Student Experience
Student Experience
Students may join ASE-offered clubs which include, Art, Business Professionals of America, Chess, E-Sports, Pride, Space, and Student Council. Students may also participate in all athletic teams and extracurricular clubs at their districted school, Bloomington North or Bloomington South.
The ASE program focuses on career and college readiness, providing opportunities for internships and exploration of pathways in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Arts, and Entrepreneurship. Our community partners contribute by offering career development experiences, shadowing opportunities, and internships that relate to important academic and career standards.
The Academy is an answer to the dramatic advance of technologies and the way people communicate through digital devices and computer networks. Students learn to be better equipped to tackle real-world problems and tasks. Rather than learning through traditional classroom instruction, students learn the same core academics, such as science, history, and English, through authentic project-based applications. This type of instruction not only ensures that students are gaining the content knowledge that is needed, but also the 21st-century skills necessary to be successful in life after high school.
Project-Based Learning, Early College, and 21st Century Skills
Project Based Learning
We learn best when we encounter authentic topics and people in real-world situations and when we are faced with genuine challenges, choices, and responsibility for our learning. Project-based learning (PBL) engages students in authentic projects that solve real problems in the community around them. PBL classes not only require students to learn traditional high school content, but then also provides students with opportunities to gain knowledge and mastery through application and experiences. In order to do this, students, teachers and classes partner with community members, businesses and organizations.
21st Century Skills
At The Academy, we develop the skills, knowledge and dispositions for students to be successful in life after high school. We nurture intellectual curiosity, innovative thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking, resiliency and determination. In commitment to this, students are evaluated on our five School-Wide Learning Outcomes:
Agency: Students will develop a growth mindset and take ownership over learning.
Collaboration: Students will demonstrate cooperation, leadership, and the ability to compromise. Students are evaluated based on their team cooperation and the development of these skills.
Written Communication: Students recognize and employ the appropriate writing style based upon academic content and audience. This grade reflects the student's ability to adapt to the conventions of various writing genres, as well as demonstrating proficiency in basic writing mechanics such as spelling, grammar, and organization.
Oral Communication: This grade reflects students’ ability to present in front of both small and large groups. Key skills include voice projection, pace, composure, eye contact, professional language and vocabulary, and creativity. Students will be active listeners for peer, faculty, and special presentations.
Knowledge & Thinking: This outcome reflects students content knowledge in each subject area and course.
Early College Experiences
We know not everyone needs to go to a four-year college to be successful, but we do know the right education and training prepares students for success in the workplace and life. We are committed to providing students with opportunities to take college courses that lead to the completion of certifications and degrees in a variety of fields.
At The Academy students can get college credit by taking dual credit courses and courses on a college campus like Ivy Tech or Indiana University. Dual credit courses are courses taught by Academy teachers on the Academy’s campus and students earn both high school and college credit for the course. Most of these courses are offered for free or a minimal cost.
By providing students with early college experiences while in high school, we can provide students with an affordable way to get a head start on college-level coursework and we can support their transition to and success in the rigor of college-level courses.
In partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University, students can earn numerous college credits as part of their high school diploma. They also have the opportunity to explore select career pathways in Engineering (STEM), Entrepreneurship & Business, Computer Science (Informatics), Life Science (BioMed), and Digital Arts & Media.