My family was extremely disappointed that the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) voted to deny Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons (ACAF) at the board meeting on January 22. My family was so excited about having this classical option in Boulder.
BVSD says they welcome a diversity of learning options, and this is the option that we personally have been following for well over a year now. We currently homeschool using a Classical model and if BVSD had voted to approve ACAF, this would have allowed us to enroll our children into our local public school program.
I am a second-generation Mexican-American and we strongly believe in the benefits of a classical curriculum. I personally taught our children to read and spell through the Riggs Phonics program which Ascent also implements with great success. There is nothing that I have seen curriculum-wise that matches the depth and breadth of the Riggs Institute. There are 73 phonemes that children learn which doubles as an excellent reading as well as spelling program. This is a huge benefit for any student, and especially those learning English as a second language. I can firmly say that both of my children were early readers due to this method and I strongly believe that all children can, and should, have the benefit and access of this excellent program.
We have toured GoldenView Classical Academy in Golden and were extremely impressed with their version of the classical model and the overall rigor of the school. Since BVSD claims to value academic rigor, ACAF would have been an extremely valuable addition to the public school offerings. It is our greatest hope that the Colorado State Board of Education will vote to approve ACAF on February 14th at the state board appeal.
Jennifer