Capitol Hill Reminders

Capitol Hill Highlights

Academic Program

The School

César Chávez Public Charter School for Public Policy was founded on the vision of developing young people who will make this country a better place by influencing public policies that affect their communities. The first school opened in September 1998 with 60 ninth graders and continued to add a grade each year. With its recent relocation to the Capitol Hill community, the school has now reached its full capacity of 400 students in grades nine through twelve. The founding high school graduated its first class of seniors in 2002.

Chávez Schools are free and open to all District students. Our students represent the diversity of Washington, DC.

The Faculty

The Chávez Capitol Hill Campus currently employs 42 full-time teachers. The student-faculty ratio is 10 to 1, average class size is 20.

The Curriculum

All Chávez students are held to high academic standards that will prepare them for college. The Chávez curriculum is aligned with DCPS standards and evolved from the Modern Red Schoolhouse plan. The curriculum integrates the DCPS standards with national standards in core subjects (such as those of the National Council of Teachers of English and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), and is designed to ensure that students achieve or exceed grade level content and standardized test expectations, graduate from high school, and are prepared for college.

All students are expected to demonstrate mastery of core academic material in English, history/politics, science, and public policy as well as competency in a foreign language, health, and art. Double classes in English reading and writing are requirements for ninth graders; ESL instructors focus on non-English speakers; and IEPs and Resource teachers support students with special needs. For accelerated students, Chávez offers AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP History, and AP Computer Science courses. All students take standardized tests such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT; are required to research and select college preferences during their junior year; and are expected to gain acceptance to at least one college or university.

A typical class schedule for students consists of: math, science, English, history, and a foreign language. However, for some students with special needs, these courses were replaced and/or supplemented with reading or ESL courses.

Graduation Requirements

The overall mission of the Chávez School is to prepare young people for college and to teach them the skills necessary to making change in their communities. We expect all students to graduate from the school with at least one college acceptence. In order to be adequately prepared to move on to college, we require all students to earn a minimum of 21.5 credits. The following courses are required for graduation:

• 4 credits of English
• 4 credits of Mathematics
• 3 credits of Science
• 3 credits of History & Politics
• 3 credits of World Languages
• 1 credit of Art
• 1 credit of Senior Thesis
• 1 credit of Public Policy Fellowship

In addition to the satisfactory completion of regular academic coursework, a variety of compulsory activities such as tutoring, summer enrichment programs, college and career preparation workshops, and student portfolios are also required.

Grading

The Chávez School gives A, B, C, and F grades. Students must earn a grade average of 70% or higher to receive credit for any given course at Chávez. We do not award “D” grades. Grades lower than 70% are “F” grades. Students who earn grade averages between 70% and 79% are awarded “C” grades, students who earn grade averages between 80% and 89% are awarded “B” grades, and students who earn grade averages between 90% and 100% are awarded “A” grades. “Plus” and “minus” denotations are awarded within each grade range.

Promotion Requirements

Students a classified as members of the 9th-12th grade through the following requirements:

To be a Sophomore:

• at least 4.5 total credits
• passed English 1
• passed Integrated Math 1

To be a Junior:

• at least 10 total credits
• passed English 2
• passed Integrated Math 2
• passed 1 credit of Science
• passed 1 credit of History
• passed 1 credit of Foreign Language

To be a Senior:

• at least 15.5 total credits
• passed English 3
• passed Integrated Math 3
• passed 2 credits of Science
• passed 2 credits of History
• passed 2 credits of Foreign Language

To Graduate:

• at least 21.5 total credits
• passed 4 credits of English
• passed 4 credits of Math
• passed 3 credits of Science
• passed 3 credits of History
• passed 3 credits of Foreign Language
• passed 1 credit of Art
• passed .25 credit of Public Policy Fellowship
• passed Public Policy Thesis

 

Typical Course Sequence

9th Grade

• English 1
• Integrated Mathematics 1
• Foundations in Public Policy
• Physical Science
• Reading/Writing Workshop
• Visual Art
• 9th Grade Capstone (June)

10th Grade

• English 2
• Integrated Mathematics 2
• Modern World History
• Biology
• Foreign Language 1
• Public Policy (1 semester)
• Health (1 semester)
• Community Action Project (June)

11th Grade

• English 3
• Integrated Mathematics 3
• Politics
• Chemistry
• Foreign Language 2
• Elective
• Public Policy Fellowship (June)

12th Grade

• English 4
• Integrated Mathematics 4
• Public Policy Thesis
• Foreign Lanugage 3
• Elective

 

College Preparation

The College and Career Preparatory Program began in 2000 to provide comprehensive support services that ensure all our students are prepared both academically and mentally for college and professional careers. This school year, both campuses?the founding Chávez High School and the new Chávez Middle and High School?moved into new, permanent facilities, thanks in part to the support of Building Hope?A Charter School Facilities Fund, which selected Chávez for our academic and organizational success. With these new facilities, we were able to expand to serve more students, growing from 470 students in total this year to nearly 1,100 students next school year. This resulted in expanding our College and Career Prep Program and hiring College Counselors and Public Policy Directors for both campuses so that more DC students receive the level of education they need to fulfill their college and career dreams.

The four components of the program are:

1. The College and Career Exposure component exposes Chávez students to the colleges experience through one-on-one college counseling; visits to colleges and universities; participating in college fairs; after school tutoring/mentoring through College Bounds; presentations from Chávez alumni; an early college awareness program for freshman and sophomores; and workshops on financial aid and the application process. In addition to student services, this component also exposes parents to the college process (for many of the Chávez parents, this will be their first time undergoing the college experience). Chávez schedules four formal parent meetings throughout the school year: One-on-one meetings in the summer time with the parents of the rising seniors to discuss the college process, a group meeting in the fall to provide information on financial aid, an end of school year meeting with parents of the graduating seniors to discuss strategies for staying in college, and a meeting in the winter with parents of freshman and sophomores to explore possible summer programs. Both students and parents can schedule individual meetings with the college counselors throughout the year.
2. The SAT Preparation course provides structured time for students to practice and prepare for the SAT tests, which can be a defining factor in students acceptance to college.
3. The Junior Internship Program requires all juniors to complete a full-time, three-week, intensive academic fellowship in a public policy organization. During the semester prior to the fellowships, students participate in weekly workshops that prepare students to enter the workforce and teach them the behavior and etiquette that is appropriate in a professional setting. At the placement site, students work on a specific public policy project, honing their research skills. In addition to gaining further exposure to the field of public policy, students also gain important professional skills including resume writing, interviewing, adapting to the expectations of the workplace, accepting supervision, priority setting and time management. In order to complete their fellowship requirement, students must write an essay and make a presentation to outside public policy professionals describing their work at their host organization.
4. Summer College Prep Program is an intensive, mandatory four-week program that allows rising seniors to focus solely on skills needed to gain acceptance to and succeed in college. Key areas covered during the summer program include college application refinements, essay writing, public speaking, interview skills, financial aid, and college visits.