Firestone Charter Academy is an award-winning K-8 public charter school that opened in 2008 as Imagine Charter School at Firestone. In June 2020 the school became Firestone Charter Academy, retaining the mission and vision, staff, and culture of the original school. The school lies within the St. Vrain Valley School District. FCA uses a Core Knowledge curriculum with a classical approach. The classical model is based on the Trivium, which is divided into three stages, Grammar, Logic, and Rhetor…
ic, occurring in that order. These three stages are experienced by all students in grades K-12, but each stage is emphasized at different levels of a student's education based on developmental readiness. In the ?grammar stage? (approximately up through 4th grade), children are excited to learn new information, soaking it up like ?sponges.? We take advantage of children's love of knowledge by pairing our classical approach with the content-rich liberal arts curriculum of Core Knowledge. We believe that students need a broad framework of subjects in order to become well educated, no matter what profession they ultimately pursue. The subjects of history, science, art, and music, starting in kindergarten, support and encourage strong literacy, mathematics, and critical thinking skills. With that in mind, you might hear our kindergartners singing the 50 states song, first graders singing about Mesopotamia, second graders singing about the parts of an insect or cloud types, and third graders chanting about neurons and dendrites. As students move into 5th grade and beyond, they shift into the ?logic stage? where they can use their developing abstract thinking skills to discuss and argue bigger ideas and philosophies. They have a broad knowledge base to pull from as they continue their study of ancient Greece and Rome, the World Wars, and Constitutional government, Oceanography, Earth Science, Physics, and Chemistry, Algebra, and Literature. Students at this age are ready to enhance their understanding of the content learned during the younger years as they have deeper class discussions, practicing both their verbal and written abilities to structure their arguments. Within our classical framework, we incorporate character education through the Core Virtues and Habitudes programs into our daily conversations. Using examples in literature and history, as well as direct instruction, the virtues of respect, responsibility, faithfulness, love of country, and courage, and so forth, are woven into the curriculum. Our Commitment A professional staff and content-rich curriculum that challenges students at all levels to achieve. Small communities within the school that enable students to form strong relationships with their peers and adults. A welcoming and respectful environment for each family, and opportunities for families to be involved in many aspects of the school. An emphasis on each student's positive character development through role-modeling, curricular emphasis, and community service. Financial accountability and stewardship of resources in a way that enables our school to be sustainable.
Accredited with Distinction - This is assigned to the highest performing districts. These districts are meeting or exceeding expectations on the majority of performance tasks.
Accredited - Districts with an overall rating of Accredited are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Accredited with Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Accredited with Priority Improvement Plan - These districts are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Turnaround Plan - These districts are identified as among the lowest performing districts in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these districts until they improve.
Accredited with Insufficient State Data - These districts are assigned this accreditation rating when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a district received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.
School Ratings
Performance Plan - Schools with a Performance Plan are meeting expectations on the majority of performance metrics.
Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as lower performing. They may be meeting expectations on some performance metrics, but they are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on many.
Priority Improvement Plan - These schools are identified as low performing. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Turnaround Plan - These schools are identified as among the lowest performing schools in the state. They are not meeting or are only approaching expectations on most performance metrics. The state will provide support and oversight to these schools until they improve.
Insufficient State Data - These schools are assigned this plan type when the state does not have enough data to report publicly. To better understand why a school received an Insufficient State Data rating, all publicly reportable data are reflected in the performance framework report. More information about these ratings is available here.