To maintain an Equitable environment, Westwind will:
make all data transparent data;
view data generated by students as owned by students; and
use formative and summative evaluations in addition to student voice data to determine program effectiveness.
To ensure the curriculum is Arts-Infused, Westwind will:
develop curricula units, referred to as ACTs, which culminate in an art product;
deliver scaffolded and spiraled instruction and embed performance opportunities to allow for demonstration of mastery; and
leverage art as a natural connector of disciplines, highlighting concepts and skills that are authentically shared among content areas.
To ensure work is Academically Rigorous, Westwind will: ○
use performance-based assessment to plan, teach and assess learning;
center instruction on the significant concepts found within state standards;
challenge students to handle the majority of the cognitive load throughout instruction so that students feel purposeful struggle and success every day; and
expect students to continually comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge throughout the day.
To ensure students are Interconnected with the Community, Westwind will:
cultivate a network of community partners and establish opportunities for learning that extend beyond the brick and mortar classroom setting around the competencies of performance arts, fashion design & merchandising and fine arts; and
integrate job-embedded instruction by using artist mentors as instructors for some elective courses.
To ensure students’ belief the learning process is one of Creativity and Enlightenment, Westwind will:
integrate reflection and feedback across all aspects of the school since it is critical for actions growth and mastery of student self-agency;
provide explicit instruction and application opportunities of executive function skills and social-emotional skills, which naturally occur in the performance arts; and
design all student work and assessment to act as opportunities for students to learn and grow.
Timmons Arts Foundation, an Arkansas-based non-profit organization, was authorized to open Westwind School for Performing Arts, a new open-enrollment charter school on August 18, 2020. Former Timmons Arts Foundation Executive Director, Theresa Timmons, and Jenn Conner, education consultant, presented their proposal to the Charter Authorizing Panel and received a unanimous approval.