Dr. Rosann Sidener
Principal
Scholars
Academy
Ms. Jodi Weinstein Robins
Assistant Principal
Mr. Ramon Patrice
Assistant Principal
Mr. Miguel Flores
Assistant Principal
Mr. Andrew Weiss
Lead Teacher
Your Home at
Miami Beach Senior High
MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH IS A COMPREHENSIVE,
PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT SERVES ALMOST 2000 STUDENTS
•Historically, several academies have provided specialized
instruction to smaller groups of students:
•Scholars Academy
•Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
•Academy of Information Technology
•Research shows that students perform better in smaller
learning communities.
•The existing academies have been extremely popular
institutions at Beach High.
•In 2008-2009, seven new academies will be established
within three “schools within a school.”
THE NEW BEACH HIGH: SCHOOLS WITHIN A SCHOOL
2008-2009
School of Business
and Technical Arts
School of Creative Arts
•Academy of Business,
Management &
Administration
•Academy of Visual &
Performing Arts
•Academy of Hospitality &
Tourism
•Academy of
Communication & Digital
Media
•Academy of Information
Technology
•Academy of Public
Service & Security
•9th Grade Academy
•AVID
•Team Teaching
•Study Skills
•Preparation for Career Academies
School of Liberal Arts
•Academy of Marine &
Environmental Science
•Academy of Foreign
Language & Humanities
•Scholars Academy
•Academy of Education
& Training Services
AVID Implementation:
60 rising freshmen in the 2.0-3.5
GPA range are recruited annually
•
•
•
•
•
•
AVID Elective Class
Tutorials (7:1 ratio)
Cornell Notes
AVID Binder
Study Skills
College Information
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family Workshops
Writing Instruction
Guest Speakers
Study Trips
AVID Site Team
Trained Counselor
Initiating Schoolwide Improvement and
Enhancing “Going to College” Culture
BENEFITS TO AN “ALL ACADEMY MODEL”
AT MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH
Personalized Learning
Environments
Academic
Engagement
of All Students
Empowered
Educators
All youth ready for
college, careers,
and active civic
participation.
Engaged
Community
and Youth
Accountable
Leaders
Integrated System of High Standards, Curriculum,
Instruction, Assessments, and Support
IS THE SCHOLARS ACADEMY
RIGHT FOR YOU?
•Students begin college level,
Advanced Placement
coursework in grade 10.
•Students engage in
professional internships in
grades 11 or 12.
•Students must maintain an
unweighted GPA of 3.0 in the
academic core courses of
Mathematics, Science,
Language Arts and Social
Studies.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES AND EXAMS
•The core curriculum of the Scholars Academy revolves
around Advanced Placement courses and exams.
•AP courses are high school classes that can count for
introductory college coursework when students pass an AP
exam.
•AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5 by The College
Board. Scores of 3 or higher are considered passing, but
many universities require scores of 4 or 5 to earn college
credit.
•AP syllabi must be approved by The College Board,
ensuring that AP courses are taught at the same high level
nationwide.
Scholars Academy students take their first Advanced Placement
course in grade 10, and must enroll in a minimum of two AP courses
in grades 11 and 12.
SUBJECT
GRADE 9
GRADE 10
GRADE 11
GRADE 12
ENGLISH
•Honors English 1
•H Gifted English 1
•Honors English 2
•H Gifted English 2
• AP/G AP English
Language
•Honors English 3
•H Gifted English 3
•AP/G AP
English Lit.
•Honors English 4
•H Gifted English 4
•Honors Geometry
•H Gifted Geometry
•Honors Algebra 2
•H Gifted Algebra 2
• Honors Algebra 2
•H Gifted Algebra 2
• Honors PreCalculus
• Honors PreCalculus
•H Gifted PreCalculus
• AP Calculus AB
•Hon. Calculus
•AP Calculus BC
•AP Statistics
•Honors Biology
•H Gifted Biology
•Honors Chemistry
•H Gifted Chemistry
• Honors Chemistry
•H Gifted
Chemistry
•If Hon. Chem.. in
gr. 9, see
Gr. 11 options .
