Gateway Preparatory Academy

Gateway Preparatory Academy serves elementary through middle school (K-8). We are not required by law to be accredited, but still have sought and meet the requirements established by the AdvancedED Accreditation Commission, and thereby have achieved accreditation through the Northwest Accreditation Commission. Are the students at charter schools assessed for academic performance? Charter schools have the same standardized testing requirements as other public schools. Results are published through the USOE. Are teachers certified at a charter school? Charter school teachers are under the same licensing requirements as that of other public school teachers. Do I have to live in a certain area to attend a charter school? No. Gateway can accept students living in any district in Utah who wish to apply. Does Gateway Preparatory Academy have a uniform? No, but we do have a very basic dress code that you can find on our website. Does Gateway Preparatory Academy offer Special Education services? Yes. We have all of the resources needed to serve those with special education needs. Do all charter schools have a "focus"? No, but many do. Gateway Preparatory Academy's approach or "focus" is the Montessori Method. What or Who is Montessori? The Montessori Method was developed by Maria Montessori (1870-1952). She was the first woman to graduate as a medical doctor in Italy. She began her work with special needs children who were placed in the hospital where she worked. Later she expanded her research to socially deprived children who lived in the slums of Italy, where she achieved world renown for her successes there. She developed a philosophy of education through the observation of these children, and began training others to recreate the success of her first school-The Children's House. Over the years, the success of her first school has been repeated all over the world and has been found to be effective with all children. The core of Montessori is respect and support for a child's inner quest for learning. This requires time, attention, awareness, and the modeling of respect, enthusiasm, and patience. What are the major differences between the Montessori Method and traditional classrooms? Generally speaking, traditional classrooms tend to be teacher-centered, teacher-directed, large-group oriented, and subjective. In the Montessori classroom, the teacher is considered a guide, the lessons are individualized to meet the needs of each individual child, the focus is on helping a child develop and maintain intrinsic motivation to do work, and mistakes are seen as learning opportunities the child is able to correct himself/herself. The Montessori teacher's training also has a different emphasis than traditional training. Montessorians are trained to educate the "whole child". This means that learning incorporates not only academics but also social skills, emotional growth, physical coordination, and ways for children to create self-generated knowledge about the world. Students are guided according to individual needs. Subjects are taught in context to each other and there is an emphasis on the interconnectedness of all things.