School Learning Plan

Our Mission:

Arco Iris cultiva el éxito académico de todos los estudiantes a través de una educación bilingüe y un plan sólido de estudios de matemáticas. Nuestros estudiantes son miembros de una comunidad multicultural solidaria que valora la diversidad, la equidad y la inclusión.

Arco Iris Spanish Immersion Charter School cultivates academic success for all students through a biliterate education and a robust math curriculum. Our students are members of a supportive multicultural community valuing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our Story:

Arco Iris Spanish Immersion Charter School was established in 2010. We currently have approximately 400 students in grades K-8. We are in the process of phasing out grades 6-8 over the next two years in order to stabilize enrollment and provide a higher quality learning experience.

Arco Iris families speak 10 different languages, with English being the predominant language, followed by Spanish. Less than 5% of our students are identified as students with disabilities, 18% are English Learners, and 5% receive meal benefits. Our student demographic data from the 21-22 school year is as follows:

46% Hispanic/Latino
40% White
11% Multiracial
2% Asian
1% Black/African American
1% American Indian/Alaskan Native

Our biggest challenge during the upcoming year is to identify and remediate unfinished learning caused by COVID-19 related educational disruptions. Providing robust academic and social-emotional intervention and support, creating strong home to school connections and prioritizing social emotional learning are all key factors in addressing this challenge.

Like many schools, Arco Iris has experienced significant staffing challenges over the past two years. In 2021-2022, we began recruiting overseas teachers through the J-1 visiting teacher program to help fill the gaps. Through this program, we’ve found well qualified, experienced teachers from Spain, Mexico and Peru. Their presence on our staff brings a wonderful mix of experiences and traditions, and it supports our goal of creating a diverse, multicultural community.

Equity Area of Focus:

Ground our schoolwide practices in an ongoing examination of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Academic Excellence Area of Focus:

Prioritize remediation services for students who are more than one grade level behind as a result of COVID-related disrupted learning during the 2019-2022 school years.

Collaboration Area of Focus:

Increase our focus on data collection and analysis by continuing to refine the data team processes initiated during the 20-21 school year.

Equity Goal:

As indicated by the annual family survey, at least 80% of families will report feeling that their children feel represented, included, and respected at school.

Academic Excellence Goal:

95% of the students identified as being in need of intervention services in English Language Arts and/or Math will show more than one year’s growth in their assessment scores by June of 2023.

Collaboration Goal:

As indicated by results on the year end staff climate survey, at least 90% of teachers will report that collaboration with colleagues has positively affected their teaching practice.

Key Strategies:

Make equity and inclusion a primary focus of teacher professional development for the year.

Utilize the expertise of our diverse teaching staff to lead discussions around equity and inclusion in a multicultural school environment.

Engage the community in conversations about equity and inclusion through the continuation of an Equity Advisory Council made up of staff and parents, and through monthly family meetings.

Tie teacher goal setting to equitable and inclusive classroom practices.

Guide teachers in reviewing their lessons/teaching materials to make sure all students see themselves represented in the learning activities.

Key Strategies:

Strategically use SIA and ESSER funds to increase the number of instructional assistants available to provide targeted academic support in grades K-3.

Use formal and informal assessment data to make decisions about students who need additional instruction and support.

Create a daily schedule that provides ongoing intervention time block to allow for remediation and enrichment

Conduct Student Intervention Team meetings every month to develop intervention plans for students who staff identify as high risk for academic achievement and/or social emotional.

Collaborate with BSD to align our data collection systems with their model to ensure that students who potentially qualify for special education services are eligible for evaluation.

Key Strategies:

Conduct bi-weekly meetings with grade levels teams and school administrators to identify and monitor students of concern.

Ensure consistent instructional and assessment practices across grade level and content area teaching teams.

Provide mentoring for new staff members who are not familiar with the school’s assessment tools and intervention options.

Provide professional development to support teams in collecting and analyzing student achievement data and creating intervention plans.