-going practice. Throughout the Math curriculum students are encouraged to explain and discuss their mathematical thinking, in their own words. Opportunities to verbalize their thoughts and strategies give children the chance to clarify their thinking and gain insights from others.
Technology is integrated into the mathematics program with the use of on-line math programs, statistics and graphing.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language Arts begins with exposure to books, reading aloud, and visits to the library. For our language arts program, NVLA has chosen to adopt the Teachers' College Reading and Writing Programs. Additionally, literature circles with higher level chapter books integrate social studies concepts into language arts. Students develop increasing comprehension skills relating to inference, sequencing, prediction, and character motivation as they explore various genres. The key ingredient of our reading and writing programs is that we teach literacy through Anchor Texts, showing students evidence of the strategy we are teaching through a published work.
Students are assessed on their reading level and given texts at their appropriate instructional level. It is not uncommon to walk into any one of our classrooms and observe students all reading different books, at differing levels. In this way, our reading program is truly individualized.
Writing and grammar are emphasized across the curriculum. Children practice expository writing skills in reports, daily exercises, essays and written responses to questions. Their creative skills are honed by exposure to and practice with short stories, poetry, letters and journals.
Speaking skills are taught informally in class discussions. Class discussions, partner work and accountable talk are all important aspects of our program. Each of these strategies teaches students to verbalize their thinking and support their ideas with evidence. It is our goal that our students become effective communicators who clearly articulate information through speech, writing and the arts, and that they receive, interpret and act effectively on the messages of others.
TECHNOLOGY
NVLA’s 1 to 1 student/laptop program is designed to create a classroom that engages students in an environment where students and teachers have access to a notebook computer as well as digital content and educational software. We believe seamless access to technology improves student academic achievement and enhances teaching to transform the quality of instruction.
The use of computers extends across the curriculum. Each student has access to a personal laptop for curricular projects in the classroom. In addition, students work on multi-media and video projects as well as basic word-processing, spreadsheet, and drawing applications. We have seen that the use of technology increases the creativity of learning by fostering experimentation and discovery while allowing new ways of creating original work. Technology is infused into the day of all students with, for example, digital photography, mechanical engineering, computer programming, projects such as Rock Our World, and the use of applications such as Google Earth in Social Studies.
Additionally, our students are taught technology using iPads and iPods.
SOCIAL STUDIES
This area of curriculum revolves around spiraling concepts from year to year. Students study self, family, community, city, country and world. Social Studies lends itself to integration with other curricular areas: music, art, math, technology and language. Field trips enhance the students’ experiences. We design our lessons to foster students’ feeling of responsibility to be contributors to the community. We instill the respect of diverse cultures through teaching and exposure. Lastly, we teach our children how contributing resources and the search for truth and wisdom improves the quality of life for others.
ARTS
NVLA offers its students a very extensive Arts program. Currently the NVLA Arts Curriculum delivers classes in Performing Arts that consist of Theatre Arts (acting, makeup, lighting, costume and set design), and the Fine Arts (drawing, painting, photography, film, arts and crafts). These classes culminate in a variety of events open to the public.
Students fully participate in determining the content of many of our projects and are expected to maintain a high standard of quality production. Art instruction is taught utilizing methods of experience, observation and evaluation by children, class discussions, and teacher demonstrations. The curriculum is based on artistic perception, creative expression, historical/cultural context, and aesthetic values which promote looking for the beauty inherent in everything.
MUSIC
Students participate in Music class twice a week, in which they learn about the concepts of music (rhythm, pitch, tone, etc.).
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Leadership and character development through ethical choices is integrated into the curriculum. From their first days on campus, students learn the School’s expectations as outlined in the School’s 3 R’s. This code highlights desirable attributes and responsibilities, which are addressed daily in classrooms and all programs. Weekly all-school assemblies emphasize values of good behavior and community service. The School takes on various service-learning projects that assist the greater community as well as provide our children with opportunities to learn about Los Angeles and about other children in our diverse city.
Students are expected to respect the rights of others, as well as respect civil laws and authority. In addition, students learn from an early age to have regard for school property, others’ property, and to pay attention to others’ feelings. We provide tools and skill sets that enable our students to be cooperative leaders who demonstrate the ability to negotiate and compromise. Teachers talk to students as individuals, much as one would with a close family member, and take each individual into consideration when redirecting behavior. Conflict resolution techniques are used when a student experiences problems with another student.
Our Leadership Development program is a unique aspect of NVLA. Our faculty helps the students make decisions that are in their best interest and in the best interest of the class. As students move from grade level to grade level, being aware of how their behavior impacts those around them is expanded to include how decisions (by both children and adults) can affect the community and eventually, the world.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical Education is a daily part of each child’s curriculum. Skill development stresses gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination; this moves to more specific skills as children mature. Team sports played include football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, and track and field. Leadership, sportsmanship, cooperation, empathy and positive self-image are encouraged throughout all grades.
ASSESSING ACHIEVEMENT: PORTFOLIOS AND STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES
Our goal at NVLA is that students learn concepts, principles, data and skills so as to become able to apply what they have learned, to evaluate information and ideas for themselves, to evolve their own answers, and to create their own futures. While it is true that concepts, principles and data must be understood and skills must be mastered on the road to these goals, it is essential that we recognize that the understandings and abilities are not themselves the goal.
Adopting forms of major assessment that measure a student’s ability to think critically, to apply knowledge, to be creative, and to communicate clearly and powerfully is therefore vital to maintaining the integrity of NVLA’s program.
STUDENT PORTFOLIOS
Every NVLA will have a portfolio of work products that demonstrate his or her ability to think, to apply what has been learned, to be creative and communicate clearly and powerfully in relation to the goals of the student’s Group. These portfolios are to be maintained by each student’s teacher as digital files (scanning documents as necessary as well as using digital photographs and videos as records of work products).
Portfolios contain at least these items:
• Work products that result from Performances of Understanding of major units of study
• Filled-out rubrics for those products
• Documentation of any other significant original works created by the student (works of art and literature, mathematical or scientific investigations, presentations, papers), especially including works related to the student's Personal Leadership Plan
• Progress reports
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES
A student-led conference is held when the student is ready to graduate to the next Group. The Student-Led conference is a time for the student to present his or her portfolio to a group consisting of the Dean, Head of School, and some or all members of the faculty Graduation Committee.
The purpose of the conference is to give the student an opportunity to demonstrate competence, to reflect on what has been achieved, to improve communication skills, and to move into the next Group with self-confidence, and to give faculty an opportunity to evaluate and discuss the school’s curriculum and its implementation.
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