Cologne Academy

Core Knowledge Curriculum and Character Development

PC

See handbook on website

To provide students in Cologne & surrounding rural areas with a content rich education based on a strong foundation of knowledge through the use of the Core Knowledge Sequence & classical curriculum. We are committed to providing a community school with small class sizes where students, parents & teachers work together to achieve accelerated academic achievement & strong character development.

To create an environment for K-8 children where rich character development & effective learning create self-confident students who are able to achieve their personal best academically. Using advanced curriculum that is based on goal-oriented results, parents will work with teachers to produce the highest possible level of academic achievement for each individual student.

Cologne Academy is currently a Kindergarten through 8th grade charter located in Cologne, Minnesota. The 2008-09 academic year was Cologne Academy's first operational year and the school opened with 127 students in grades Kindergarten- 5th grade. The gender ratio was 47.4% female and 52.6% male. Average daily attendance was 96%. Approximately 22.79% of the students were considered economically deprived; these students were eligible and received free or reduced lunches. In 2009-10 enrollment was 180 and the projected enrollment in 2010-11 is 250.

Since Fall 2008, all students (K-6) have participated in NWEA MAP (Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress) testing; the base line testing took place in the fall of 2008 when Cologne Academy first opened as a K-5 school. These test results, combined with parent and teacher reports of both remediation and gifted students led the administration and teaching staff to implement a Differentiated Instruction model in orchestra with flexible math and reading ability groups. The administration and staff acknowledged that these instructional models would best foster and encourage the ongoing academic and personal growth of all Cologne Academy students. The school had begun to develop an ongoing plan for professional development in its opening year; however, upon self-reflection in light of the current student body, the staff determined that it would benefit significantly from a more focused approach to its professional development plan where both individual and whole group goals and objectives were to be set. Given the academic diversity of the student population, the teaching staff set an overall goal of growth and implementation of an effective differentiated instruction model infused within the flexible math and reading groups.