From Galapagos Charter School.....

ROCKFORD, IL – Galapagos Rockford Charter School’s inaugural year in the Rockford community resulted in its scholars learning at an accelerated rate resulting in significant academic growth. Test results show that the percentage of scholars learning at or above their grade level in math and reading increased significantly after a full year of exposure to Galapagos Rockford’s rigorous educational programs.

A core belief at Galapagos Rockford is that a one size fits all approach to education does not work. It results in students at the lower and higher ranges of academic performance being ignored or greatly marginalized. That is why at the start of the year Galapagos Rockford instructors set academic goals specific to the learning needs of each scholar and work with each scholar to achieve those goals.

Galapagos Rockford administers the Northwest Evaluation Association’s respected Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a nationally normed computer-based assessment test, at the start, middle, and end of the year to measure each scholar’s academic growth over the year and across grade levels. The results highlighted below show how Galapagos Rockford was successful at meeting the educational needs of its scholars at different levels on the learning spectrum and at each grade level.

Comparing the academic growth of all Galapagos Rockford scholars from the start to the end of the year shows that the percentage of scholars scoring at or below the 25th percentile on the MAP assessments decreased by 58%. This is significant because in general children scoring at or below the 25th percentile are more likely to continue to fall behind academically and are more likely to drop out of school. Galapagos Rockford’s success at decreasing the percentage of scholars in the 25th percentile shows that the school is taking effective steps to reduce the number of its academically at-risk scholars.

At the other end of the spectrum the percentage of scholars scoring in the top 75th percentile on the MAP assessment increased by 180%. This is significant because in general children scoring at or above the 75th percentile are more likely to continue to succeed academically during their academic careers. Galapagos Rockford’s success at increasing the percentage of scholars in the top 75th percentile shows that the school is putting its scholars in a strong position to go on to achieve at top colleges and universities.

The kindergarten class, the youngest scholars at Galapagos Rockford, started school with only 20% of scholars at grade level in reading and 23% at grade level in math. By the end of the school year 76% of the kindergartners were at grade level in reading and 52% were at grade level in math. In other words, Galapagos Rockford more than doubled the percentage of scholars at grade level in reading and math.

The oldest scholars at Galapagos Rockford, the third grade class, started the school year based on the MAP assessments at 17% of scholars at grade level in reading and 8% at grade level in math. By the end of the year, the preliminary results for the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) show that 61% of these scholars were at or above grade level in reading and 74% were at or above grade level in math. The ISAT is administered in the State of Illinois for the first time in third grade and measures student achievement relative to Illinois Learning Standards.

Galapagos Rockford’s academic results are made all the more impressive by the fact that the school serves a population of scholars who are traditionally underserved by the educational system. Of Galapagos Rockford’s scholars, 91% qualified for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. The academic growth the school made in its first academic year helps to close the achievement gap for low-income and minority students in Rockford and across the State of Illinois.

“At Galapagos Rockford we are focused on providing high quality and individualized instruction to meet the needs of each of our scholars. We believe that every scholar can achieve academic success when provided with differentiated instruction and a learning environment focused on best practices. It is our responsibility as educators to ensure that every child is empowered to reach his or her full potential and has the skills necessary to go on to succeed in college and beyond,” said Michael Lane, CEO of Galapagos Rockford Charter School.

Galapagos Rockford is focused on educating and preparing its scholars to become responsible, productive, college-educated adults capable of adapting and prospering in a changing global economy. The school is currently accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Galapagos Rockford is open to any student in RPS District 205. To enroll online please go to www.galapagoscharter.org. If you would like more information please call (815) 708-7946.