EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
If there is a phrase that captures the essence of The Leona Group, it is quality schools. In our charter schools, everyone works very hard to provide every child with the individualized attention needed to learn, grow and achieve. Each school curriculum is centered on the child, with lessons and standards presented in ways that help students thrive and succeed.
To achieve this, several service areas align under the Leona Group's department of academic support to provide comprehensive educational support services.
The Quality Schools Initiative (QSI) is our focused and leading-edge approach that quickly and dramatically improves instruction at all levels. The QSI has been lauded by educational colleagues, authorizers, consultants and reviewers from state departments of education as innovative and highly successful, closing the achievement gap for students and facilitating ongoing improvement in Leona schools.
Grant writing and implementation
The Leona Group provides full-service grants support, including grant research, writing, submission, implementation, tracking, evaluation and report filing of both competitive and entitlement grants. Funded grants include Title I, Title II-A, Title II-D, Title III, Title IV, Title V and other federal and state grants, as applicable.
Curriculum
The Leona Group works with each school to determine and develop a specific curriculum program that meets state and federal standards. Leona support staff assists by providing guidance on specific curricula and school improvement plans, as well as meeting academic measures and other requirements of No Child Left Behind. Curriculum development and implementation at the school is supported by the Quality Schools Initiative (QSI) team.
Special education
The Leona Group embraces the philosophy of full inclusion, believing special education students are often best educated in the regular classroom. Special education teachers and para-educators work collaboratively with teachers to provide personalized instructional programs for every child. We understand that early intervention is key to solving learning difficulties. All team members accept responsibility for students and modify, accommodate and adjust teaching techniques and class activities to meet the learning abilities of all children.
The Leona Group special education department supports and monitors programs at all of the school sites. On-site, certified special education teachers provide and monitor services with oversight from the special education department. The team meets monthly for professional development, legal and compliance updates. In an effort to ensure on-site team members are able to maximize their time working with students, the corporate support department:
- Completes state monitoring activities for all of the school sites
- Ensures compliance with state and federal guidelines
- Completes all annual state and federal reporting
- Provides data oversight to ensure proper documentation
- Responds to requests for records
Student assessment and evaluation
Educational growth is multi-faceted and evaluation should reflect physical, social and intellectual progress. Various assessment tools, including state-mandated tests, are used to determine each child’s development and to measure the success of the school program in meeting its goals. The assessment and evaluation department partners with school staff in the areas of high-stakes testing, quantitative and qualitative measures/reporting and School Improvement Plan development. Using data collected through these assessments, data-driven decision making is utilized on an individual, classroom and school-wide basis.
