Galapagos Charter School
Overview
With the belief that quality instruction gives students the opportunity to thrive, Galapagos Charter School possesses campuses in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood and in Rockford, Illinois. Galapagos Charter School provides a distinctive curriculum designed to maximize students’ ability to learn.
At Galapagos Charter School, instructors use texts such as Units of Study and Lessons That Change Writers when teaching writing to students. The programs teach students to use personal narratives, poetry, and works of non-fiction in order to strengthen their writing abilities. When teaching spelling, Galapagos Charter School focuses on word patterns. Students are not expected to memorize words without any kind of connection.
Additionally, instructors at Galapagos Charter School teach students at an individual pace so that they receive instruction that meets their specific needs. With a dedication to teaching students at an individual level, Galapagos Charter School use the EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth) computer program. At Galapagos Charter School, EPGY helps to advance students’ abilities in math by providing instruction at a level that they can understand. Created by Stanford University, the program was originally designed for gifted children. However, it has since been modified for students of all learning abilities. Through computer-based lectures, EPGY acts as an individual math tutor that teaches students through continuous review and assessment. Teachers can then access EPGY to determine how well students are grasping the lessons and step in to provide further assistance, if needed. Due to the high demand for admission into the school, Galapagos Charter School holds a yearly lottery for classroom positions.