Alameda Science and Technology Institute

The Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) is an Early College High School in Alameda, California.

School description

Alameda Science and Technology Institute is located on College of Alameda campus in Alameda's West End neighborhood. First opened in 2004, ASTI is a collaboration between Alameda Unified School District and the College of Alameda. ASTI was planned and conceived as a small high school providing a rigorous college preparatory curriculum to students living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Students earn two years of college credit during their junior and senior years. The ASTI program actively implements project-centered learning and inquiry-based instruction in a teamwork setting, resulting in interdisciplinary work that spans the major content areas.

Physical plant

Originally located in an abandoned upholstery shop at the College of Alameda, this year ASTI installed the last of seven modular buildings, achieving autonomy as a high school co-located on a college campus. In 2007-2008, ASTI created a new science lab classroom and new technology lab.

About the school

As an Early College High School, Alameda Science and Technology Institute is unique in its approach to secondary education. One of the very first Early College High Schools in California to receive funding through a grant made available by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others, ASTI's funding intermediaries are the Foundation for California Community Colleges and Jobs for the Future. Students at ASTI are provided a rigorous college preparatory curriculum in grades 9 and 10 before then enrolling full-time at the College of Alameda in a prescribed ASTI Course of Study that configures dual enrollment in such a manner as to satisfy California and AUSD high school graduation requirements while simultaneously allowing ASTI students to earn up to two years of community college transfer credits, thus saving students and their families up to two years of college time and college costs.

Governance structure

AUSD and ASTI staff cooperate jointly to help direct the program, working closely with a College Liaison who serves as a Dean at the community college. ASTI administrators and faculty have worked closely with College of Alameda stakeholders to develop an ASTI Advisory Committee that meets quarterly to review school progress and address concerns. This Advisory Committee includes the President of the College of Alameda as well as the Vice President of Student Services. In this manner, these stakeholders work together to facilitate successful college enrollment of ASTI upperclassmen once they complete rigorous preliminary college preparatory coursework. Moreover, this collaboration has resulted this year in English faculty from both institutions working closely together to align their curricula and create a summer bridge program for students about to enter their first year of full-time college enrollment with ASTI support.

State and district requirements

Alameda Science and Technology has defined an "ASTI Course of Study" that aligns Alameda Unified School District and State of California graduation requirements with the requirements of the College of Alameda required for transfer to four-year universities. ASTI emphasizes a freshman and sophomore core curriculum that supports student preparation for college preparation through enrollment in courses that concentrate on transfer of skills in reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking. As such, ASTI freshmen are enrolled in classes in Speaking in grade 9 as well as Composition in grades 9 and 10 to help prepare them for the literacy requirements of success in college. ASTI ensures all students are involved in challenging learning experiences through its deliberate focus on rigorous and accelerated instruction in a well-defined academic course of study. The ASTI curriculum explicitly provides for reinforcement of literacy in areas that are crucial to college success: through its concentration on writing and speaking, ASTI prepares its students with the skills necessary to promote college-level language production and content presentation. Students are involved in a strand of interdisciplinary projects that align disparate subject areas: in this manner, ASTI teachers scaffold and structure student learning experiences to consciously aim at individual assignments and group projects of increasing difficulty and progressing complexity.

Teaching methods

ASTI teachers use a variety of strategies and resources to actively engage students and emphasize higher-order thinking skills. Teachers are provided with weekly collaboration and common planning time that is used to identify individual student learning strengths and challenges. ASTI has made a commitment to embed computer technology and media literacy into its curriculum and instruction. Previously, students only had access to laptop computers that are accessible to the classrooms from a portable cart. This year, ASTI finalized its dream of building a dedicated state-of-the-art technology lab as well as a science lab to match its theme-based emphases on science and technology.

Assessment

ASTI participates in all the state-mandated standardized assessments, including the California Standards Tests (CSTs) and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). ASTI students are also assessed using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests in the areas of Reading and Mathematics. MAP testing software and training are provided through support provided by ASTI's intermediary Jobs for the Future, and MAP is a value-added assessment system created by NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) to provide dynamic student achievement data that is further disaggregated by staff to provide a cycle of inquiry to promote school improvement and identify academic support needed in order for students to access ASTI's accelerated curriculum.

Community involvement

Though only in its fourth year of operation, ASTI has created many entry points for parents and the community to become involved. In 2007 ASTI formed its PTSA, the first in the Peralta PTSA district to have a student president and majority student leadership. ASTI PTSA has already facilitated various events which have brought students, staff, and parents together for informal conversation and community building. Recently, it was brought to the PTSA and School Site Council's attention that the school needed beautification. A mural project was designed and funds allocated. This project connected students to a world-renowned Bay Area community mural group known as Precita Eyes and allowed students to collaborate with parents and teachers in creating a mural for the ASTI campus. Like all ASTI endeavors, this work was collective; spearheaded by teacher leadership, the mural project provided students with the opportunity to establish their identity as an autonomous learning community on College of Alameda campus.

API Performance

ASTI has the highest API out of all the Public High schools in Alameda Unified School District.

References

1. ↑ http://api.cde.ca.gov/reports/API/APISearchName.asp?cTopic=API&clevel=School&cName=01611190106401

External links

• Alameda Unified School District
• College of Alameda

Coordinates: 37°46′54″N 122°16′49″W / 37.78178°N 122.28027°W / 37.78178; -122.28027