Frederick Classical Charter School
8445 Spires Way
Frederick, MD
www.FrederickClassicalCharterSchool.org
Thank you for your interest in Frederick Classical Charter School.
This informational packet has been provided to you so that you may understand the vision and mission of our school. The Frederick Classical Charter School is a Frederick County public school, paid for by taxpayer dollars. It is non-religious, tuition-free, and there is no criteria for student enrollment other than our students be Frederick County residents. Our school was created from the vision of Frederick County parents who were looking for an alternative approach to the education currently available in our county.
The mission of the Frederick Classical Charter School is to provide elementary and middle school-aged children with a well-rounded, college-focused instructional program that develops students’ knowledge, reason, and self-expression. Through its Summer Institute and in-service training, the school will provide teachers with professional development in subject matter content, cognitive science, and research-based pedagogy. The principal, staff, and school improvement team will look first to data and evidence to better school performance, with the guiding criteria that each enhancement should be specific, replicable, and monitored to validate that it achieves its intended results.
The long term vision of the Frederick Classical Charter School is to be nationally recognized as a replicable model for providing a traditional, rigorous liberal arts education using well-researched instructional approaches.
A Classical Education includes three stages of education, known as the “trivium.” The first stage is the Grammar phase and encompasses grades kindergarten through four. During this phase students acquire a fundamental knowledge of all subject areas. The next stage is called the logic phase and includes grades five through eight. During this phase students use reasoning to more deeply understand previously learned topics, as well as acquiring more knowledge. The third stage is the rhetoric phase, which include grades nine through twelve, the high school years, where students marshal their acquired knowledge and reasoning to persuade others and express themselves. Our school includes the grammar and logic phases. Although we are a k-8 school, students who are showing readiness in certain subject areas for the rhetoric phase will be academically challenged accordingly.
Our curriculum differs from what is currently available in other public and private schools in Frederick County. Our reading curriculum, “Reading Street,” is research-based, with a strong emphasis on phonics, as opposed to balanced literacy which emphasizes a whole language approach that neglects phonics and phonemic awareness. The mathematics curriculum we will employ is Singapore Math, which is world renowned and focuses on a smaller number of topics, teaching to mastery. History will be taught chronologically beginning in grade one, and is the organizing structure for science and the humanities. Students in grade one will learn about ancient times, moving in grade two to learning about the Middle Ages. In grade three the Renaissance Period will be studied, while grade four will emphasize modern times. Science will also begin to be taught to first graders, and will correspond to the historical period the students are studying. Consequently, first graders will be studying biology, and second graders will study astronomy and earth science. Third graders study chemistry, with fourth graders learning physics. Grades five through eight will repeat this sequence, but in greater detail. The art and music the students are exposed to will reflect that of the time period being studied in their history class, according to their grade. Foreign language is mandatory, with Spanish instruction beginning in kindergarten, and taught every year through grade eight. Latin will be mandatory for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders starting in our second year of operation. Special education will also be available to students who require it, and is consistent with what is offered in the Frederick County Public School system. Accelerated learners will be challenged by placement in accelerated class groupings as well as being given the ability to take courses in a different grade level for math and reading. All of the subject areas being taught are aligned with the Maryland State Voluntary Curriculum. Our students will be well-prepared and will partake in all state testing.
As a staff member at our school, you will be expected to participate in all required professional development, and strongly encouraged to take advantage of additional training consistent with teaching a classical approach to education. Our staff members are Frederick County School employees, and will receive all the same benefits and salary grades of other FCPS employees.
In year one, our school will open with 280 students in grades kindergarten through six. In year two we will add grade seven, and in year three, we will be at capacity, with 360 students, adding grade eight. There will be 40 students per grade, with 20 students per classroom.
If you are interested in working in a structured, professionally supportive environment, which relies on increased parental involvement and high academic expectations for all students, consider applying for a position at the Frederick Classical Charter School.