CURRICULUM

At Community Regional Charter School, children will receive a unique educational experience…in some ways similar to and in some ways different from other public schools. We believe in putting learners where they need to be and when, which means that our philosophy is to create classes of learners that are not just age or grade specific.

Our goal is to have classrooms that are  blended to help all the learners learn in a thriving environment. Learners are allowed to progress through the curriculum at their own pace regardless of their chronological age level or grade placement based on their successful progression through the standards. Learners are able to develop and to be challenged within a multi-age classroom approach due to differentiated instruction. This allows the child to be introduced to many different levels of instructional material and not be confined to a single grade level set of expectations. There is an ebb and flow to the day as learners move within the classes based on their interests and their proficiency levels.

Additionally, learners at CRCS benefit from an emphasis on community. The sense of community is supported through all-school gatherings, special interest groups, recess, younger/ older classroom reading buddies, and other opportunities where nurturing friendships are encouraged. The school also subscribes to the best practices detailed in the Responsive Classroom approach. This approach helps learners to develop social awareness skills through morning meetings, classroom rule creation, interactive modeling, positive teacher language, logical consequences, guided discovery, and academic choice.

CRCS’s academic program is based on the Common Core State Standards. These standards provide a consistent clear understanding of Maine’s educational goals and what learners are expected to learn. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that are needed for success in college and careers. The instructional design of the school is based on meeting proficiency levels within language arts and math and on integrated projects for other subject areas.

Learning is monitored with manageable and measurable expectations. The development of individualized Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) helps learners generate long and short term goals for themselves. They envision and help plan their educational path, partner in their own progress, learn by observation and application as they develop both individual and group skills. From the very beginning, they know precisely what proficiencies demonstrate desired attainment of knowledge and skills, and they work to achieve those proficiencies. CRCS integrates multiple disciplines/topics such as Agriculture Education and is designed to be mostly hands on active learning.

CRCS believes that knowledge does not fall neatly into separate categories or disciplines. Whenever possible, teaching and learning are experienced within a context relevant to the learners’ lives. When appropriate, subjects being taught are integrated within multiple or cross-curricular disciplines.

As a school we belong to the Maine Cohort For Customized Learning and use similar curriculum targets and language as other schools around the State of Maine. We also have a proficiency based diploma that does not impact learners for scholarships and/or college acceptance. As Maine’s first public PreK-12 Charter School we believe in customizing learning opportunities and ensuring our learners have a rigorous education.