• Category 1

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 94,000
    Student Enrollment: 305
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 84.5%
    Hispanic: 10.5%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:28
    % Reduced Lunch: 37%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 2011
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Seth Stallcop
  • CONTACT:
    4015 S Legacy Way
    Nampa, ID 83686
    208-467-0947
    office@legacycharterschool.net
Legacy Charter School
Nampa, ID
All ESEA funds are looked at through the lense, "What's Best for Kids?"
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Annually, Legacy holds a food drive in February to help re-stock local food pantry shelves when they typically begin running low. Our school of just over 300 students brings in more than 5,000 non-perishable food items in this concentrated, two-week effort. For the past three years, these donations have been received by The Boise Rescue Mission, which brings one of its large trucks on the final day for students to help fill the Mission's huge pallet boxes that are then loaded and taken away for distribution at the Mission's several locations. The Mission's director has shared with us that to have such a large amount of food come to them during a time when the pantry shelves can begin looking a little bare is a welcome sight. Our students not only begin to understand the need for and importance of organizations like the Mission, they also learn that everyone can join these organizations to help others, and by joining together we make a lasting, positive impact in our community.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
As a public charter school. Legacy is bound to follow its approved charter and certificate by its authorizer, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, which outlines and specifies the school's educational purpose and programs. Therefore, instead of a philosophy of school change, we hold onto a philosophy of educational consistency -- continually looking for ways in which we can strengthen what we're already doing and what we're required to do per our charter and performance certificate, and never losing sight of the success of the program in place as a result of doing so.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
To remain committed to the Harbor Method under which Legacy is founded, which means continuing to do what we’re doing so that students are academically successful & happy, so that parents remain engaged, and so that teachers are excited about their profession for the long-term.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Perhaps the most important factor in Legacy's success has been the Harbor Method approach embraced by leadership, teachers, and staff. The approach has put in place a successful educational program whereby children are achieving above grade-level learning (students begin geometry in the first grade, for example) in a non-threatening, encouraging environment where concepts are introduced, re-introduced, built upon, reviewed, taken apart, put back together, taken to a whole new level, reviewed again, and accelerated at the next grade level so students can trust when we say, "It's okay, if you don't get it today, you'll get it tomorrow; if you don't get it tomorrow, you'll get it next week; if you don't get it next week, you'll get it next month; and if you don't get it next month, you'll get it next year." The result has been teachers and students focused on learning, not on testing, and celebrating each other's success whenever it occurs.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
First, and foremost, ensuring students and adults come to a safe, kind school every day has the greatest impact on achievement. It's amazing how a child's learning soars when they aren't worrying all morning who will or won't sit with them at lunch or who'll play with them at recess, or stressing over who might be waiting for them before or after school to bully them. When students are anxious about nothing, their minds are free to concentrate on learning. Our second successful practice is ensuring everyone working at the school is 100% committed to its educational program. By doing so, learning is fluid and coordinated from one grade to the next, behavioral expectations are consistent from one grade to the next, teachers are happy and excited about their profession, all of which provides parents and guardians a clear, positive road map for them to follow in their children's education, as well as the ability to take part in it easily year over year.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
All ESEA funds are looked at through the lense, "What's Best for Kids?" Therefore, as an example, students are assessed throughout the school year to see who needs to benefit from Title IA learning activities. Title IA activities are determined, planned and carried out by the classroom teachers with funds being used primarily to strengthen student outcomes in reading and language arts to ensure all students are learning not only at grade level, but above grade level. Title IA funding also helps provides resources for parent notification and further involvement in their child's education.
Another example is professional development, the funds of which are used for mentoring, peer-delivered professional development by fellow Harbor Method teachers to collectively help strengthen student growth & outcomes to continue to ensure above-State-average outcomes, and to provide stipends to teachers who have shown classroom innovation that's benefiting students.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Legacy has integrated well from the founding Harbor Method school, Liberty Charter School, the ability to take required assessments and the data outcomes derived from them, along with outcomes derived from teachers' in-class student assessment & homework and purposely blend them into the everyday flow of the classroom schedules. Legacy teachers and administrator use data on a weekly, if not daily, basis, using a number of data points, to monitor students individually and collectively as they are gaining knowledge and skills and all their learning objectives. Weekly assessments developed by teachers per our prescribed Harbor Method, regular pre-statewide testing, and State-testing outcomes are all used to monitor and recognize student achievement and learning gaps so that students feel success and support throughout their education.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Legacy, as a Harbor Method School, is deeply committed to a school culture that lives out the mission & philosophy of developing students who are competent, confident, productive and responsible young adults who possess the habits, skills and attitudes to succeed in life; and providing a school that is grounded in the belief that when there is low threat and content is highly challenging, accelerated learning takes place.
Therefore, our school culture is one where routinely visitors to the school share that they instantly feel a sense of calm, yet joy, in learning, and where they see adults modeling to students what being kind and respectful to one another looks like, what being a great employee looks like, and who enthusiastically set high expectations for students, in both their academics and character, so that students feel safe, supported, encouraged, and truly free to learn.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: k - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 94,000
    Student Enrollment: 305
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 1%
    White/Caucasian: 84.5%
    Hispanic: 10.5%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 1%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 3%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:28
    % Reduced Lunch: 37%
    % ELL Learners: 1%
    Founded: 2011
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Seth Stallcop
  • CONTACT:
    4015 S Legacy Way
    Nampa, ID 83686
    208-467-0947
    office@legacycharterschool.net