Upper School

List of 15 items.

• Academic Support and Accommodations

  Currey Ingram Academy provides an individualized approach to teaching and learning because we understand that each student learns differently. We designed a school program that promotes students’ strengths and supports their differences. Please visit our Academic section of our website to see the "Six Ways Our Academic Approach Distinguishes Currey Ingram."

   

  Based on our students' learning profiles, some of the instructional practices and academic supports included in the Upper School are:

  • Extended time for quizzes and tests for students who qualify for this accommodation
  • Scaffolded and supplemental notes
  • Interactive math notebooks
  • Social Emotional Learning
  • Executive Function skill development
  • Literacy Labs (for students with dyslexia or language processing deficits)
  • Movement breaks
  • Math Lab 
  • Writing Lab
  • 1:1 technology

• Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)

  At Currey Ingram, an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) is written for every student in the school. ILPs in the Upper School are not the deficit-based IEPs as used in public school education. In addition, a student does not need to meet any specific eligibility criteria for a disability to have an ILP at Currey Ingram. The only requirement is that the student is enrolled at Currey Ingram. Currey Ingram refers to its personalized plan as an ILP to help parents and educators distinguish between the public school’s IEP and Currey Ingram’s ILP.

  
  

  ILP goals will be written in the areas of Executive Function, Academic Classes, Literacy Lab, Written Language Lab, Math Lab, Elective Classes, and any other area that is needed. Progress toward meeting these goals will be shared by the student in the Student-Led Conference.

• Small Class Size and Class Groupings

  Our Upper School student population is intentionally small enough to give all of our students opportunities to excel and assume leadership responsibilities. The average class size is six to eight. Each student attends small academic classes in English, social studies, mathematics, foreign language and science. All academic classes are grouped according to the abilities and needs of the student.

• Mentoring

  Each student is assigned a faculty mentor. Grade-level mentoring groups meet multiple times a week. The overall goal of the mentor/mentee program is to establish meaningful and supportive relationships between students and faculty. Upper School teachers serving as student mentors play a key role on the front lines of fostering the targeted strengths, skills, and mindsets by helping students set personal goals and monitor their own progress. Mentors provide students with accountability and encouragement for achieving their goals.

• Honors Courses

  Currey Ingram offers a wide variety of honors courses throughout the curriculum for students interested and capable of taking on a more challenging course load. Honors courses are distinguished by targeting the following criteria: advanced curricular material and topics; advanced analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills; and higher-level problem solving and decision-making. 

  • A high school credit course at the honors level recognizes an “above and beyond” commitment on the part of the student. 
  • Individual course descriptions note eligibility requirements.
  • Summer reading assignments and/or projects may be required in some honors level courses.

   This Spanish video helps demonstrate this approach.

• Lab Courses in Math, Reading (Literacy), and Writing

  Math Lab

  The math lab is a "beyond the classroom" environment where students further develop their math understandings and skills. Students are provided instruction and remediation in mathematical concepts and skills.  

   

  Literacy Lab

  The Upper School has several Literacy Labs for students who need additional direct instruction in reading and other literacy skills through a Structured Literacy approach. Reading intervention is provided for students diagnosed with dyslexia or language deficits and helps them to build their reading skills in order to improve their comprehension and reading fluency. Literacy Lab occurs three times each week for 75 minutes each.

   

  Writing Lab

  The writing lab is a "beyond the classroom" environment where students can converse and dialogue as they develop their writing skills. The writing lab is not a place for one-sided instruction. Instructors and students work collaboratively through open communication to discover effective writing strategies and approaches to reading and writing that are particularly useful to the individual student. The ultimate goal overtime is to produce confident articulate writers.

• Service Learning

  Volunteering for community service provides an opportunity for students to develop interpersonal and organizational skills, enhance self-esteem, and gain an understanding of important social issues. Therefore, Currey Ingram Academy Upper School requires all students to perform a service-learning project. Our goal is to help students develop a habit of volunteering and to assist them in finding the most meaningful service opportunities possible. Students will complete 30 hours of service outside of school hours.

