Miami-Dade Acceleration Academy Quarterly Report April-June 2020

MIAMI-DADE ACCELERATION ACADEMY QUARTERLY REPORT | APRIL - JUNE 2020

OWNING THEIR SUCCESS: CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020 Gina Montagnino-Fiske: A Positive Path in Challenging Times — 1 Dr. Joseph Wise: The Time to Speak — and Act — Is Now — 2

INSIDE THE ACADEMY A POSITIVE PATH IN CHALLENGING TIMES

Who Are Our Graduation Candidates (GCs)?

GCs by Race/Ethnicity

As I reflect on our time at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academy this

spring, the word “transition” looms large.

Our first transition occurred in mid-March, when graduation candidates and staff shifted to a fully virtual model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are ecstatic to announce that 107 GCs successfully completed all state graduation requirements this year.

When we are able to return to our four campuses, we look forward to properly celebrating the 107 lives that are forever changed.

Our next transition occurred when Acceleration Academies across the nation changed our online learning platform. Our staff worked throughout the months of April and May to learn the Edmentum platform, ensuring our GCs would transition successfully without any loss of instructional Gina Montagnino-Fiske momentum. Our GCs report the new platform is “easier to navigate” and love the colorful graphics that help them keep track of their progress.

Finally, our nation is experiencing a profound transition in response to the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police officers, the mass protests and the searing national conversation about racism that has unfolded ever since.

The MDAA staff is in tune with the thoughts and feelings of our GCs and we continue to provide social, emotional and academic support. We look forward to inviting local police departments and community activist organizations to our academies this fall in an effort to continue the powerful dialogue in our learning environment.

We expect our final transition in August, when we anticipate returning to our academy sites. The MDAA staff is reflecting on successful practices we learned during this virtual time and we are surveying our GCs to gather their input, as we think through how to integrate these new strategies at our school sites. Our sites will include social distancing and cleanliness measures to ensure our GCs and staff return to safe physical spaces.

Change is never easy, especially when encountered in isolation in a remote environment. I applaud the entire MDAA community for not only embracing a series of transitions with a positive mindset, but for emerging stronger as a result.

Gina Montagnino-Fiske is Director of Miami-Dade Acceleration Academy.

1

*Graduates on cover - Row 1: Bryan Dominguez, Cristian Fontes, Garline Henry & Renilah Fuller. Row 2: Cartya Smith, Raify Ferguson, Karina Rios & Emily Gutierrez.

Row 3: Yosef Caroll, Marc Orbegozo, Crismarie Martinez, & Isaias Pineda.

3.4%

11.8% 29.9%

54.9%

GCs by Age 0.3% 7.1% 11.7% 11.7% 25.3%

14.9%

29.0%

GCs by Gender 1.6%

47.1% 51.3%

SUCCESS BY THE NUMBERS THE TIME TO SPEAK — AND ACT — IS NOW A t Acceleration Academies, we believe in the fundamental

39

435

NEW GCs

ACTIVE GCs

Number of Graduation Candidates by Tier 200 ,

# of GCs

150

100

69

80

19

Ti er 5

104

Ti er 4

160

Ti er 3

50

3

Ti er Pe nd in g

Ti er 2

Ti er 1

0

Tier 1: 15.5+ credits needed to graduate Tier 2: 10.5–15 credits needed to graduate Tier 3: 5.5–10 credits needed to graduate Tier 4: 0.5–5 credits needed to graduate Tier 5: Test only needed to graduate Tier Pending: GCs who have recently enrolled and are being assessed for academic progress

209

69

GRADUATES TO-DATE

GRADUATES THIS QUARTER

109 2

GCs ON-TRACK FOR SUMMER 2020 GRADUATION

value of each person, regardless of race, sex, age or economic circumstance. We work every day to help our young learners — the majority of whom are African American and Latinx — to overcome not only their individual challenges, but also the burdens of a nation that has too often treated them and their loved ones as second-class citizens.

Like all people of conscience, we were left sickened and speechless by the death of George Floyd beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. The killings of Mr. Floyd and so many others reaffirm that this is not the time for silence; as peaceful protesters across the nation have Dr. Joseph Wise shown, it is time to speak — and act.

I and other members of the Acceleration Academies leadership team want our students, families and fellow educators to know that we share your grief, are committed to speaking for the value of your lives, and resolve to work with you to help turn this hateful tide. We appeal to other educators, students, political leaders and citizens to join us to make this painful chapter in American history not just a passing crisis — but instead the beginning of a lasting change.

We are proud to be an organization that since its inception has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for young learners who have fallen away from traditional public schools.

Continuing that work lies at the heart of our commitment to make something better out of the current crisis. But we also commit to additional concrete steps, including: expanding our program of community circles in which GCs and staff members can talk honestly about the pain of racism in their lives; launching a #RaiseYourVoice campaign to give GCs and staff a platform to share their insights and hopes; and exploring partnerships to advance racial, economic and educational justice.

