Academics

The Vision of Rockdale Academy is to work collaboratively with Staff, students, parents and the community to become a scchool of excellence.

How We Teach

Rockdale Academy is a PreK-8 team based school. Grades PreK-5 are self-contained and grades 6-8 are departmentalized.

Teachers use:

• Bloom’s Taxonomy- Higher level questions
• Extended Response Questions/3 Column Method
• Differentiated Instruction
• Data Analysis to individualize instruction for students after testing, and to assist with long range planning for the upcoming school year. 
• Teachers incorporate writing into all subject areas.
• Teachers teach the students the purpose of using rubrics and how to improve and assess their own work.
• ELP/SES/CYC/GEARUP Tutoring
• Marzano’s High Yield Strategies
• Technology is utilized throughout the building to support the school’s instructional program and close the achievement gap

What We Teach

Reading:

For grades K-3 Rockdale Academy has adopted the Voyager Universal Literacy Program. This scientifically based program matches up with the district goals and standards.  It will provide assistance so that all K-3rd grade students are receiving instruction so they are reading on grade level.  This program is built around the five essential components of reading instruction while combining motivating adventures and rich literature.  Daily classroom activities include: teacher directed read alouds, shared reading, independent reading, learning stations, and instructional level reading in whole group and small group settings.

For grades 4-6 Rockdale Academy has adopted the Harcourt Trophies Reading Program.  This research based instruction guides teachers through the process of delivering instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension.  This instruction is delivered through whole and small group instruction, read alouds, and through appropriate assessment tools.  The program reaches out to students with diverse experiences and language backgrounds so they can meet or exceed grade level standards.

Middle School has adopted McDougal Littell The Language of Literature as the primary resource in the classroom. The resource literature gives students the opportunity to interact with the selections, analyze what they read, and enjoy the experiences that great literature has to offer. Students learn how to analyze literature from a number of genres, interpret a variety of literary themes, and apply the analyses to their own experiences.  The text offers a variety of traditional literature selections from around the world. Students learn to compare and contrast different cultures and relate these cultures to their own lives.

Quality Measures

Interventions consisting of a solid core curriculum, research-based instructional strategies, and school-wide positive behavior supports are provided for all students.  Universal screening data is collected using VIP, CBM, short cycle Benchmark Assessments, OAT and Terra Nova results to monitor student skills across reading, writing, and math at every grade level.  This data is analyzed to determine which students are at risk, according to benchmark goals and achievement discrepancies from peer averages.

Quality Results

2007-2008 Report Card