  
  

  A number of students participate each spring in the annual Habitat for Humanity’s “Habitat High Build" with high school students from across Williamson County.  And the Upper School Community Service Club meets periodically to brainstorm and organize ways students can be involved in our Currey Ingram community as well as the greater community at large. 

   

  Upper School students also participate in “Big Sisters,” a club that pairs an Upper School female student with a fourth-grade girl for the purpose of mentoring. Students are paired by the LS and US counselors based on needs and similarities. This club is for female US students that demonstrate appropriate social skills, communication skills, and enjoy working with children. Students are invited by Upper School staff to participate each year. Big and Little sisters meet monthly in the Lower School and participate in art projects, games, stories, snack time, and relationships building. 

• Social-Emotional Learning

  Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) “refers to the process through which individuals learn and apply a set of social, emotional, behavioral, and character skills required to succeed in schooling, the workplace, relationships, and citizenship”(1). To fulfill the goals inherent in SEL, Currey Ingram selected the RULER approach that was developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER is used across all grades and with all students. The knowledge, attitude and skills taught and reinforced in RULER are as follows:

  • R-Recognizing emotion in self and others
  • U-Understanding the causes and consequences of emotion
  • L-Labeling emotions accurately
  • E-Expressing emotions in helpful ways
  • R-Regulating emotions effectively

  One goal for using RULER is to improve the quality of school interactions so that the school culture is supportive, empowering and engaging. This is accomplished by integrating skill-building lessons and tools so that teachers and students further develop their emotional intelligence. The Upper School curriculum is divided into four years, with each year containing 20 lessons that will be taught in Seminar classes.

  
  

  Through research, RULER has been shown to help students be less anxious, exhibit fewer attention problems, improve their academic performance, and have greater leadership skills. Teachers have been shown to be more engaging, supportive, and effective in RULER schools. Classrooms also have more positive climates and less bullying. Because RULER is a Tier One Social-Emotional Learning Program, some students may need greater support than this model offers. Thus, additional interventions will be recommended in these situations.
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  (1)Jones, S., Brush, K., Bailey, R. Brion-Meisels, G., McIntyre, J., Kahn, J. Nelson,B., & Stickle, L. (March 2017). Navigating SEL from the Inside Out. Harvard Graduate School of Education with Funding from the Wallace Foundation, pg. 12.

• Student-Led Conferences

  The Upper School has four scheduled conferences each year, with students leading two of these conferences. 

  • The first conference, held in August, is an opportunity for parents and students to meet the student’s mentor, review procedures for the Upper School, and learn about the Upper School. 
  • Two student-led conferences (fall and winter) give students the opportunity to discuss their learning profile, strengths, challenges, progress, and goals with parents and teachers. Parents and teachers also provide students with positive feedback, corrective feedback, and/or recommendations for improvement. This process provides students with a clearer understanding of their challenges and what accommodations are beneficial to their learning. The student-led conference also builds confidence within the student in preparation for college interviews. 
  • The spring conference is led by the student’s mentor and is a time to share standardized test results and information about the next year’s course of study. Graduating seniors and senior parents are not required to attend this conference.
  • In addition, parents, students, and/or teachers may request other conferences at any time during the year.

• Senior Capstone Project

  Seniors are required to complete an independent research Capstone Project. This allows students the opportunity to learn new skills and demonstrate learning gained from all their years of schooling. Skills in reading, writing, speaking, critical thinking, and problem solving will be showcased in a four-stage process. The four components of the Capstone Project include: Proposal Paper, Research Paper, and Capstone Presentation. To underscore the value and importance of this endeavor, all seniors are required to complete all components of the Capstone Project in order to graduate.
  

