This year, Self Development Academy (SDA) was named the No. 1 Best Charter Elementary School in Arizona and the No. 2 Best Charter Elementary School in America (niche.com).
The SDA school community is quite proud of this accomplishment and recognition. The success is credited to a visionary leader, Dr. Anjum Majeed, as well as dedicated faculty and staff, supportive parents and hardworking, diligent students.
During a time when many issues face the country’s educational system, including funding cuts and teacher shortages, SDA defies the odds and is consistently ranked among the top five schools in the state. SDA administrators, educators and staff, many of whom have been a part of the school community for 10 years or more, have proven that their commitment and dedication to education makes a difference.
In 2000, Dr. Majeed founded SDA after much encouragement from parents desiring a continuation of the advanced and high-level preschool and kindergarten curriculums offered at Self Development Preschool. Since SDA’s opening, the school has grown tremendously, currently consisting of more than 450 students in elementary school and middle school.
“At SDA, student learning is a first priority, and the mission is to create lifelong learners,” stated Mrs. Annmarie Rivera, a SDA faculty member for 11 years. “With our accelerated curriculum, students are challenged each day. The focus on critical thinking and preparing students for high school and college gives me a feeling of gratitude. Many students who have graduated come to visit me often and share their successes.”
At SDA, the students learn a minimum of one grade level ahead of the Arizona state educational standards. Beginning with the kindergarten year, students are academically challenged and high academic expectations are established, all within a nurturing environment. SDA elementary school students obtain a solid foundation in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Students are taught at the mastery level, and the curriculum emphasizes higher level thinking skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving. To ensure the students meet the high academic expectations, the school institutes a small group instructional program referred to as pull-outs.
Many teachers credit the students’ and school’s success to the small group pull-out strategy. Mrs. Jamie Smith, a seven-year veteran of SDA, stated, “…the support that is given by our superintendent, Dr. Majeed, has played a huge role in our school’s ranking because she hires and trains teachers to facilitate pull-outs to support the teachers in the classroom.”
New faculty member, Mr. Donta McGilvery, appreciates the teacher support at SDA. “The support classroom teachers receive by having students pulled out of class in order to receive one-on-one and small group intervention for all subjects is by far the most impactful resource SDA offers,” he said. “It is the reason students at SDA perform extremely well.”
By the time SDA students reach middle school, many are prepared to enroll in Algebra I, Advanced Literature and Advanced Science. During middle school, students have the opportunity to complete Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, Advanced Literature, Science, including Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as Technology and Latin. Many of these courses are not offered until high school.
Students completing eighth grade at SDA are enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement courses upon entering high school. Additionally, many students receive high school credit for courses completed at SDA. This opportunity serves to not only enhance their grade point averages, but also makes them highly competitive students when applying to colleges and universities.
The middle school faculty members play an important role in preparing students for high school and beyond. “As a new teacher, I began my career at SDA,” said middle school faculty member Mrs. Tici Smith. “Five years later, I am still here for a multitude of reasons, the most prominent being the sense of community. At SDA, we have high expectations, not only for students, but also for teachers. Truly, the opportunity to stretch, grow and be challenged while working in a supportive environment is why, five years later, I remain a proud teacher at SDA.”
To learn more about SDA, a public charter school (kindergarten through grade eight), or to schedule a tour, contact the Front Office at (480) 641-2604. Limited spaces are available for the 2017-2018 school year. Enroll now.