One of the biggest complaints we hear from educators and parents alike is that students are not taught how to apply their education to real-world settings.

Another problem we see happening among teenagers is a trend toward disconnectedness. With the onslaught of social media on top of pandemic practices that demanded distance, students are now more disconnected than ever.

After many hours spent dreaming and consulting with incredible educators and administrators, we are thrilled to introduce Team Project-Based Learning as one of the key components of our 7th-12th program.

What is Team Project-Based Learning?

At the start of the school year, students will be placed in small groups (teams). Our director will meet with each team to learn their interests and passions and will choose a challenging real-world project that facilitates learning while making an impact on our community or world. 

Our director then will pull units from accredited curricula to build a custom project-based learning class that will earn elective credit toward graduation. Students will learn the curriculum while simultaneously applying it to real-life experiences.

Teams will meet daily with the director to learn, design, and implement their project. The director will, at times, bring in field experts to teach specialized areas pertaining to the project. While each student will learn all the pieces of the curriculum the director has designed, each student plays a different role and is responsible for different parts of the project. Each student will work on his or her part and will provide updates to the team, sharing what he or she has learned. As the director guides the team, team members must work together and hold one another accountable for their responsibilities to achieve the success of their project.

At the end of each year, The Compass Academy invites parents and community members in to hear the student teams present their projects. 

Team Project-Based learning takes place each year, with curriculum changing and increasing in challenge level and role responsibility as students progress through our program.