Smiley Middle School will host two important public events for the community in the upcoming weeks.

First is an open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 to showcase its “tri-academy” model (new this year). That will be followed by a math night for families and students from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3.

This school year, Smiley is using a Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) grant to implement its tri-academy model, a “home grown” needs-based model that was developed by the Smiley Redesign Committee during the 2002-2003 academic year.

The goal of the tri-academy is to improve student achievement and ensure that all Smiley students can successfully meet challenging state content and academic standards. The tri-academy offers the following research-based, diverse instructional approaches in the form of themed academies:

• International Preparatory Magnet (IPM) – A proven, rigorous academic program that prepares students for any challenging high school curriculum.
• Discovery Academy – An integrated math and science curriculum. Staff development is provided by Colorado Schools of Mines, University of Colorado and the Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC).
• Renaissance Academy – An integrated arts curriculum with staff development provided by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and PEBC.

The national CSR program provides funding to states and schools to help them adopt successful comprehensive school reform models http://www.sedl.org/csrd/cmodels.html . States are eligible to receive funds based on their Title I formula and may award a minimum of $50,000 per school as an incentive to implement a research-based, comprehensive school reform model.

Smiley’s Redesign Committee involved the active participation of the administration, faculty and parents as well as representatives from the community, the district, PEBC, the Stapleton and Piton Foundations and the University of Colorado at Denver.

The tri-academy model is a cohesive collection of programs that have been found, through scientifically based research or strong evidence, to significantly improve the academic achievement of participating students. The model includes imbedded professional development and support for teachers, principals and other school staff and provides substantive opportunities for increased parental and community involvement. The tri-academy implementation will be monitored and evaluated utilizing both quantitative and qualitative assessments. The University of Colorado at Denver, School of Education will conduct the evaluation and analysis. The evaluation results will be reviewed regularly by the Leadership Team throughout the year and used to provide the project with continuous improvement feedback.

For more information, contact Nate Howard, principal, Smiley Middle School, 2540 Holly St., 303-399-0740.