Valley New School
Encyclopedia
Valley New School is a charter school
in the Appleton Area School District
educating a capacity of 68 student
s in grades 7-12 through project-based learning
. The philosophy
of its design is that 21st century skills and the process of learning itself is more important than learning a standard curriculum
. Valley New School's mission statement
is To create a learning community that empowers individuals to become purposeful adults.
. In its first year the school only served students in seventh through tenth grade, but in the next two years it expanded one grade each year to serve students in seventh through twelfth grade. The original vision of Valley New School was to expand each year to eventually serve upwards of two-hundred students. However, it has remained small in keeping with its mission of creating a community.
es, organization
s and opportunities of downtown
would be optimal. The City Center is also near the bus station which provided transportation around the Fox Valley area, and is situated near the Appleton Public Library. On the inside of Valley New School, pairs of students share computers located at their workstations. The school also has a music room, study room, woodshop, kitchen, library, science lab, an area dedicated to art creation and a pottery facility.
s of Valley New School are referred to as advisors for they serve as coaches and mentor
s for the students versus instructor
s within a fulltime advisory model. Advisors coach students in academics, projects and personal issues. The student advisor ratio is limited to 17:1 so each student receives individual time with their advisor weekly as well as multiple interactions daily. In addition to working with students, advisors also make up the Site Management Committee
which governs the daily operation of Valley New School.
projects aligning with their interests to gain school credit and cover state-issued learning standards. Although projects range across a wide variety of topics, each one follows a basic process. The process has five phases: proposal, research, planning, production and evaluation. In the proposal phase, the student chooses a topic and performs preliminary research to further understand what the topic is about. After that, they create a rationale
detailing their interests in the project topic and a list of questions they plan to answer in the course of the project. The proposal phase ends when the student meets with two advisors in a proposal meeting and discusses the plan for the project. Then the student begins the research phase. During this phase, the student takes notes from a variety of sources. After the student answers the questions they set out to resolve, they start the planning phase. In the next phase, the student meets with their advisor and decides how to represent their research in a product. The student then creates that product and a written product in the production phase. In the evaluation phase, the student then writes an analysis
evaluating their process over the course of the project as well as their learning and level of thinking. Finally, the student sits down with the advisors that the student met with in the proposal meeting for an assessment meeting. They discuss what they learned and their performance of the project process. The student then earns school credit based on the time spent (typically 1 credit per 100 hours) and the quality of the project.
math and each student is required to spend an allotted half hour each morning using the program. Reading is done using a modified project process. The student will create a plan for a reading study and propose the project with their advisor. At the end of the year, each student will create a product that reflects on what they read for the year.
organization, a national project-based schools cooperative
. Valley New School received its first dissemination grant in 2008 and used the money to hire an alumni for the development of a website and videos describing various aspects of the school’s structure and philosophy. It also used the grant money to develop promotional brochure
s, DVDs and to fund workshops to help teachers, administrators and board members in the creation of charter schools in other areas. Valley New School also received a distinguished merit for Charter School Innovator of the Year in 2009 and a Silver Charter School of the Year in 2008, both by the Wisconsin Charter School Association (WCSA). As well, Valley New School was nominated for School of the Year for the WCSA Annual Awards Gala
in 2010. For achievements in service learning, Valley New School received the Youth Alliance 2010 group award from the Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin.
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
in the Appleton Area School District
Appleton Area School District
The Appleton Area School District is a school district that serves Appleton, Wisconsin. Situated in the heart of the Fox River Valley of northeast Wisconsin, the AASD serves the city of Appleton, Wisconsin and its nearly 80,000 residents...
educating a capacity of 68 student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s in grades 7-12 through project-based learning
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
. The philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of its design is that 21st century skills and the process of learning itself is more important than learning a standard curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
. Valley New School's mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is To create a learning community that empowers individuals to become purposeful adults.
History
Valley New School first opened in the fall of 2003 after several years of developing the concept and writing the charterProject charter
In project management, a project charter or project definition is a statement of the scope, objectives and participants in a project. It provides a preliminary delineation of roles and responsibilities, outlines the project objectives, identifies the main stakeholders, and defines the authority of...
. In its first year the school only served students in seventh through tenth grade, but in the next two years it expanded one grade each year to serve students in seventh through twelfth grade. The original vision of Valley New School was to expand each year to eventually serve upwards of two-hundred students. However, it has remained small in keeping with its mission of creating a community.