As educators, we will also ask ourselves some tough questions — Does our curriculum adequately reflect the oft-overlooked history of exclusion? Are we each doing enough to become aware of our own biases and work to overcome them? Can we do more to provide the next generation with the inspiration and skills they need to create a more just future for themselves, their communities and our nation? We don’t begin to have all the answers, but we owe it to the memory of the victims and the futures of our graduation candidates to seek them out.

Joseph Wise is Co-Founder and CEO of Acceleration Academies.

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS ISAIAS PINEDA GOT TO WORK AND CLAIMED HIS SUCCESS Isaias

Pineda is a teddy bear of a young man, always ready to greet staff members and fellow graduation candidates with a grin, a joke, and a friendly wave.

He’ll be the first to admit that focusing on his studies didn’t always come as easily. While 17year-old Isaias made the Homestead campus his second home, there were times when he spent more time socializing than attacking his studies.

But as he gradually completed his coursework and arrived on the doorstep of graduation, Isaias heard a consistent message from his teachers and advocates: “We love you, Isaias; now let’s get this thing done!”

Isaias accepted the challenge, finishing up his work and joining 100 other graduates of MiamiDade Acceleration Academy this spring and summer. He credits staff members for helping him reach his goal.

“Mr. Jose, 100 percent, he’s been that dude the whole time,” Isaias says of graduation candidate advocate Jose Flores. With a smile, he adds, “If he’s mean, it’s for a reason.”

Isaias came to the Academy in the fall of 2018, and found the transition from traditional classroom learning to a blend of individualized online coursework and one-on-one instruction a challenge. “That was a big adjustment for me.”

But he kept pushing, surprising himself along the way. With help from math content coach Erick Velis, he realized, “I’m better at math than I thought.”

Why did he work so hard for his diploma? To improve his own prospects, of course, but Isaias says he also did it for “my mom.”

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Isaias Pineda

'I’m blessed that I met you all and I think I’m a better person for that.'

“She and I have been through a lot, so for me to give her this diploma is like the light at the end of the tunnel for me.”

What’s next? “My big dream, I’m still figuring that part out,” he says “But my next step is enrolling at Miami Dade College and seeing where I can go from there.”

“I love all of y’all; you’re like another family to me,” he says in an interview with Homestead Site Coordinator Jessica Kinard. “I’m blessed that I met you all and I think I’m a better person for that.”

“We love you,” replies Jessica Kinard, “and we wish you the best in the future.”

Stories written by Jeffrey Good - Director of Communications at Acceleration Academies.

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS ALLISON FERREROSA: “IT TAUGHT ME I’M A GO-GETTER” W hat

a difference a school makes.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really have motivation for school because of the schools I was going to,” says Allison Ferrerosa. “The teachers didn’t really see potential in me. If you don’t have a support system where you have people cheering for you, and people believing in you and making you see yourself that you can do it.”

“When you don't have that,” the 18-year-old Miami native continues, “it’s difficult to see it in yourself.”

When Allison transferred to Miami-Dade Acceleration Academy, she found the support she had been craving. Fueled by that, she rocketed her way to her high school diploma.

“Honestly, this school changed my life,” Allison says.

Like many of her fellow graduation candidates, Allison liked the Academy’s blend of individualized online coursework and intensive one-on-one academic, social and emotional coaching.

She credits numerous staff members for supporting her on her journey.

“Mr. Tim, he was a big part of motivating me to get my work done,” Allison says of graduation candidate advocate Timothy Hanson.

“Mr. Charles was a really good math teacher,” she says of math content coach Charles Henry.

“Without him, I wouldn’t have passed my math classes. He was really patient with all the students.”

Career/life coach Aida Briceno kept her on track, urging her to exceed her own expectations.

“She always saw something better for me, and I really appreciated that.”

Once she caught fire in her studies, Allison says 4

Allison Ferrerosa

she became fixated on earning a 3.0 grade point average — a goal she reached.

“I was nonstop grinding knowing that there was a goal at end, which was a 3.0,” she says, “and I reached that goal.”

Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Allison didn’t allow herself to miss a day without completing at least 10 percent of a course.

That meant nights, weekends, regular check-ins with her coaches.

“You were very determined,” agrees GCA Carolina Rodriguez.

“I realized I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to,” Allison reflects. “Nobody’s going to do it for me but myself … in life nobody gives you a free handout.”

“It taught me that I’m a go-getter.”

Allison plans to study business management at Miami Dade College, and hopes to one day build a team and start her own online retail business.

“I’m very proud of you and I know that you’ll achieve everything you put your mind to,” Rodriguez tells Allison.

“It wasn’t like you guys were just there for a paycheck. You really cared for us,” Allison says.

