Achievement
Photo by Joshua Dunn Photography
Head of the Class CICS Bucktown students rise up to the challenge
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By R.J. McMahon
The Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Bucktown campus opened its doors in August of 1997 and currently serves 600 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The mission of Chicago International is to provide, through innovation and choice, an attractive and rigorous college-preparatory education that meets the needs of today’s student. Over the years, Chicago International, in conjunction with the teachers and administration at CICS Bucktown, realized that the highest achieving students needed additional challenges and increased academic opportunities. The Gifted & Talented Program at Chicago International Bucktown was created during the 2006–2007 school year to build on the foundation of learning for the highest achievers in the fifth and sixth grades. The academic leadership at CICS Bucktown realized that the students in the highest quartiles of the computer-adapted NWEA standardized assessments were capable of working on higher level skills than the rest of the class. They launched the Gifted & Talented program to challenge the highest achieving students. In addition to an accelerated curriculum, these young people also participated in the following opportunities:
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FocalPoint
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s School Visit Program • Harvard Club of Chicago Early College Awareness Program
CICS Bucktown By The Numbers • K-8 grades, open to all students
• A preview screening of the film Freedom Writers in January 2007 The Gifted and Talented program successfully accomplished the goal of creating an environment of learning for the students in the highest quartile. Given the success of the program for students in fifth and sixth grades, CICS Bucktown expanded the program to grades 3 through 8 for the 2007–2008 school year. Using the NWEA assessment, students achieving above the expected level are placed in the Gifted & Talented program and their progress is tracked during the year. Overall, the program has motivated students of all ability levels to outperform their previous NWEA scores, thereby creating an environment of academic success. CICS Bucktown has found that implementing the Gifted & Talented program has brought more academic rigor to the campus. Students and parents have embraced the idea of the
• School day runs from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. • School year runs from mid-August to mid-June • 70.3% of students meet/exceed state standards in reading (2007 ISAT) • 83.3% of students meet/exceed state standards in math (2007 ISAT) •
More than 20% of the current 8thgrade class has been accepted into selective-enrollment high schools across the city of Chicago
advanced program, and families have benefited from the outside partnerships. The Gifted & Talented program prepares the CICS Bucktown students for rigorous high school programs and lays the foundation for college success.