Aurora Charter School
Minneapolis School Finder Rating
About
About Us
Aurora Charter School (ACS) is a 90/10 dual-language program, with 90% of instruction provided in Spanish & 10% in English, preparing its students to become fully bilingual/biliterate in both Spanish & English. The school aims to foster bilingual leaders, critical thinkers, & environmental stewards.
Languages spoken by school staff
English, Spanish
Extra programming
No response from school.
Extracurriculars Offered:
Music, Sports
Uniforms
Students who attend Aurora Charter School are required to wear uniforms.
How to enroll
To enroll, contact Ana Soria, Associate Director at (612) 722-1999 or enroll@auroracharterschool.org.
Students at this school
Teachers at this school
Average student to teacher ratio
Academics
Below Average
Academic programming
The mission of ACS is to operate a center of learning that embraces academic excellence & celebrates the gift of Latino culture. This mission is ingrained into daily work with students & is focused on the Three Pillars of Dual Language Education identified by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL): promotes bilingualism & biliteracy; strives for high academic achievement; & teaches socio-cultural competence.
Aurora Charter School follows a 90/10 Dual Language model of instruction. This model begins in kindergarten, with 90% of instruction provided in Spanish & 10% in English. As students progress through the program, the amount of English is increased until a 50/50 percent balance of the two languages is reached in 5th grade & maintained through 8th grade.
Academic Programs Offered:
Arts Focused Programming, Language Immersion
Special education programming
ACS provides a full range of educational service alternatives. All students with disabilities are provided with special instruction & services which are appropriate to their needs. ACS’s use of appropriate program alternatives to meet the special education needs, goals, & objectives of a student are determined on an individual basis. Choice of specific program alternatives are based on the student’s current levels of performance, special education needs, goals, & objectives, & must be written in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Program alternatives are the type of services provided, the setting in which services occur, & the amount of time & frequency in which special education services occur. A student may receive special education services in more than one alternative based on the IEP or Individual Family Service Plan.
Curricula
Reading and Language Arts:
Kindergarten through 5th grade: ACS uses Benchmark Advance for English and Benchmark Adelante for Spanish. These programs teach reading using the latest science about how kids learn. The curriculum teaches phonics (the sounds letters make) and helps students understand what they read. Each lesson includes activities that make students think hard and deeply about the material. Students learn new vocabulary words and see lots of pictures to help them understand. This is especially helpful for students who are learning English as a second language.
6th through 8th grade: Middle school students use a program called My Perspectives. This program helps students read and write better. Teachers also use videos, extra books, and bring in special speakers to make learning interesting.
In Spanish classes, students learn reading strategies that are the same as what they learn in English class. This helps them get even better at reading and writing in both languages.
Math
Kindergarten through 5th grade: ACS uses Everyday Math 4 (EM4). This program was made by the University of Chicago. Students learn math through games and real-life problems. Teachers can give extra help to students who need it or challenge students who are ready for harder work.
6th through 8th grade: Middle school uses enVision Math. This program has videos, practice problems, and tools to help different learners. Students solve problems and see how math looks in pictures and diagrams. Each student can work at their own speed.
Math is taught in Spanish at all grade levels.
English language learner programming
ACS’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program incorporates a variety of methodologies to ensure the attainment of academic English as stated in the school’s dual language model. Service is provided as an English Language Development content class in kindergarten & 1st grade that focuses on listening & speaking, & beginning reading & writing modalities are introduced. Grades 2 through 5 follow a co-teaching model in which the ESL teacher co-plans, co-teaches, & leads guided reading & language groups in English Language Arts. This model allows ESL teachers to provide linguistic support, differentiation, & strategies to the classroom teachers in the areas of content, process, & product. In grades 6 through 8, the ESL teacher co-plans & co-teaches in either English Language Arts, Science, or Social Studies to support language learners with the heavy language & content load. Other strategies utilized in the school include preview/review, bridging, TPR, & use of visual supports (pictures, graphs, signs, etc.). Additional small group pull-out instruction is also provided for Recently Arrived English Learners (RAELs).
Proficiency
1 out of 10 students are performing math at grade level
2 out of 10 students read at grade level
Progress
2 out of 10 students are progressing to graduate on grade-level in math
4 out of 10 students are progressing to graduate on grade-level in reading
Climate
Above Average
School values
ACS values high expectations for all individuals involved in the learning environment. They have high levels of instructional expectations & with high expectations, they believe it is necessary to provide high levels of support for all individuals.
Recess
ACS makes recess a safe, welcoming, & meaningful part of the day for all students by being intentional about structure, supervision, & inclusion. There are free-choice activities for students to play outdoors for 20 minutes every day. There are also structured activities for students to participate in if they choose. ACS staff make a point of making positive connections while supervising recess each day. There is an emphasis on inclusion so that kids with different abilities, interests, & backgrounds can all find ways to participate.
Discipline Policy
The purpose of the ACS Student Discipline policy is to ensure that students are aware of & comply with the charter school’s expectations for student conduct. Such compliance will enhance the charter school’s ability to maintain discipline & ensure that there is no interference with the educational process. The charter school will take appropriate disciplinary action when students fail to adhere to the Code of Student Conduct established in the policy.
Teacher retention
Attendance
Discipline
Equity
Average
Equity vision
ACS is a community of bilingual & biliterate leaders who are committed to equity for all. As critical thinkers, they will create a world free of discrimination by fostering a learning environment where inclusion, justice, environmental stewardship, & the celebration of diversity are critical components in the school & beyond.