Facility
Valley New School is located in downtown, Appleton, WI, on the second floor of the City Center. When the site of Valley New School was selected, it was decided that a location surrounded by the businessBusiness
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es, organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
s and opportunities of downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
would be optimal. The City Center is also near the bus station which provided transportation around the Fox Valley area, and is situated near the Appleton Public Library. On the inside of Valley New School, pairs of students share computers located at their workstations. The school also has a music room, study room, woodshop, kitchen, library, science lab, an area dedicated to art creation and a pottery facility.
Advisors
The teacherTeacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s of Valley New School are referred to as advisors for they serve as coaches and mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
s for the students versus instructor
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s within a fulltime advisory model. Advisors coach students in academics, projects and personal issues. The student advisor ratio is limited to 17:1 so each student receives individual time with their advisor weekly as well as multiple interactions daily. In addition to working with students, advisors also make up the Site Management Committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
which governs the daily operation of Valley New School.
Project process
Valley New School students utilize researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
projects aligning with their interests to gain school credit and cover state-issued learning standards. Although projects range across a wide variety of topics, each one follows a basic process. The process has five phases: proposal, research, planning, production and evaluation. In the proposal phase, the student chooses a topic and performs preliminary research to further understand what the topic is about. After that, they create a rationale
Explanation
An explanation is a set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, context, and consequencesof those facts....
detailing their interests in the project topic and a list of questions they plan to answer in the course of the project. The proposal phase ends when the student meets with two advisors in a proposal meeting and discusses the plan for the project. Then the student begins the research phase. During this phase, the student takes notes from a variety of sources. After the student answers the questions they set out to resolve, they start the planning phase. In the next phase, the student meets with their advisor and decides how to represent their research in a product. The student then creates that product and a written product in the production phase. In the evaluation phase, the student then writes an analysis
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
evaluating their process over the course of the project as well as their learning and level of thinking. Finally, the student sits down with the advisors that the student met with in the proposal meeting for an assessment meeting. They discuss what they learned and their performance of the project process. The student then earns school credit based on the time spent (typically 1 credit per 100 hours) and the quality of the project.
Math and reading
Due to Valley New School's lack of a class structure, math and reading is done at an individual pace depending on the student. Students do math with an online program called ALEKSAleks
ALEKS is an Internet based interactive mathematics and science tutoring and assessment program for subjects in mathematics, the sciences, and business....
math and each student is required to spend an allotted half hour each morning using the program. Reading is done using a modified project process. The student will create a plan for a reading study and propose the project with their advisor. At the end of the year, each student will create a product that reflects on what they read for the year.
Service learning
Valley New School requires each student to have a yearly service learning project. Service learning projects also use a modified project process. A student chooses a social issue within the community that interests them to research and finds an organization in the area that addresses that issue and perform service for them in effort to help solve the problem. Throughout the project, the student documents their experiences in time logs and produces an analysis document at the end of the project.Awards and recognition
Valley New School is recognized as a lab school for the EdVisionsEdVisions Schools
EdVisions Schools is a nonprofit organization that works with charter schools, school districts and community groups to create and sustain small schools using self-directed project-based learning, small learning communities and authentic assessment. The EdVisions Schools headquarters is located...
organization, a national project-based schools cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
. Valley New School received its first dissemination grant in 2008 and used the money to hire an alumni for the development of a website and videos describing various aspects of the school’s structure and philosophy. It also used the grant money to develop promotional brochure
Brochure
A brochure is a type of leaflet. Brochures are most commonly found at places that tourists frequently visit, such as museums, major shops, and tourist information. Brochure racks or stands may suggest visits to amusement parks and other points of interest...
s, DVDs and to fund workshops to help teachers, administrators and board members in the creation of charter schools in other areas. Valley New School also received a distinguished merit for Charter School Innovator of the Year in 2009 and a Silver Charter School of the Year in 2008, both by the Wisconsin Charter School Association (WCSA). As well, Valley New School was nominated for School of the Year for the WCSA Annual Awards Gala
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
in 2010. For achievements in service learning, Valley New School received the Youth Alliance 2010 group award from the Volunteer Center of East Central Wisconsin.