Parents

Learning can happen anywhere, anytime. Imagine 24/7 access to a no fail, non-time based environment where learning is the focus. Explore the opportunities to engage your child in a non-traditional, personalized, accredited high school education.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Redmond Proficiency Academy?

The Redmond Proficiency Academy is a public charter school located in Redmond, Oregon. It was created by parents, educators and community members to increase learning opportunities for students and to better meet individual student academic interests. RPA will offer a college preparatory curriculum to prepare students to succeed in the global community through innovative programs, positive relationships, and community partnerships.

RPA serves school students (grades 6th-12th) and offers a unique approach that measures student ability through proficiency, or the ability to demonstrate skill level.

How is Redmond Proficiency Academy different?

Unlike traditional school environments, RPA provides a flexible, individualized learning environment allowing students to follow their own interests, create their own learning, meet State and college readiness standards, and graduate ready for college success.

Each student will create a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) with help from teachers, assistants, parents and community contacts. The PLP helps the student align personal, academic, career and social goals with graduation requirements.

How do I enroll?

We are now accepting applications for a limited number of spaces for students in grades 6-9 for the 2012-13 school year. Interested students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Students entering grades 10-12 are still eligible to apply and will be placed on a waiting list in the order their application is received.  For more information, go to the registration page.

What is the enrollment process?

Redmond Proficiency Academy is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 school year and parents  have two options for registration.

  1. Register online by visiting the application link above; or
  2. Complete a hard copy of the registration form and mail it to:

Redmond Proficiency Academy

657 SW Glacier Avenue

Redmond, OR 97756
RPA recently completed its Open Enrollment period and accepted all students who applied by the deadline of 5 p.m. on April 2, 2012.

The enrollment cap for district students is set and agreed upon by the Redmond School District Board of Directors.  If during the open enrollment period the cap has not been reached, all students who have registered will be admitted and subsequent students will be admitted on a first come, first served basis following all state guidelines related to Charter school enrollment. If more than the enrollment cap register a random lottery will be held to determine the students who will be admitted.  The remaining students will placed on a waiting list based on order drawn. While enrollment to RPA is open to students outside the district boundaries, the law requires priority to be given to students living within the boundaries of the Redmond School District, with non-resident students being enrolled as space allows.

Once a student is admitted, the student and parents will receive notification with a date and time to go through the enrollment process. At the enrollment meeting a mentor teacher will meet with the student and parents to formally enroll the student and create a personalized education plan. If the student has attended a prior high school he or she will need to bring in an updated copy of his or her high school transcript to assist with the planning process.

How much does it cost?

RPA is a public charter school. It is free of charge to those who are selected to attend.

How will students create an individual learning plan?

Students will work closely with a licensed teacher to design their own learning opportunities with a myriad of options. They may choose to take courses created by RPA teachers that are aligned to state and college readiness standards.They may choose to enroll in a traditional online course or work with a teacher to create individualized projects aligned to State standards demonstrating their proficiency. Students may choose to complete an interest-based internship with one of our community partners or create a learning portfolio that demonstrates competency. They can also attend college courses or participate in one of several hands-on learning experiences planned by teachers and administrators.

How do I know if my child is a right fit?

RPA is not an “alternative” school or a place for those who have not succeeded in a traditional school environment because of lack of interest in their own education. A successful fit for RPA would be students who:

  • are motivated to learn, (even if the traditional system has not been motivating.) If a student desires to learn, RPA may be the right fit for them,
  • have an idea of their career or life interests,
  • want a more interest-based or self-designed course of study,
  • need a creative option to learn because medical, personal, athletic or other personal demands inhibit adherence to a traditional school schedule,
  • prefer a personalized program that will move at the rate of their individual ability (whether accelerated or decelerated).

How will students be evaluated?

Evaluation will be based on the Oregon standards and other appropriate standards-based criteria such as CollegeBoard Standards for College Success and the Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS).  Assessments for all courses are conducted using currciulum-based measures and project-based assessment practices.

Will students attend class?

The classroom structure will be a flexible learning environment that welcomes students to attend class and work independently, in cooperative groups, or obtain assistance from the teachers or educational assistants. Since the learning objectives will be student-driven, students may choose to work in another location and report to class at specified intervals for progress checks. The school building will be staffed from:

Monday – Friday  7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The building hours may be adjusted to reflect student use and needs, please check the home page for changes.

Wireless computer access is available in the building for students to use personal or school laptop computers.

What about the student’s social life?

The only difference between RPA and a traditional high school is the short interactions that occur in the hallways between classes. RPA students will actually spend more time interacting with each other than in a traditional academic setting. Students will have input into who they participate with for each course they enroll in, allowing peer groups to work together or new friendships to form. In addition to regular courses, students will have the option of participating in various learning institutes in which students will engage in high level, intensive learning seminars requiring a great deal of teamwork and interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, students who reside in the Redmond School District will be able to attend RHS dances if they obtain an ASB card, which will be available for purchase at RPA.

Students will be allowed to participate in athletics and other extra-curricular programs at their residing School Districts thereby maintaining relationships with coaches, fellow athletes, band members, or other clubs.

Does it meet state, federal and national education requirements?

RPA students will successfully complete a rigorous diploma program that gives them access to college or post-secondary training. An RPA High School diploma will be the official recognition that a student has met the state graduation requirements and has demonstrated the necessary proficiency in each required area to graduate.

Students and teachers will align all 9th and 10th grade course-learning objectives to State Standards. Courses for 11th and 12th grade students will be aligned to State Standards, CollegeBoard Standards for College Success, and the Proficiency-based Admission Standards System.

How will Redmond Proficiency Academy be evaluated?

The school’s success will be measured by:

  • the percentage of students at each grade level who score at the proficient and advanced levels on Oregon State assessments in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science,
  • graduation rates,
  • percentage of graduates who enroll in post-secondary studies,
  • post-secondary remediation rate,
  • disciplinary incidents,
  • participation in and performance on PSAT, SAT, and ACT examinations.

What is proficiency-based learning?

Proficiency-based learning allows a student to earn credit toward a diploma by demonstrating “proficiency” or the ability to master a required course skill through alternative options other than the traditional course exam. Using these methods, the artificial barriers to student learning are removed and students are asked to demonstrate understanding rather than complete teacher-assigned work that may or may not reflect a student’s competency or be directly aligned to state standards.

In January 2007, the Oregon State School Board of Education approved the ability to earn a diploma through a “wider use of proficiency” in Oregon schools. With adoption of this policy, credit for courses can now be earned if a student can “demonstrate proficiency inside or outside the classroom, through documentation of prior learning, by examination, or by any combination thereof.”

Does proficiency-based learning work?

Success in proficiency-based learning is well documented and is supported by the Oregon Department of Education. In pilot proficiency-based learning programs, success rates have been significant. In one case reported in the Oregon Department of Education Credit for Proficiency in Oregon Policy (Jan. 2009), 93% of Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 students passed to a level Algebra 2. Another reported program found dropout rates plummeted to zero and discipline issues dropped nearly nine percent.

How will the school be managed?

The RPA governing board will hold ultimate decision-making authority for the charter school. The board consists of nine members of a variety of backgrounds. Board terms will be for three years on a rotating basis. The school employs a full-time director to manage the day-to-day operations of the school.