
DeKalb Brilliance Academy
Minutes
DeKalb Brilliance Academy Academic Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday March 18, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Location
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMud-6tqz0uGNxyPRfGVVvMnCUvHtgHIU2R
Committee Members Present
J. Alter (remote), K. Herbert (remote), M. Greene (remote), T. Ruffin (remote)
Committee Members Absent
C. Armour, Jr.
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
T. Ruffin called a meeting of the Academics Committee of DeKalb Brilliance Academy to order on Tuesday Mar 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM.
C.
Community Builder
II. Academics
A.
Q3 Data Analysis:Dashboard Review and Response Plan
- Q3 Data Analysis and Response Plan
- Interim assessments column M
- Stack audits (3x/week)
- Reteach 2-3x/ week
- Adjust to needs of kids on a daily basis
- Non returning teacher who needs additional support
- 3rd grade will be focused on:
- Student culture
- 3rd graders need to build a sense of pride in their work and work quality
- Experiencing student apathy
- SCL in GMAS Academy
- All hands on deck approach
- Pulling small groups/coteaching with teachers to provide individualized support
- Daily reteaching
- Replicating interventions and strategies from Q2
- Student culture
- Gaps in 1st and 3rd grade class
- Math biggest concern
B.
Middle School Update
- Keep a similar structure as the elementary level in terms of core content
- Math
- Science
- ELA
- Social studies
- Slightly different: they will opt into majors
- Able to change their major up until 7th grade
- Majors and minors available
- Students chose the focus areas
- Majors and minors available
- In middle school, the students will be working toward solving a problem through the lens of their career path
- Able to change their major up until 7th grade
- Next quarter more intentional projects to prepare for middle school
- Pitch model to draw attention to the middle school for social media marketing
- 30 applicants in 3rd grade
- 50 applicants in 4th and 5th grades
- Social media ads to bring attention to those grades
- Flyers to hand out to the community, like churches
- Church newsletter
- Tabling at community events such as soccer games and early childhood centers
C.
Organization Chart & Budget Implications for Next Year
- Able to match APS salary for teachers
- Enrolling additional 4th and 5th grade class to make it possible for teachers salary
- Overpaying for ESOL so shifted funds
- Want to have a middle school principal and high school principal
- Shift social worker duties to Kedra
- Each person will have roles and responsibilities (creating chart with the leadership team to present in next meeting)
- Really Great Schools: resources
- Each person will have a professional goal
D.
Mobilizing the PTA for Y4
- Join the call on Mar 27, 2025 at 8pm
- Split the jobs between interested individuals
III. Closing Items
A.
Capture next steps & send out to team
- Discuss data collected for Q3 with the full board on March 24, 2025
- Significant gaps observed in 1st and 3rd grade
- Follow up on middle school social media marketing to increase enrollment particularly for 4th and 5th grade
- Present flyers to the community to increase enrollment and awareness of the school (with a heavy focus on 4th and 5th grade)
Review the organizational chart:
Academic Committee to join the Family Engagement Meeting on March 27 at 8pm to increase awareness and support for the PTA
B.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
T. Ruffin