• Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: 9 - 12
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 487
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 6%
    White/Caucasian: 48%
    Hispanic: 18%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 10%
    Asian: 14%
    Native American: 4%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 43%
    % ELL Learners: 7%
    Founded: 2003
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Brett Wilson
  • CONTACT:
    5715 South 1300 East
    Murray, UT 84121
    801-278-9460
    ncarpenter@ames-slc.org
Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science (AMES)
Murray, UT
Culture may be the biggest reason why we succeed. "
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
An ongoing effort and challenge.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
The mechanism of school change is easy and can be done quickly. The more difficult task is getting consistent agreement and follow-through from all staff. If student needs and student data indicate change is needed change must happen. The administrators role is to see that it happens.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
1) Maintain the diversity the school has traditionally enjoyed. We have seen a dramatic change in demographics over the past few years. Theses changes have been reflected by a changing minority population, but more so by a change in student ability level. We have taken great pride in graduating a high percentage of our students who come from areas where they traditionally do not have high graduate rates. We are seeing students come to the school now who are very proficient students.
2) Prepare our students to be ready to succeed in the world that will be 10 years from now. If the online learning/soft closure has highlighted an area for us it is again we need to be thinking ahead and offer classes and academic skills that can be used in the future.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
We are not special. There is a lot of good research on high performing/low income schools, there are great early college programs and many many schools that are doing good work.
For AMES it comes down to staff being committed to seeing students succeed and knowing that it is hard work. We also have to be flexible as the blind lottery can change who we are in a very short time period. We at times look like an alternative school, a magnet school for students of color, and a college prep school. In fact, each day, each class, and each student, we are all three. This presents challenges and opportunities that can uplift the soul and wear you down all at the same time.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Matching the student data to curricular offerings.
Hiring Support staff for students/student groups that need academic support
Having the ability to quickly change curriculum or policy to meet student needs.
Math, English, and Chemistry labs for struggling learners. Max of 15 students in class.
Extra highly trained math teachers.
Being an early college charter school within a regular high school with access to a regular high school experience (extra-curricular activities, elective classes).
STEM based curricular offerings and expanded graduation requirements.
When possible hiring minority staff (Vice principal, counselor)
Maintaining connection with Alumni and bring them into the school as role models.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Supports school-wide math support.
Has supported ELL student academic efforts
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Quantum Learning: 8 Keys to Success
Freshman House orientation for 9th graders and new teachers
Our math program College Preparatory Math (CPM) encourages group work and exploration
College Forum: Teacher/counselor develop and present student lessons based on need and previous success. Administrator needs to give staff time for this development.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Students come to AMES via a blind student lottery with no information regarding grades, test scores or GPA. Each year we have to match our support scaffolding to the student needs based on who enters via the lottery. We do test ninth grade students for their math level prior to the start of the year and place in the math level based on ability. We also are now testing for reading ability at the start of high school to inform our practice. The state level data, WIDA data, and internal data allows us to track achievement gaps and make corresponding curricular and support changes.
Parent and student surveys conducted several times each year as well as graduate exit surveys identify areas of concern and ares where better communication or execution is required. Higher Education clearinghouse data allows us to track how well our students are doing at higher education schools within the state.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Culture may be the biggest reason why we succeed. There are many factors to this. We start with the 3 R's: Rigor, Relevance & Relationships, followed by high expectations for all. Adult culture drives student culture. And we use Quantum Learning for common vocabulary and the 8 Keys to Success.
All students must graduate high school to move on to a University setting and we start this training with a "Freshman House" orientation three weeks prior to the start of the 9th grade years. We set the expectations for learning and getting along with each other and present the premise that that all will be prepared to go to college in 4 years. During the school years we offer a college forum class as part of our regular school week where the staff presents a lesson on succeeding in college, the workplace, and independent living.
From an administrative level we have the opportunity to "program for the exception" not write policy to exclude the exception.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2020

  • Grades: 9 - 12
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 0
    Student Enrollment: 487
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 6%
    White/Caucasian: 48%
    Hispanic: 18%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 10%
    Asian: 14%
    Native American: 4%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:20
    % Reduced Lunch: 43%
    % ELL Learners: 7%
    Founded: 2003
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Brett Wilson
  • CONTACT:
    5715 South 1300 East
    Murray, UT 84121
    801-278-9460
    ncarpenter@ames-slc.org