Academics

Every student has a different learning style. Purpose Academy aims to offer families in the community a biblically-based curriculum, delivered by teachers and staff who love God and are dedicated to Christian Education. Students learn from a model of serving and loving so that they will develop Christian character and function as part of the body of Christ. Psalm 139:16 states that every moment of life was ordained before one came to be. At Purpose Academy we desire to encourage students in their middle school years to grow in knowing their identity as a child of God, so they can pursue the purpose and plan He has for them.

Tutoring: We are committed to doing what is needed to support our students in attaining all they can academically. If your son or daughter is behind academically, he/she will have opportunities to participate in additional academic remediation outside of the regular school day in order to be equipped for success moving forward. If your student is advanced, additional challenges and resources will keep him/her engaged at that most appropriate level. At Purpose Academy, we are committed to your sons and daughters.

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God…” 
1 Corinthians 6:20

 

We understand that each student is special. Each of us is a created being, designed by God with unique gifts and talents. Before we were formed in the womb, God knew all our days and destined our life purpose and plan.  Realizing these individual gifts and talents as God-given sets a foundation upon which our students will establish their identities and determine the steps necessary to journey toward their particular destinies.

 

“For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully make; your works are wonderful, 
I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:13-14

 

Mentoring and Service Opportunities

The Purpose Academy experience features students embedded among godly, talented role models. Students learn and serve alongside members of our faculty and staff so as to promote their understanding of their role in the body of Christ. Each person functions to contribute to the whole child, resulting in Kingdom impact for the present and future. Students are prayerfully placed in a Christ-centered setting where a community of learners develops. Within this community lessons are learned, friendships are established, and worldviews are formed. This all comes together to create a one-of-a-kind experience at Purpose Academy.

 

Curriculum

SCHOOL-WIDE CURRICULUM GOALS

  • To know Jesus Christ personally as Lord and Savior

  • To think critically and be able to problem solve as lifelong learners

  • To ask questions and have meaningful discussions

  • To communicate effectively by building healthy relationships that encourage Christlike behavior with family, friends and community

  • To live a healthy lifestyle that honors God

  • To discover academic gifts and use God-given talents for His glory

  • To use technology wisely in a manner that is appropriate and enhances communication skills

  • To apply a biblical worldview to all areas of life and learning

LANGUAGE ART

Bob Jones University (BJU) curriculum reinforces sentence structure and the parts of speech. Application of the writing process develops into personal narratives, newspaper editorials, historical fiction, and essay writing. Students read several novels, which include strategies for reading informational texts as well as understanding and interpreting story structure.

  • Spelling activities target mastery of dictionary skills, examine Greek and Latin word roots, and provide competence in literary elements, higher-level thinking skills and vocabulary development.

  • Science topics include: cells, organisms, heredity, and the human immune and nervous systems. A science fair project demonstrates a student’s knowledge of the scientific process.

Institute for Excellence in Writing

The writing and communication focus of this curriculum provides students with the skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively. Through the process of learning to write well, students learn how to think clearly and express themselves eloquently and persuasively.

Social Studies:

Bob Jones University (BJU) Social Studies curriculum provides students an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge of American and World history through critical thinking and interactive activities. The materials are written from a Christian perspective and students see what God’s standards are through historical figures. Whether historical figures succeeded or failed, students are able to learn from the choices they made and the impact of those choices. BJU resources also prepare students to be outstanding citizens by helping them understand the past to make sense of the present.

Science:

PA implements the BJU Science curriculum as it offers a Bible-based approach. The lessons are rich in hands-on learning through labs and activities. Students are able to think about modern scientific issues, such as cancer, pollution, and energy, and practice “creation” problem-solving skills.

Reading:

i-Ready Reading is an assessment and instruction program that guides teachers to reach their students with the best lessons and strategies to help them learn and grow in their reading and comprehension abilities. iReady provides instruction driven by data that is differentiated to student needs and tailors assessments to track learning gains. i-Ready identifies and reports student areas of strength and opportunity. Instruction is differentiated based on these areas, and progress is tracked to tailor learning appropriately. As a result, students can succeed in mastering state and national standards. iReady motivates students to succeed in the ways that work best for them.

Math:

Ready and i-Ready Math compliment each other to help teachers instill real-world problem-solving skills in their students by building on previous knowledge. The curriculum helps students reach Florida Standards through various activities and training that promotes effective learning, practical application, and conceptual understanding. Through teacher-led, online individual and small group instruction, students are able to acquire mathematical understanding that they carry with them to future grades. The program supports educators, and educators encourage students to succeed in many areas including reasoning and problem solving skills.

Curriculum & Technology:

In traditional schools, academic content is presented in like manner to all students and commonly results in few students understanding it to a level of mastery. This means more students understand it a little, and some students may not understand it at all. At Purpose Academy, we understand that students are best served when supported in their understanding and application of academic content.  After extensive research, Purpose Academy features innovative, technology-based curriculum to initiate learning for the whole child. 

