Our Teachers Make the Difference

An effective teacher will positively impact the academic and personal achievement of every student

We believe that at the core of good schooling is a strong teaching team. AdvancePath focuses on recruiting, retaining and developing highly qualified instructors for all our learning environments. Many of our teachers hold a master’s degree and/or additional training with skill sets in:

"I'm making a difference with these students every day. Every day. This is why I became a teacher," shared one of our Academy teaching team members. Hear from one Academy principal why he became a teacher and what his Academy means to him.

Instructional Technology
Curriculum Development
Working with Students with Disabilities
Alternative Education

Teachers with endorsements in multiple content areas maximize the opportunities to serve students within the Academy. Our teachers have a solid background and interest in working with at-risk students and demonstrate in instructional approaches and through student-teacher interactions, their strong desire to positively influence the lives of young people.

Want to learn more? Click this link - Academy teachers, school administrators, community volunteers, and our students share what their Academy means to them .

Professional Development Program

Ongoing Professional Development and Learning Opportunities

At AdvancePath, we value a commitment to professional development and ongoing personal reflection. We believe that in order to provide relevant, timely instruction and interventions requires a team that is continually working to enhance the teaching and learning experiences in our classrooms. Fundamental to the AdvancePath Model is this tenant: teachers and students share the belief that they can constantly improve.

AdvancePath is committed to providing the training, support, and professional learning activities that drive professional development and improve instruction and learning comprehension.

To have a positive impact on student achievement, our teaching team is encouraged and supported in their own learning experiences. Our goal through professional development is twofold:

Develop the skills and techniques that advance student learning and lead to academic success for non-traditional learners.
Develop teachers' professional knowledge base, and provide creative, energizing classroom experiences that engage both students and teachers.

Coaching Model

The AdvancePath Professional Development Program is based on a coaching model that integrates training, ongoing professional learning, and self-evaluation in a positive system of continuous improvement. This Program starts with a comprehensive staff professional development training prior to an Academy's launch. The focus of this initial training is centered around changing the paradigm from the traditional classroom to a blended learning environment that utilizes small group instruction, one-on-one interventions, project-based learning experiences, and digital content to create personalized, competency-based learning pathways for students.

Ongoing and sustained professional learning consists of a series of relevant and timely topics, targeted for teachers based on their years of service in the Academy and the needs of students during the academic year. The Academy's leadership including the AdvancePath Regional Director and Curriculum Team provides coaching experiences for teachers. The collaborative nature of the school encourages mentoring for professional growth, facilitated by the Academy's Lead Teacher. Professional development will be differentiated to staff based on the performance data drawn from student performance in particular courses. Ongoing analysis of student performance data is the cornerstone of interactions, and is used in the determination of professional development components and instructional strategies that engage specific learners and learning styles. The framework for Professional Practice outlined by Charlotte Danielson serves as a model for the Professional Development coaching program. Danielson’s framework identifies aspects of a teacher’s responsibilities that empirical studies have demonstrated as promoting improved student learning (Danielson, 2010). The four domains include: planning and preparation; the classroom environment; instruction; and professional responsibilities. Finally, all training features a teacher self-evaluation to measure skills as defined by iNACOL’s Standards for Quality Online Teaching and constructs endorsed by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). This contributes to the development of a Professional Learning Plan that will inform personal goals for professional growth and development.

Engaging students in the learning process requires knowledge in the hands of skilled educators

AdvancePath Academies use a variety of instructional tools and learning modalities, with learning plans individualized to meet the needs with every student. The AdvancePath Blended Learning Model is centered on the tenants of individual, self-paced, mastery-based learning. It leverages the benefits of teacher-directed, classroom-based instruction along with the use of instructional technologies to focus on student production and performance. In order to maximize effectiveness - for teachers and for students - the AdvancePath Model includes a number of systems and structures that help teachers identify problem areas and assist students at risk of dropping out or not meeting graduation requirements:

Teachers have access to a wide range of instructional technologies and an equally wide range of software packages to assist students
Learning is enriched with print and off-line supplemental materials including a vast Lexile Reading Library
An extensive pool of data is available to teachers, allowing staff to immediately implement intervention strategies to keep students on track. This just-in-time data gathering prevents students from falling behind from the cohort group and increases the likelihood of an on-time graduation

Our Curriculum Team regularly reviews curriculum offerings and offers a research- and evidence-based program that prepares students to be successful, contributing, and productive citizens. The review team utilizes resources from their affiliation with national curriculum organizations such as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) to select a proven curriculum offering.

A Curriculum that is Rigorous and Relevant to Learners

AdvancePath provides students with a rigorous and relevant curriculum - one that is aligned with all standards required for graduation.

Alignment with State and Common Core Standards: When selecting a curriculum program for students, the first requirement is to make sure all courses are aligned with State and proposed Common Core State Standards
Rigorous curriculum programs: Once assured that every course aligns with appropriate standards, AdvancePath thoroughly reviews curriculum programs to ensure that they are appropriately rigorous, offering students a solid content foundation of materials, relevant to a new generation of learners- in every subject area
Relevant and engaging materials for students: Curriculum at every Academy is both engaging to students and helps them identify the relevancy in the content area to their current and future endeavors

Interventions & Support Programs That Build Academic, Social, and Emotional Resiliency

Recognizing that students enter the high school at vastly different academic and emotional levels, the AdvancePath Academy Team provides a comprehensive assessment of each student’s skill levels in reading and math, attitudinal measures, and remaining course credit requirements. For the academic assessment, the NWEA MAP test is utilized both at time of enrollment and ongoing to evaluate student progress. Students will also participate in career inventory, school attitude measurement, resiliency skills and learning styles assessments before beginning their core studies. Armed with the information provided by these assessments, the high school instructional leader will work with the teaching and counseling staff to select curriculum and program components designed to engage students. This careful mapping of the students’ needs ensures a positive learning environment of differentiated instruction and individualized learning plans, leading to continuous progress and successful high school graduation. The individualized nature of instruction offered by AdvancePath allows teachers to differentiate teaching and learning on many levels that target all AYP Subgroups and a variety of student needs. Students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and Accelerated Learners all benefit from the intervention supports offered. The self-paced format of instruction allows students to proceed at an appropriate rate and receive assistance as necessary. In every Academy there is a heavy emphasis on Response to Intervention and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support strategies.