“You made it clear that your goal was to help us.”

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS KEMAR ALEXANDER MAKES HIS MOM PROUD For

some students, the school closures forced by the COVID-19 pandemic meant a downshift on their road to graduation. For 17-year-old Kemar Alexander, it meant shifting into overdrive.

“You completed 40 to 50 assignments every day, one class every week,” graduation candidate advocate Erick Velis told Kemar during a recent Zoom conversation. “That’s amazing.”

“Once I get started on something, I keep going until I finish it,” said Kemar. “When I’m focused, I’m focused.”

That wasn’t always the case. Kemar found his way to the Central Miami Academy because he was tired of the routine of traditional high school — up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus, sit at a desk all day long, pursue your studies in a one-size-fits-all way. Says Kemar, “I like to learn at my own pace.”

When a friend of his told him about the Academy and its blend of flexible scheduling and personalized coaching, he decided to give it a try.

During the first part of his tenure, he didn’t pick up much momentum, but Velis and other staff members didn’t give up.

“You helped me a lot, you motivated me to do it,” he told Velis. “Even if I was having a bad day and I would come there.”

“Everything we do here at AA is to go the extra mile,” Velis replied. “We will do anything and everything, Kemar, to help you graduate.”

“The hardest thing was to stay focused and consistent in doing the work,” Kemar acknowledged. But he kept at it, thanks to coaching from Academy staff members, his own goals, and — perhaps most importantly — to make his mother proud of her first-born son.

“The No. 1 person I did it for was my mother,” he says.

5

Kemar Alexander (right) and his mom (left)

'The No. 1 person I did it for was my mother.'

Now that he’s graduated, Kemar hopes to build a career as a currency trader. He’s already begun learning through a mix of courses and YouTube tutorials. “My plan now is to keep working on it, keep insisting on it.”

“You made me so proud when I saw you working so hard from home,” Velis told him.

“When you completed all those classes, when you worked so hard, our director and all our staff members were so impressed. And I said, ‘Yes, that is my graduation candidate.’"

Kemar flashes a warm smile, and says, “You guys are a part of me too, part of my family.”

OWNING THEIR SUCCESS

504 COURSE COMPLETIONS

Course Completions by Subject ,

Percentage of Graduation Candidates with an IEP/504/ELL Plan

150

100

50

32

15.3%

94

88

St ud ie s So ci al

Sc ie nc e

M at h

Ar ts La ng ua ge

76.1%

146

0

El ec tiv es

8.6%

144

LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS Miami-Dade County Public Schools Infinite Minds Together For Children Coalition Overtown Children and Youth Coalition Department of Juvenile Justice Juvenile Services Department Educate Tomorrow

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Center for Family and Child Enrichment Citrus Mental Health Collective Empowerment Group Eckerd Kids Concerned African Women Job Corp Miami-Dade County Credit Union Publication design by Rosemary Anguiano, Marketing Coordinator at Acceleration Academies

KAYLA FRANCIS: 'I WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO PICK MY HEAD UP AND KEEP PUSHING”

By Jeffrey Good K ayla Francis has big dreams, and not just for

herself. By earning her high school diploma and going on to become an esthetician, she hopes to support the woman who has always supported her.

“I want to give my mom an easier life than she’s had all these years and give her everything that she wasn’t able to get for herself,” says Kayla, 18.

“Definitely a proud moment for your mom — and for yourself,” responds graduation candidate advocate Nadiuski Sambrana.

Like many of the students who enroll at MiamiDade Acceleration Academy, Kayla struggled with the schedules of traditional school programs. ““I found it hard to fit into the traditional school schedule,” she says.

At MDAA, by contrast, she was able to schedule her studies around other important responsibilities. “That helped me work at a faster pace, too.”

She credits Sambrana and GCA Monica Santana. “Both of you guys were able to motivate me and push me to finish school.”

Kayla acknowledges that she sometimes found it hard to stay on track.

“But I was always able to pick my head up and keep pushing, with the help of my mentors and my mom.”

Sambrana smiles and says, “It takes a village, as they say.”

Did Kayla discover a superpower inside herself on the way to earning her diploma? “I believe my superpower is to be strong enough to keep myself motivated and finish,” she says. “Now finally I can cross one of the biggest achievements off my list.”

Kayla Francis

'Now finally I can cross one of the biggest achievements off my list.'

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity that Acceleration Academy gave me,” she says. “If it wasn’t for this school, I wouldn’t have been able to make it, or to make it was easy as it was with you guys.”

Her example, in turn, will inspire others, Sambrana points out. “It’s a big motivation for the friends you’re leaving behind. They can see you.

They can see that it is possible and they can make it too,” she says.

“I can’t wait to see you cross that stage!”

Jeffrey Good serves as Director of Communications for Acceleration Academies.