Enrichment

Baden Academy is committed to offering an enriching educational experience for all our students. As a charter school, we have a specific mission to use the visual and performing arts as a foundation for creative and meaningful learning, and to highlight scientific inquiry as a way to promote critical thinking skills.

In addition to our core academic curriculum that is enhanced through arts integration, we offer weekly classes in art, music, instrumental music, and theater; all of our students receive Spanish classes beginning in Kindergarten; and we offer unique experiences for learning through our school’s Media Lab. This means all our students are exposed to multiple ways of thinking and learning.

By valuing and prioritizing enrichment programs from an early age, Baden Academy shows a commitment to promoting children’s academic growth, social development, and emotional health.

We encourage you to read through the categories under this tab for more details.

Media Lab

Baden Academy’s Media Lab, founded and run by a local organization called Grow a Generation, offers a truly unique environment for our students. Classroom teachers work directly with the Media Lab’s director to provide educational opportunities for their students, and many of our teachers take on specific projects with the Media Lab as part of their own professional development.

Our Media Lab has supported students’ interests in everything from space exploration and environmental sustainability, to animal protection, human rights, global issues, and technology.

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Gifted & Talented

Although a student’s measured intellectual ability plays an important part in the evaluation of gifted eligibility, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (as indicated in Chapter 16 laws and regulations) states that a student’s IQ score should not be the sole criteria for identifying a student as being in need of gifted education.

Therefore, Baden Academy determines eligibility based on the student having an IQ of at least 130, teacher recommendations, and the presence of at least two of the following:

The student is working a grade level ahead on the KBIT assessment.
The student scores in the 97th percentile or above on school-wide assessments.
The student receives an advanced score on the PSSA assessment.
We can observe or measure a rate of acquisition/retention of new academic content or skills that indicates the student is significantly advanced than same-aged peers.
A consideration of other factors that may mask gifted ability in the decision-making process, including recognition of factors such as English as a second language, learning disability, physical impairment, emotional disability, or social or cultural deprivation.