•AP/ G AP Biology
•AP Chemistry
•Honors Physics
•AP Physics
•H / G Physics
•AP/ G AP Biology
•AP Chemistry
•AP Physics
•Honors World History
•H Gifted World History
•AP/G AP World
History
•AP/ G AP American
History
•Honors American
History
•H Gifted American
History
• AP/G
Govt./Economics
•Honors Govt. /
Economics
•H Gifted
Govt./Economics
MATH
SCIENCE
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Miami Beach
Senior High has
increased access
to its Advanced
Placement
curriculum, while
maintaining a
pass rate above
the Miami-Dade
County Public
Schools average.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMS
AT MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAM
PASS RATE (3,4,5)
60
50
40
MBSH %
30
MDCPS
Average
20
10
0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
In 2007, 35 students at Miami Beach Senior High were
recognized for outstanding achievement on their AP exams.
•18 AP Scholars received scores of 3 or higher on at least
3 AP exams.
•3 AP Scholars with Honor received scores of 3 or higher
on at least 4 AP exams, and received an average score of
3.25 on all exams taken.
•11 AP Scholars with Distinction received scores of 3 or
higher on at least 5 AP exams, and received an average
score of 3.5 on all exams taken.
•4 National AP Scholars received scores of 4 or higher on
at least 8 AP exams, and received an average score of 4
on all exams taken.
•This qualifies for at least 24 college credits!
SELECTED ADVANCED PLACEMENT
SCORES BY SUBJECT AT MBSH (2007)
AP EXAM
Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
English Lang.
English Lit.
Spanish Lang.
Spanish Lit.
# STUDENTS 3,4,5 SCORES
6
66%
28
75%
27
77%
5
100%
56
52%
28
79%
86
94%
20
65%
Miami Beach Senior High
2006-2007
DIVERSITY AT MBSH AND THE
SCHOLARS ACADEMY
4%
White
34%
Black
Hispanic
Other
City of Miami Beach
2005-2006
58%
Scholars Academy
2005-2006
4%
The Scholars Academy does not consider racial /
ethnic categories in the admissions process, yet
its diverse composition is broadly reflective of the
wider school and civic communities.
SCHOLARS
ACADEMY
students perform
at the top of their
class at Miami
Beach Senior
High, and are
competitive
nationally for
college
recruitment
AVERAGE SAT I PERFORMANCE
AT MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH
MBSH SAT I
Verbal
700
600
MBSH SAT I
Math
500
400
300
Scholars
Academy SAT I
Verbal
200
100
0
2003- 2004- 2005- 20062004 2005 2006 2007
Scholars
Academy SAT I
Math
2006-2007 ACT SCORES FOR 86 MBSH STUDENTS
(SCHOLARS AND NON-SCHOLARS)
21
20.5
20
MBSH
19.5
Florida
Average
19
18.5
om
po
si
te
ce
C
Sc
ie
n
g
di
n
ea
R
M
at
h
En
gl
is
h
18
Starting this year, the Miami Beach Senior
High PTA is partnering with Kaplan Test Prep
to offer a free practice SAT and a reduced
rate SAT prep course to MBSH students on
the school’s campus.
Scholars Academy graduates
have been accepted at:
Yale, U Penn, Harvard, USC, Emory,
U Chicago, Princeton, Georgetown,
Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, MIT,
Purdue, Beloit, Fordham, Georgia Tech,
Swarthmore, Wisconsin, New College,
U Florida, Smith, NYU, Santa Clara,
Tulane, Hampshire, Bucknell, Boston College,
Lehigh, Hampton, FSU, Johns Hopkins,
Wash U, U Miami, U Michigan, USF,
Loyola NO, Drexel, Hartford, St. John’s,
Suffolk, U Texas, George Washington, Barry,
MDC Honors College, Pratt Institute, NC State,
Bowling Green State, Boston University
SCHOLARS ACADEMY ADMISSIONS AND RETENTION:
•The Scholars Academy has historically accepted 25 gifted
and 25 non-gifted rising freshmen each year.
•Once students matriculate into the program, they are
required to maintain an unweighted GPA of 3.0 in the
academic core courses of Mathematics, Science,
Language Arts and Social Studies.
•Students whose GPAs fall below the minimum standards
are placed on Academic Probation, and are expected to
meet minimum standards by the end of one year or exit the
program.
•A small number of students exit each year because of
family relocation or poor academic performance, opening
up spaces for high achieving sophomores and juniors.
Frequently
Asked
Questions:
FAQ: When will construction at Miami
Beach Senior High be finished?
A: The wing that is currently going up on
Prairie Ave is slated to open in January,
2008. The 100, 200 and 300 wings will then
be demolished and the 400 wing will become
a temporary cafeteria. Final construction of
the new campus will be completed by the end
of 2009.