• Seminars

  Students in the Upper School attend seminar class three times per week. They are grouped with same-grade peers as they acquire many new skills. In these seminar classes, students are taught executive function skills, such as notetaking, time management, goal setting, and organizational skills, to help them be more successful in the classroom and in life. Students are also taught social-emotional skills in seminar classes, using the RULER program.  Each grade has a different curriculum that covers topics related to interpersonal relations, goal setting, critical thinking, leadership, transitioning to college, recognizing and regulating emotions, and many other topics.

• Integrated & Assistive Technology

  Students in the Upper School continue to use technology throughout their academic day. Each student is assigned a Chromebook computer and expected to use the computer at school, as well as at home. Technology is integrated throughout the instructional program for a multisensory experience. Graduates tell us that they feel well-equipped when it comes to college-level critical writing skills and using ever-evolving technologies to communicate effectively.  Assistive technologies are also used frequently to help students who might need language-based learning support, such as dictation and text-to-speech software.

  
  

  Based on information provided in each student’s psychoeducational assessment report, some students may need assistive technology to gain the independence he/she needs to complete assignments. The faculty and administration in collaboration with the Currey Ingram Educational Support Team will identify technology devices and apps for the student to try. For example, a student with dyslexia may need audio books, such as Learning Ally. Some of these devices and apps are provided by the school; whereas, others may need to be purchased by the parent.

• Office Hours for Academic Support

  Students are encouraged to seek help from their academic teachers as needed. Office hours are provided four days per week to allow students to receive additional academic support during the school day. Students needing additional academic support beyond time provided during office hours may request additional time to meet with teachers.

  
  

  Based on information provided in each student’s psychoeducational assessment report, some students may need assistive technology to gain the independence he/she needs to complete assignments. The faculty and administration in collaboration with the Currey Ingram Educational Support Team will identify technology devices and apps for the student to try. For example, a student with dyslexia may need audio books, such as Learning Ally. Some of these devices and apps are provided by the school; whereas, others may need to be purchased by the parent.

• Extracurricular Activities

  The Upper School ​provides a wide variety of extracurricular activities during and after-school.
  
  Athletics play an important role in Upper School life. We strongly believe that involvement in athletics helps students develop social and emotional skills they will carry with them for a lifetime. We offer eight Varsity sports and will introduce Esports during the 2020-2021 school year.

   

  Students have the opportunity to join the Currey Ingram Academy charter of the National Honor Society. Membership in this group recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. As members of the NHS, students have the opportunity to pursue leadership roles within the school community, participate in service projects, and qualify for post-secondary scholarships.

  
  Rock Band performs during the fall and spring Bandfest on the quad. The entire school as well as parents gather on the quad for an afternoon of music. The Rock Band performs covers as well as original songs. In addition to performing for Bandfest, the rock band performs at local music venues throughout the year.
  
  The Quiz Bowl is is similar Jeopardy, a game or competition in which two teams compete head-to-head to answer questions from all general areas of knowledge including history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, sports, popular culture, and more. Students travel and compete against area teams from other schools.
  
  Theatre is also vital part of the Upper School that continues to give students the opportunity to enrich their skills and interests both on and off the stage. We offer fall and spring productions that variably include dramas, comedies, Shakespeare, lavish musicals, and film productions.
  
  

  Youth and Government™ is a national program of the Y that Upper School students participate in as a way to broaden their cvic engagement. They meet with students from other area high schools to discuss and debate issues that affect citizens in Tennessee and propose legislation.  involves thousands of teens nationwide in state-organized, model-government programs. The program culminates with students serving as delegates at their state conference, debating bills on the floor of the legislature.

   

   

• Student Activities & Events

  Students participate in many traditional activities and events such as Pep Rallies, Homecoming, House competitions, and Prom.  Additionally, opportunities to learn through experience are offered through our Odyssey program, local field trips, national and international travel, and service learning. These experiences help students develop interpersonal and organizational skills, gain an understanding of important social issues, and enhance their self-confidence.