Support is customized to each student’s learning and holistic needs to ensure success with a challenging curriculum. Much of the academic instruction at Purpose Academy is computer based. This creates great opportunities for professionally certified teachers and mentors to invest their time helping ensure that every student understands the academic content by checking comprehension and responding appropriately when students need content to be presented again or with a different approach, strategy, or learning style.

 

“The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15

 

Electives

Music: Students have the opportunity to grow and exercise their musical gifts and talents. Music education consists of a variety of activities to develop choral singing, creating music and much more. 

“Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.”
Psalm 33:3

 

Character Development: To develop the whole child in the areas of responsibility, integrity, perseverance, character, and love— to name a few. Students develop these qualities as they begin to use them. In every pursuit we strive toward excellence, refining and improving character in our daily life. 

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1

 

Leadership: As we partner with OneHope Ministries our students will learn how to make a positive impact on the next generation through a leadership training program designed for teens and tweens to develop character, leadership competencies, and focusing on the value of people to help make our world a better place.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19

 

Art: Creativity gives us a glimpse of who God is. We believe in developing students’ creative gifts by providing opportunities for a fun environment where students can freely express themselves artistically. Artistic skills and methods are taught, and students are encouraged to use their creativity in many different ways.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk with them.”
Ephesians 2:10

 

Educational Philosophy & Values

Philosophy of Student Discipline

Discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules and/or a code of behavior.

In addition to providing an authentically caring environment for our students, our learning environment also displays and applies biblical principles of student discipline. Our philosophy of student discipline is expressed in principles from Hebrews 12:4-14. 

“In your struggle against sin… have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he disciplines you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all…” 

God’s Word considers discipline a necessary element in raising up godly men and women. Our students are expected to walk rightly, avoiding activities and refraining from behaviors that are wrong. 

  “…God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

 Our educators and mentors purposefully teach students the biblical principle of discipline as a necessary part of learning and growing into the men and women God has destined each to become. At Purpose Academy, we emphasize the redeeming aspect that discipline is a genuine expression of our commitment to the students and families, and to God’s best and highest plans for their lives.

 

Social-Emotional Learning

Social-emotional competence is an essential, innovative dimension of Purpose Academy and comes in the form of intentional support that our families receive. One facet of that support is social and emotional learning with an emphasis of teaching and mentoring. Social-emotional competence is comprised of social and emotional skills that all people need to succeed despite the very real challenges and stressors that are part of life in this world. Social-emotional competence involves handling one’s emotions and understanding others’ emotions as we interact and pursue our personal and professional goals.

Social and emotional competencies include self-control, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and confidence in one’s ability to succeed. Research indicates these skills are powerful distinguishers between those who succeed in school- and later in adult life- from those who do not. A study by Marchesi and Cook (2012) presents that social and emotional skills improve academic performance by promoting deeper understanding of academic content, improving the capability for learning from others, and increasing persistence with academic tasks (1). Pellegrino and Hilton (2012) present that three domains intersect and interact to produce academic, social, and emotional learning: the cognitive domain (the thinking and reasoning skills long emphasized in schools), the intrapersonal domain (mindsets and skills associated with self-management), and the interpersonal domain (skills needed to effectively navigate social contexts.  The integration of all three domains are necessary for students to learn best. (2)

At Purpose Academy, we model these, and then purposefully teach them to our students throughout their time at the school using lessons and activities researched to be effective. The emphasis on social and emotional learning empowers Purpose Academy students to perceive opportunities to achieve, set challenging goals, devise courses of action toward goal attainment, exhibit resilience in the face of adversity, enlist support from others, and persist with challenges until they ultimately experience success (3),(4). The stronger one’s sense of self-efficacy, the higher one can soar emotionally, relationally, and vocationally. Teachers and mentors at Purpose Academy intentionally edify and safeguard students’ social-emotional competence in service to our fundamental, overarching goals: 

  • maximizing students’ learning

  • cultivating student cognitive development and emotional wellbeing

  • equipping students to engage positively with others in school and society.

The dignity and care students and parents receive at Purpose Academy is a demonstration of the emphasis on social and emotional learning. This emphasis is also reflected in the sensitivity and responsiveness that characterizes teachers’ and mentors’ interactions with our students and parents. How we treat one another is based in the principle of Father God’s love for us, and the great plans He has for every student and family at Purpose Academy. As we apply these principles in purposeful community together, we cultivate positive classroom culture and increased levels of social and emotional skills in the students, families, teachers and mentors who comprise our Purpose Academy community.  

 

(1) Marchesi, A. G., & Cook, K. (2012). Social and emotional learning as a catalyst for academic excellence. White paper. ICF International. 

(2) Pellegrino, J. W., & Hilton, M. L. (Eds.). (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 

(3) Saarni, C. (1999). The development of emotional competence. New York: The Guilford Press. 

(4) Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior(pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press.