TMSA Public Charter Schools

TMSA is a Public Charter School District with a STEM/STEAM focus from kindergarten through 12th grade in North Carolina. Charter schools within the system include Triad Math and Science Academy Elementary, Triad Math and Science Academy Secondary, Triangle Math and Science Academy, and Queen City STEM School. The mission of TMSA Public Charter Schools is to prepare students to become competent, responsible and successful individuals in our globalized and technology-based society through a strong academic program, school-family-community partnerships, and teacher-student relationships.

TMSA Public Charter Schools is committed to providing a high-quality and enriching educational experience that targets 21st century skills for elementary, middle, and high school students in North Carolina. Students are equipped with strong core knowledge and in-demand skills like critical and creative thinking, problem solving, effective communication, and collaboration. TMSA Public Charter Schools implement a well-defined curriculum supported by research with a strong emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to build strong school-family-community partnerships while creating a safe, nurturing, engaging, caring and culturally-responsive learning environment leading to strong teacher-student relationships.

The core values embodied by TMSA Public Charter School staff and students are responsibility, respect, resilience, diversity, courage, and industriousness. Fundamental to our mission is our commitment to the active involvement of students, competent and caring staff and leadership, innovative and effective teaching strategies, and academic excellence for all students.

TMSA Public Charter Schools:

• Offer free after-school and weekend tutoring programs for students, especially those who are at risk of academic failure and need extra help to pass their classes
• Prepare interested students for regional, statewide, national, and international competitions
• Utilize current best practices in teaching to improve student learning in all areas
  
  

TMSA Public Charter Schools offers elementary, middle and high schools (K-12). Its instructional program is aligned with North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Common Core Standards as well as with nationally recognized standards, including National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and National Science Education Standards.

We employ active learning methods aimed to enhance the learning process by shifting the focus of teaching from teacher to learners. In our active learning structure, we apply curriculum-led improvement, technology-supported, assessment driven, and cognitively oriented instruction, partnerships between families and the schools, extended programs, and small class size. 

Curriculum-Led Improvement:

The curriculum-led improvement focuses on improving the quality, pattern, and structure of day-to-day learning activities in the classroom to meet the best of national and international standards. Based on the recommendations by the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, TMSA Public Charter Schools offer a curriculum that is designed based on what students have already learned; specifies what all students should know, understand, and be able to do; and specifies how students‘ learning is assessed using computer technology.

Technology-Supported Instruction:

A variety of technologies are incorporated into instruction throughout daily activities and curriculum.

• Technology for inquiry
• Technology for communication
• Technology for construction 
• Technology for expression

Assessment-Driven Instruction:

Student progress is monitored where teachers can accurately access and analyze students‘ assessment results to then use these results for enhanced educational and instructional planning. 

Cognitively Oriented Instruction:

Cognitively oriented instruction refers to instruction that promotes the use of meta-cognitive skills such as self-reflecting on their own thinking process and developing effective learning strategies. This is achieved when students are provided opportunities to solve problems, reflect on the process of tasks, and use critical thinking skills to then model the process.

Family-School-Community Partnership:

Passion for learning begins in the home. Family involvement is facilitated through classroom and school newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, home visits, parent volunteering, and family nights. Through collaboration with the local colleges and universities and institutions by inviting professionals, visiting places of interests, field trips, we're able to accomplish a well rounded family-school-community partnership. 

Extended Programs:

Research has shown that well designed before and after school programs, in addition to extended weekend programs, improve students academic skills, enhance their social and emotional well-being, and reduce rates of substance abuse, juvenile crime, and vandalism. This is why TMSA Public Charter Schools provides a variety of school programs and extended weekend programs to enhance learning and development beyond the classroom setting. These programs offer various activities such as homework help, tutoring, foreign language,  athletics, music, art, robotics, and more. 

We create a community-centered learning environment to help students build confidence in themselves that. Our goal is for students to believe they can do well, find the meaning and value in the curriculum material, and feel that they are valued members of the community

Small Class Sizes:

Research demonstrates that students are more engaged in learning activities and show higher learning gain when the class size is small and the teacher to child ratio is low. TMSA Public Charter Schools target a teacher-student ratio of 1:16, with a maximum class size of 25.