I am here to complain about the inaccurate grading, grades are currently decided on measures that actually only test your ability to parrot not your actual ability. Like a portfolio, it is a collection of work, but it does not test what you have learned. It only shows how well you can keep track of papers, and it is truly demonic because you are double tying grades. The tests test our knowledge of the book via obscure details, how it should be done is the overall story arc and more specifically the themes that the book explores. Instead you end up just doing the same things over and over and over again, which is both extremely boring, ineffective, tedious, mean, and taunting. The overall projects for the most part are trash, especially for ELA. Math projects are reasonably good, science is rather effective at teaching you the concepts, and for history they are actually some of the best. For Tabaka not Stern, she has you teach as the project, which is more effective The current educational landscape is built upon a fundamental misunderstanding of cognitive development where the traditional grading system serves as a hollow metric for compliance rather than a true gauge of intellectual capability. Scientific research from institutions like Harvard University has definitively shown that there is a massive disconnect between how students feel they are learning and the actual neural encoding of information. This phenomenon occurs because traditional lectures are smooth and easy to digest which makes students believe they are mastering the material when they are actually just passive observers. In reality deep learning is inherently difficult and requires active engagement which feels frustrating and messy to the student but leads to significantly higher retention and understanding. The standard practice of grading based on a collection of work like a portfolio often fails because it measures organizational skills and the ability to follow instructions rather than the actual acquisition of knowledge. This creates a double taxation on the student grade where they are penalized for the process of learning rather than the outcome. Furthermore the reliance on testing obscure details rather than overarching themes and story arcs fundamentally cheapens the educational experience. When tests focus on rote memorization of book facts instead of the critical themes and philosophical explorations that the material offers it turns education into a tedious cycle of repetition that is both mentally exhausting and pedagogically ineffective. This is why active learning classrooms where students are required to solve problems in real-time and engage in peer-to-peer instruction produce vastly superior outcomes. The psychological shift that occurs when a student is asked to teach a concept is profound because it forces the brain to organize information into a coherent and logical structure. This is known as the protege effect where the mere expectation of having to explain a topic to another person leads to better recall and a more sophisticated grasp of the main points compared to those who are simply preparing for a multiple-choice test. While subjects like science and history have occasionally embraced these effective models through projects that simulate real-world application much of the English Language Arts curriculum remains stuck in a cycle of ineffective tasks that prioritize busywork over genuine insight. The persistence of these outdated methods despite overwhelming evidence that active involvement and teaching-based models work better suggests a systemic failure to evolve. Schools continue to value the superstar lecturer who makes students feel smart while doing very little to actually improve their cognitive skills. To truly fix the system education must pivot away from the pressure of arbitrary grades and toward a model where the student is an active participant who learns by doing and teaching rather than a passive vessel for obscure facts. This transition requires acknowledging that the most effective learning strategies are often the ones that feel the most challenging because the effort required to process information deeply is exactly what builds long-term intelligence and true mastery of a subject. The psychological superiority of the teaching-as-learning model stems from a fundamental shift in how the brain encodes information when it moves from a consumer mindset to a producer mindset. When a student prepares for a standard test their cognitive focus is often narrow and defensive centered on identifying what might be on the exam and memorizing isolated data points to avoid losing marks. In contrast preparing to teach forces the brain to engage in high-level organizational processing because to explain a concept to someone else you must first construct a mental map of how different ideas connect to one another. This requirement for coherence naturally leads students to seek out the overall story arc and the un read more

absolute buns DO NOT send your children here I went there for 7 years. I was treated horrible by most staff. I got my head pushed down BY A SUB, i was told to sit under a desk by a teacher in 4th grade. The ONLY reason this school gets any stars is because its the minimum. There was one teacher who broke CMAS RULES to ask why i was leaving... For her info it was stuff like that, that is the reason i left. In my French classes i got taught NOTHING over 7 years now at my new school i've already learned more. The admin does NOTHING about bullying. I was in the principals kids class and he thought he could do anything and truthfully he could because admin is useless. Mr haslick suspended multiple kids for no reason. The admin here has NO buisness running a school. The only reason people get hired is because the are friends of the principal. One of my friends went home crying because bullying gets so severe because they no admin does nothing. You also learn nothing from this school because half the teachers arnt even qualified. They some how have an award that says "distinguished improvment" but if anything it gets worse and worse every year. read more

