Original Upper Carmen School 1926 – 1952
Upper Carmen Public Charter School is a public charter school serving K-3 grade students, established in 2005 to meet the needs of children that need repetitive exposure to curriculum in order to master given goals, as well as students who learn quickly and become bored with school. Each student at Upper Carmen Public Charter School is given the opportunity to work at their ability level.
We have a grade cap of 16 students per grade and a school cap of 100 students.
National statistics show that 85% of students receive the foundation they need to advance into a variety of career options. This means 15% of our American students have a difficult time in the regular school setting. These students can be described by two general categories:
- Students who learn quickly and become bored in school; these students can become disruptive and interrupt the learning process.
- Students who do not learn easily for a variety of reasons and need repeated exposure in a setting that does not label them or remove them from their peers.
Upper Carmen Public Charter School strives to meet the needs of all students by emphasizing individualized instruction. Our classrooms allow students to work with others of similar abilities.
- Learning Environment ~ Students can teach and learn from one another in a natural, family age setting.
- Leadership Skills ~ Older students are looked up to as role models with teachers encouraging older students to help younger students.
- Students work at Personalized Ability Level ~ Classrooms allow students to work with a peer group of their own ability level while exposing them to curriculum before expected mastery.
- Socialization ~ Students interact with other students of different ages, older students model expected behaviors.
All students are appreciated for their talents and abilities as each has skills to offer to the class. Social skills acquired in this learning family, will establish a gateway to responsible citizens at home and in their communities. In a multi-grade classroom, the stigmatism of “grade level” work is eliminated. All children learn at different rates, each student according to their own ability and pace. Students are encouraged to progress at a pace appropriate for their abilities and maturity level. Responsibility for work and respect of others is encouraged and taught, emphasizing necessary skills for the work force. Advanced students continue to be challenged, while students that need more repetition receive a variety of meaningful experience until they have mastered their learning goals.