FAQ: How large are classes within the
Scholars Academy?
A: Core academic classes in the Freshman
and Sophomore years have approximately 25
students. As students diverge into specialized
Advanced Placement courses, especially in
upper level mathematics and science, class
sizes often shrink.
FAQ: What is the cutoff for admission to
the Scholars Academy?
A: We require that students have at least a
3.0 GPA to enroll in the Scholars Academy.
However, simply having the minimum GPA
does not guarantee acceptance. We also
consider the strength of teacher
recommendations and the student writing
sample. Ultimately, there will be a minimum
cutoff above 3.0, but it will depend upon the
size and quality of the admissions pool.
FAQ: Why do you only accept 50 students?
A: It is easier to build out our classes in
approximate multiples of 25, which is the
number of high school students that generates
a new class. The number could ultimately be
smaller if fewer than 50 qualified applications
come in, or it could potentially be larger if 75
qualified applications come in. However, it is
difficult to work with 54 or 77 students. It is our
goal to expand the Scholars Academy over the
next several years without lowering our
admissions standards.
FAQ: How competitive is admission to the
Scholars Academy?
A: We are expecting to receive a larger
number of applications this year, and are
currently exploring the possibility of opening a
third section of the Scholars Academy. The
exact number at which we would open a third
section will ultimately depend on the size and
quality of this year’s applicant pool, but we
will do our best to accept qualified applicants
without lowering standards.
FAQ: Why are Scholars Academy
applications numbered as they come in?
A: As long as completed applications are
received prior to the February 14 deadline, they
will all be given equal weight in the first round of
admissions. The only point at which early
applications are given priority is in the event
that we need to create a waitlist. Unadmitted
applicants will be notified on March 3, and
qualified applications will be placed on a waitlist
in the order of their arrival.
FAQ: What if my child is not accepted into
the Scholars Academy?
A: Every year, some students who are offered
admission to the Scholars Academy ultimately
decide to enroll in a specialized magnet school,
and others elect to enroll in private school. In
the event that we are not able to accept every
student who meets our minimum qualifications,
we will develop a wait list and notify families of
their standing on the list. Every year, some
students exit the program, and we accept reapplications in the 10th and 11th grades.
FAQ: Are students currently taking
Geometry and Biology given admissions
priority over students currently enrolled in
Algebra and Earth/Space Science?
A: We accept rising freshman who are
currently taking all of these courses. Students
who are graduating from private middle
schools are not penalized for differences in
curricular alignment, although they may be
asked to take extra coursework at MBSH or
the Florida Virtual School to catch up.
FAQ: Who should my child ask for
recommendations?
A: We look forward to reading
recommendations from teachers who are in
the best position to judge the student’s current
core academic performance. Usually this is an
8th grade Mathematics or Language Arts
teacher. If a student’s current core academic
teachers are unable give an informed
recommendation, others will be accepted with
good reason.
FAQ: Where do I go for more information?
A: Point your web browser to
http://scholarsacademy.wordpress.com and
enter your email address to sign up for our
email list.
Contact Andy Weiss with any questions:
aweiss@dadeschools.net
Phone:
Fax:
305.532.4515, ext 2235
305.531-9209
FAQ: How can I visit Miami Beach Senior
High?
A: We will be announcing an Open House
event very soon, and are currently conducting
classroom tours at 8:00 AM on Thursdays that
fall on “A” days (12/6, 12/30, 1/17, 1/31, 2/7). If
you are interested in visiting Miami Beach
Senior High, sign up by entering your contact
information at:
http://scholarsacademy.wordpress.com/schedule-a-tour/
We will contact you to confirm.
FAQ: How can I get an application?
A: Point your web browser to
http://scholarsacademy.files.wordpress.com/20
07/11/sa-application-08-09-1.pdf
You can return the paper copy to room 725 in
person, send it by interoffice mail to location
7201, or mail it to:
MBSH Scholars Academy
Attn: Andrew Weiss
2231 Prairie Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Dr. Rosann Sidener
Principal
Scholars
Academy
Ms. Jodi Weinstein Robins
Assistant Principal
Mr. Ramon Patrice
Assistant Principal
Mr. Miguel Flores
Assistant Principal
Mr. Andrew Weiss
Lead Teacher
Your Home at
Miami Beach Senior High