Educational Progams

Overview

The Charter School of Morgan Hill is a resource-based project based learning (PBL) school with strong programs in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, foreign language, and technology. We provide an enrichment curriculum that includes such classes as art, music, drama, nutrition and agricultural science. Students are active in the community through their participation in various service learning projects.

Project based learning

Children learn by doing, and a hands-on learning approach gives students an opportunity to take learned skills and apply them to meaningful projects. Project based learning (PBL) provides students an opportunity to create knowledge for themselves based on their own experiences. The teacher shares control of the classroom and students are allowed to explore, experiment, and discover on their own. They then reflect upon and share their knowledge with others. Students are able to develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, social and communication skills, and cooperative learning which will prepare them for the 21st century.

Technology

Technology is a powerful tool when used to enhance student learning, and is integrated throughout the curriculum at CSMH. Teachers strive to incorporate technology into a variety of learning tasks, preparing students to be part of a technological workforce. Students perform tasks such as researching on the web, producing a written report or video, creating a power point or other type of electronic presentation, participating in an online discussion, viewing a web-cast, creating a blog or website, running a simulation, and analyzing a graphic spreadsheet. CSMH is equipped with a state of the art computer lab and students also have access to computers in the classrooms.

Meeting diverse needs

The CSMH learning community fosters a productive, safe, and enriching environment in which children of different backgrounds, abilities and needs work together successfully. Teachers use dynamic, flexible groupings to meet the needs of their students; these groupings encompass such factors as skills, ability, gender and interest. Since children have different strengths and styles of learning, CSMH educators develop instructional programs which build on each student's strengths and address diverse learning styles. Teachers design effectively differentiated curriculum to engage all learners. High achieving students are pushed deeper into the standards in ways that require higher order thinking. Curriculum is further adapted to meet the needs of second language learners and/or those students requiring additional modifications based on special needs.

CSMH is its own Local Educational Agency (LEA) for the purposes of special education. CSMH is a member in good standing of the Sonoma Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and provides services for special education students enrolled in the Charter School.

Assessment driven instruction

At CSMH, teachers utilize reliable student assessment data, formative and summative, to help plan and drive curriculum. The DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and math benchmark tests are consistently administered at every grade level multiple times per year. Teachers are able to review and reconfigure data so that they have a detailed analysis of students, and are able to revise instruction so that students all students can be successful.