Academic Philosophy | Balboa Academy

Our Approach to Education

Balboa Academy is a culturally diverse school that prioritizes the needs of its students. It offers a US research-based standard of education with a focus on excellence. The school aims to develop students into productive and happy global citizens, promoting lifelong learning.

The educators at Balboa Academy are dedicated and caring, continuously improving their teaching strategies and staying informed about current educational research. Collaboration among teachers is encouraged to design effective instructional methods. Parent participation is valued, and regular communication ensures they are well-informed about their children's progress.

Staff and school personnel are considered integral to the educational process, and efforts are made to support their well-being and career growth through relevant training and involvement in school events.

Teaching What Matters Most

At Balboa Academy, it is our responsibility to prepare our students to become citizens of the world. We teach our students to embrace the next phase of their lives with confidence, high-level thinking, and empathy. Our Instructional program concentrates on Five Core Competencies and Five Core Values.

Five Core Competencies

The Five Core Competencies reflect the essence of the academic program at our school. These Five Core Competencies define our curriculum and provide a clear set of outcomes and skills to guide its development and teaching.

The competencies of Balboa Academy are expressed through the acronym WE ACT:

W = World view
E = Emotional intelligence
A = Academics in balance
C = Creativity
T = Technology

W = Worldview

Worldview is a perspective guided by a thorough knowledge of current global issues and an understanding of individual responsibility as a global citizen at a local, national, and international level.

Learner Understandings:

An increasingly interconnected world creates new complexities, realities, responsibilities, and opportunities.
Each person has a responsibility as a global citizen to act on global issues.
All cultures have value, and cultural diversity must be maintained.
Collaboration is essential for the solution of global problems.
There are both positive and negative effects of globalization.
There is a commonality amongst all human beings.

E = Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive self and others as unique and valuable to the world. There are five domains of emotional intelligence: knowing your emotions, managing your emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing and understanding other people’s emotions, and helping others to manage their own emotions.

Learner Understandings:

Internal motivation and self-direction are essential.
Empathy and respect for others are essential.
Each person has a responsibility to self and others.
Each person must practice self-discipline, self-assessment, and proper social skills.
Each person must know and accept himself.
Self-expression is an important part of developing emotional intelligence.
There is a continuum of respect from top to bottom level: adapting behavior, cooperating, valuing difference, accepting other viewpoints, tolerating other viewpoints.
One’s emotional intelligence affects the quality of one’s relationships.
A lack of emotional intelligence can cause social and personal problems.

A = Academics in balance

Academics in balance are project-based learning experiences that foster the development of multiple skills, creating lifelong learners who are inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring people who will make the world a better place.

Learner Understandings:

A broad range of knowledge and skills is required for personal success and the ability to contribute positively to the human community.
There are many ways to acquire knowledge and skills.
Learning can be differentiated to accommodate individual learning styles and needs.
The human mind is a combination of various intelligences.
Education is a continuous, lifelong process.

C = Creativity

Creativity is a mindset characterized by a willingness to generate new ideas, possibilities, and outcomes. It is multi-faceted, ranging from the cognitive to the aesthetic.

Learner Understandings:

Creativity is stimulated by asking new questions while generating new ideas to apply to various situations and challenges.
Every human being has the capacity to be creative.
Environment has a dramatic effect on creativity.
People may not exhibit the same level of creativity in all areas.
Self-assessment and self-motivation are needed to allow learners to foster creativity in all facets of their education.
Creativity is applied imagination, a step into creating something new and /or putting it into action.
Creativity takes various forms: it can be an ability, an attitude, or a process.

T = Technology

Technology is a tool which allows an individual learner to enhance or to facilitate his or her learning process.

Learner Understandings:

Technology expands our ability to communicate through a wide range of media.
Technology allows us to efficiently access, store, and use information.
Technology supports self-directed learning.
Technology supports differentiated learning.
Technology is a tool to assist human intelligence, not a substitute for it.

Five Core Values

Five Core Values reflect the essence of the character of our school. They also define and provide a clear context which guides the governance and management of the school. The values of Balboa Academy are expressed through the acronym RIGHT.

I will act RIGHT:

R = Respect for yourself and others
I = Integrity in making the correct decisions
G = Good deeds to help others in need
H = Hard work leading to certain mastery
T = Team spirit to help everyone in collaboration

Together the Five Core Competencies and the Five Core Values, spelling WE ACT RIGHT, is an easy to remember acronym that represents the essence of both the character and academic program of Balboa Academy.

Special Services

At Balboa Academy, we believe in meeting the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of each individual. We hold high expectations for all, striving to make learning a positive and successful experience for everyone. Our collaborative approach involves administrators, education specialists, teachers, parents, and students working together to determine appropriate supplemental services. These may include individualized educational plans, language support, counseling, small group instruction, and therapy services. We are committed to nurturing every student's academic and social development, empowering them to achieve their full potential.

Differentiation

We provide learning experiences that meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of all of our students. Accommodations and/or modifications will be made for some and enrichment will be provided for others. We have high expectations for all students, tailored to the needs of the individual. We believe that all students can learn and we seek ways to reach all our students and make school a positive learning experience for everyone. Our goal is to ensure every student achieves success.

Individualized Services

Balboa Academy believes in an inclusive approach to learning for all students. Everyone is assigned to a grade-level homeroom and attends classes based on content-area instruction. We believe that all of our students are capable of making measurable academic and behavioral growth each year. We rely on assessments, observations, and records to document and measure progress. We use the data to create any academic or behavioral action plans which may be necessary. Our administrators, education specialists and teachers work together with parents and students to determine what appropriate supplemental services may be needed to support certain student’s academic and social development.

Balboa Academy will provide additional services which may include the following:

Support of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and Accommodation Plans (AC)
English Language Learner (ELL) support instruction
Counseling services
Small group instruction in math and reading foundations
Support for inclusion in the regular classrooms
Speech, physical, and occupational therapy on campus during school hours and provided by outside professional service providers. (This is paid for by parents separately).

Gifted Education Program (BADGE)

Balboa Academy offers a program for advanced learners. BADGE is offered in grades 3 through 6 and meets twice a week in a small group setting. Criteria for entrance to our gifted program includes:

MAP test scores in both Math and ELA (English Language Arts) at the 90th percentile or above
Teacher recommendations
Favorable report card grades
NNAT3 (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test-Third Edition) score of 90th percentile or above

Students participate in cross-curricular extension activities in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science/Technology, and social/emotional well-being. We focus on the development of high-level thinking skills, problem-solving, project-based learning, cooperative learning, and student presentations. The lessons are highly engaging, creative and promote the joy of learning at challenging levels.

English Language Learners (ELL)

We offer support for our students who are learning English through our English Language Learners Program (ELL) with ongoing assessment, placement in support classes, and help in their regular classrooms through co-planning with general education teachers. We encourage immersion and opportunity in the most natural setting possible to develop both the social and academic proficiencies of our students.

Discover how your child could benefit from the exceptional academic program at Balboa Academy and unlock their potential today.

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