The mission and vision of Noble Academy are embedded into the day-to-day activities. The mission is to provide quality, relevant and multicultural education for all students. The unique framework is relevancy, which is a critical component for the learning process if and when the students can build their prior knowledge. Learning makes more sense and is more connected when students can relate to the content and/or topics being taught. The school will serve students in the metro areas.
Noble Academy focuses on the following cornerstones surrounding the educational philosophy of the school: A rigorous educational program focusing on core content areas and standards mandated by the state of Minnesota in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies
Hmong Heritage (native) language and culture
Responsive classroom/social curriculum
State of-the-Art Technology
We believe that each student will reach his/her highest potential through an educational program guiding upon their learning styles, language development, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds. Each student will be able to identify with their own culture and its invaluable significance, resulting in the knowledge of who they are, where they come from, and ultimately developing them into social and academic maturity in today's society.
In addition to infusing our mission and vision into our daily activities, we have also adopted three primary design elements. First, we set high expectations for ourselves, students, and our communities by allowing children to be all that they can be. This design element is met by having high expectations for all of our students and by providing content area learning through quality teaching.
The second design element at Noble Academy is the use of multiple assessments. We utilize a balanced system of authentic, formative, and summative assessments aligned to standards to diagnose the needs of our students. Assessment information is also used to help teachers plan next steps in instruction and provide learners with descriptive feedback they can then use to improve the quality of their work.
Combining the 2010-2011 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment results across all grades tested with the NWEA, shows that Noble Academy students are making tremendous academic gains.
The third design element is the incorporation of Hmong Literacy, Bilingual Education, and Hmong Culture Studies into the curriculum. Our students receive strong daily support in the first language and cultural literacy. Our goal is to develop well-rounded individuals with respect for cultural backgrounds and traditions.
The staff at Noble Academy believe that “all” children can and will learn if provided the right environment and support. We expect nothing but the very best from each and every child, every single day, starting with day one. Using the Responsive Classroom philosophy, we have clear, succinct procedures to ensure that every second of learning is justly guarded. From teacher-to-teacher the focus is the implementation of clear procedures with the focus on student learning and consistency.
In addition to clear and consistent procedures, we believe in creating a culture where not only students thrive but staff as well. Through the concept of professional learning communities, the gift of time is embedded in the school day for teachers to meet regularly to talk about student learning. Teachers use this time to develop common assessments, progress monitoring strategies for their departments, and align district/state standards—all while keeping their focus on the four essential questions:
Content: What is it I want students to learn?
Assessment: How will I know when my students have learned the content?
Intervention: What will I do when students are not getting it?
Acceleration: How do I motivate advanced students who learn quickly?
One of our goals is to align all resources in the building to help us achieve our site goals of improving Reading and Math. Staff development training, teachers’ professional development plans, and daily lesson plans from across disciplines are mindful of supporting our site goals. Our philosophy is that, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We believe that we must all do our part to sustain greatness.
