The Ignitia curriculum contains a wide variety of projects and activities that can be used to augment courses.  In addition, our high school teacher will evaluate each course and develop an individualized learning plan for every student, working with that student to identify learning opportunities that will qualify a course to receive designation as an “honors-level” course.

Advanced Placement (AP) credit is obtained for a particular class by taking the AP test at the end of the school year.  The tests are developed by The College Board, an independent organization based on collaboration between college and high school educators.  Tests are scored from one to five.  Almost all colleges will accept a “5” for college credit, some will accept a “3” or “4”, and few, if any, will accept a “1” or “2”.  Course guides, outlining the topics and themes covered, as well as sample test questions, are available online athttp://apcentral.collegboard.com.  Based on yearly planning discussions, we will identify student interest in particular AP tests, and based on demand and scheduling constraints, tailor/augment courses in accordance with the AP course guides.  Note that there is a fee of approximately $85 for each AP test taken in a year.

Ignitia offers online placement testing.  The teacher will work with each student in designing a school year that fulfills the graduation requirements based on the student’s prior academic record and placement testing results.

The curriculum that we are using is designed to prepare students for the SAT test.  Additional test preparation resources are available online, and numerous private exam prep courses are offered throughout Berkshire County.

Ignitia offers a 1-semester course in college preparation that is highly encouraged for all college-bound students.  In addition, our faculty and staff will work with our college-bound students and families to facilitate the college search process.

Our goal is to foster student self-organization, ensuring that students are participating in community/service projects that match their interests and abilities.  Christian service will be a required aspect of every student’s time at BCS.  Our faculty will work with the students to assist in identifying and planning service opportunities by reaching out to various churches and ministry organizations throughout our region.

Ignitia currently offers “paper-based” art courses (i.e. not computer-based) – these courses will be available for BCS students.  Additionally, there are numerous music education opportunities throughout Berkshire County that could potentially be used for academic credit.

We recognize that individual students often work at different paces, and that different children need different amounts of practice/review/repetition in order to successfully complete a course.  Based on this, our teacher will work with each student to identify and plan their work on a regular basis.  Some kids might not need to complete a week’s worth of review material if they have already mastered a subject, while some may need additional time to fully grasp a particular area.

Our approach to this style of education is to provide structure and demand accountability, while minimizing artificial requirements.  If a student does not successfully complete a course within the school year, we will work with the student and family in determining a reasonable amount of time to complete the course.  One option might be to allow an “incomplete” and allow the student to finish during the summer at their own expense.  Ignitia courses are available online for a full 12 months, so students can still have access to them in the summer if needed.  Successful course completion is required in order to obtain credit towards graduation, and in many cases is a pre-requisite for the subsequent year’s class (e.g. French II is required before you can take French III).

BCS will continue to follow the Lenox Public Schools calendar.

We are currently in discussions with Lenox Public School to implement an agreement that would allow our students to participate on Lenox sports teams.  More information will be available once the agreement is finalized.

It is our intention to provide flexibility wherever possible for such instances, based on the teacher’s assessment of the impact on the student’s overall academic performance.  The same flexibility can be afforded for events such as family vacations, missions trips, etc., with the understanding that such flexibility must not be abused, and does not alleviate the student of the responsibility to complete his or her work in a timely fashion.