Crown Pointe Academy, a Colorado Charter School Institute located in Westminster, offers a challenging, content-rich curriculum with goals of academic excellence and achievement for all students. The school emphasizes that all students deserve to be fully challenged and motivated to succeed. The school follows the philosophy that self-esteem derives from true achievement.
What is a Charter School? The Colorado State Legislature passed the Charter School Act to enable parents, educators, and community members to create schools with specific goals and methods of teaching. The goal is to create ‘schools of choice’ that recognize different students learn in different ways. A charter school is semi-autonomous. Its charter must be approved by the local school board. The degree of autonomy that a charter school has is negotiated with the local board.
What grades does it encompass? Crown Pointe Academy offers grades K-8.
What curriculum does the school use? The Core Knowledge Sequence provides the framework for Crown Pointe. The Sequence is based on the idea that learning takes place gradually. That as children grow, they learn by building on what they already know. The Sequence defines a solid, specific, sequenced base of knowledge that is taught on a grade-by- grade basis in each subject area. This ‘core’ knowledge provides a challenging, interesting set of information that will equip children for advanced education.
How is the Core Knowledge Sequence taught? A combination of delivery methods is used including drill and practice, use of “hands on” resources, projects and experiments, and the Socratic method of inquiry. Learning styles of individual students are determined in order to structure lessons in a way that meets student’s needs. Students are required to commit to at- home reading for a minimum of 15 minutes per day (kindergarten, first and second grades), increasing in higher grades.
Are there tuition costs? No. Funding for the school comes from public funds.
What about transportation? Parents are required to provide transportation to the school.
Where is it located? This school is located in a new school facility at 2900 West 86th Avenue, Westminster, 80031.
What about class and school size? In each class, there are 26 students with two staff members – one teacher and one educational aide. There are two Kindergarten through 8th grade classes. We have a total of 466 students.
How much time are parents expected to devote to the school? A commitment of 60 hours per family per school year is required – 30 hours for single parents.
What about homework? Homework is assigned at all levels because it is an important reinforcement for the learning that takes place in the classroom. This is in addition to reading at home every day.
What about uniforms? Simple, comfortable uniforms worn by all children are required.