Multi-grade education model shows great benefits

The Governor French Academy is a proprietary college preparatory school founded in 1983. We currently serve 180 students from 4 years of age to 12th grade graduation.

The school operates as a non-graded program. Students are placed in multi-grade classes based on their development and needs, not on their chronological age. We say that the program is "student driven", not "curriculum driven" as is the norm in American education – especially American public education.

In our program, the goal is college preparedness. We assess where the child is in line with this goal and then provide the appropriate curriculum given those two factors. As no two children start at the same place nor progress at the same rate, students in our program are continually "on a different page" than the students in the chairs next to them. This allows aggressive and "gifted" students in a particular subject to progress rapidly while not penalizing those who have different talents. This also allows for students to work in groups with which they identify as apposed to those whom fate of age has thrown together. (Many of our elementary school children take one or more classes in our secondary classrooms.)

We often compare ourselves to the medical model. We know that a hospital does not operate from a "curriculum". It does not prescribe medications and treatments based solely on age / gender, etc. It diagnoses the condition first, then makes a calculated prescription based on the presenting condition(s) of the patient. We believe the same strategy applies to education. (Please see "Diagnostic Teaching" , one of our signature documents.)

One certainly wouldn't expect a hospital to operate like most schools operate. I suspect there would be few survivors. Perhaps we should not expect schools to operate that way either. After all, our public schools currently have a "survival" rate between 50 and 70%. And most school children do not enter in "terminal" condition. I don't think we would allow hospitals to function at that level.

Our annual tuition is $4,800 per year and it is the same at every grade level. That is for a full nine-month school year and a 7 hour academic day. Our results: almost all of our graduates go directly to college, and most of them to the college of their choice. Our grammar school IOWASAT scores. Our math students have been the regional champions for nine of the past thirteen years. Our World Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) team has had six sequential regional championships. Our chess team is outstanding as is our drama program (which is not something we do as competition). scores are always way above state and national averages as are our ACT and

Please note that these results are not the product of our admissions process. We accept students, not on test or intelligence scores, but on compatibility with our program (applicants must "visit" as full-time students for a day or two as their entrance exam). They are not a result of some exceptional team coaching either. We actually do not have a math or a WYSE team. We simply send seven or eight of our most interested students.

Does this model work for other than college prep? As Director of Charter Consultants, I have assisted clients to use this model as the foundation for numerous charter school proposals. All one needs to know is what is the mission and the goal. From there, one can assess and support any student to make the most efficient and humane progress in accomplishing that goal.

Please visit www.governorfrench.com for more information.

Sincerely,

Paul Seibert
Director of Development / Governor French Academy
Director / Charter Consultants