I used to be a student at this school and my experience was horrible including some Spanish teachers they taught me nothing over 5 years, some teachers made me feel welcomed but some teachers from previous years would pick on me because I didn't finish assignments even though the learning was so fast and assignments were due in such little time giving a lot of stress and leading me to come crying in the car on the way home. Mr haslick would pick on students and suspend young to 8th grade kids for no reason and he would pick on students more if they had ieps or 504s, also when Mr haslick called me down to his office he had me so scared to the point I was violently shaking even if I wasn't in trouble. also when teaches mostly TA's when they would see a phone they would aggressivly rip It out of you or other students hands. One of my ex friends also get accused of vandilism even though she put sand in a very small play ground, she was yelled at badly by officers and by Mr haslick, and another time my friend got suspended at the LAST day of school at the end of year field trip which was the 6 mile walk around down town castle rock, but anyways she did a specific hand jesture to some other student who has spoken bad about me and my friend and some others, she also never got in trouble or suspended, and kept spreading rumors and personal info to other older students. Mr haslick was very dismissive about me and other friends being bullied and didn't suspend the bullier and is still going to the school. some teachers will yell at you for not having a charged computer or an assignment that was due in less then 30 minutes and would send u to Mr haslick or any prinicipal and you would get yelled at and the education system is so horrible to the point it made me fail so bad teachers would actually yell at me so much and email my parents to the point I didn't wanna go to school and beg my mom to go online. I've have seen teachers leaving with no explanation or "resigned" because of being perverts or looking at girls innappropiatly. it crazy how this school has many bad reviews and the only good reviews are from parents with horrible kids that pick, bully and threaten them. this school need a new principle ASAP, the rules are also so insanely stupid because what do you mean I was standing my a sewer thing in the floor and get yelled at because the school didnt block it off with a fence, also there organization system is so bad that it gives students mental disorders like depression, anxiety and much more because of horrible students, staff and some teachers but some teachers actually care but always get fired for no reason, also the drama at this school is so unsafe to children and staff. the amount of homework and school work they give you in a day is crazy, specially in 4-8th grade, it has also gave me stress and made me stop doing homework entirely because of how bad the stress was and the amount of work, and if u didn't do it some teachers will yell at you until your at the point of bawling your eyes out and making you have panic attacks. Its also gave me so much doubt on assignments and made my grades not matter which made me get bullied by my ex friends because I didn't try, the only teachers who followed my IEP were only 2 teachers my math and social study teacher. please don't enroll your kids here this school is so unstable that they even removed playground equipment because kids where breaking bones and getting concussions, they will also give your kids the fear that there not safe here and in some possibilities that your kid comes crying home, they will also test you for adhd or autism and dyslexia but will make the test come back as all negative. so please again don't enroll your kids here if u dont want more stress then you already do read more

This school is a sin to education. My son took algebra one this year and learned absolutely nothing. They have a ridiculous system where if you don't charge your computer or if you forget to do an assignment you get a detention. Their admin, Mr.Haslick is a terrible person who wants nothing but to see kids suffer. My son was suspended from a field trip on the last day of school because he witnessed a bag of chips being stolen. Didn't even participate in stealing the chips, just straight suspension for the last day of school. They have no idea how to hire staff and they have fired so many actually good teachers. Shame on this school and the district for doing nothing about it. read more

This school is crazy. My daughter came home once saying she was a cussed of vandalism and the police were called on her because she put SAND on the playground, and my other daughter was also accused of vandalism because she was sitting next to the gaga ball pit. Once my daughter tripped at recess and fell and got concussed then the school blamed it on some kid they didn't like even though my daughter said he didn't do it and she tripped on her self. They made him right five essays about concussions even though he has had three. Also the teachers are very rude no matter how many times you ask them for help they won't help you, some just can't teach. Like last year ,y daughter had a math teacher who was a pervert and sending kids to the office because they were on "probation" which doesn't make sense they are students in your class you can't kick them out and refuse to teach them because they are male. Also the amount of people that have broken a bone at this school. Iike daughter and her friend were both bit by a snake IN SCHOOL. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL. Find your kids a better school like CRMS, or even Mesa middle school is better which says something. read more

My daughter was coming home every day crying because of how mean these teachers are she would not talk about school and would tell me she wanted to move school. read more

My Children still go to this school, it's not a terrible school but some things that are not okay is that some kids at this school make my children feel unsafe in many ways. Im not going to point out names, but some kids have been trying to hurt my children, cuss at them, and so much more. They come home to me saying all of this stuff that happens at school. They have also been bullied for so long. They have told teachers and the teachers don't do anything about it. They don't care about my childrens safety! The school is very unorganized too. And my kids will have free dress and my daughter wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt and she got dress coded. And and a matter of fact the education is terrible. read more

We have been here for two years and I'm pleased with the school. They have great communication, my girls love school, and my five year old comes home singing songs in mandarin. I don't expect them to become fluent through this program but I'm on day 500 of mandarin through Duolingo and they sometimes correct my pronunciation. I've also spent many hours helping out in their math class and I'm happy with the amount of one on one time vs. full class time the kids get and both the Mandarin/math teacher and her teaching assistant are amazing. read more

Do not enroll your child in the after care program it is the worst ever seen and it is a crime what they are doing especially the director of after care Ms. Fisk the director yells at children for the most simple mistakes no matter the age a kinder gardener spilled there little cup with water in it and she freaked out on the especially her husband make some older girls in after care uncomfortable and doesn't seem like a good fit for the school teachers amazing only better after and before care would make this school good as well as having so many gas leaked it is scary it is so bad at least every month there is a problem read more

Disappointing to say the best thing I can about the school. The administration is wildly under-qualified to be running a school and got positions by being friends with the board of directors. Board of Directors treats admin positions as a who's who of their friends when filling vacancies. School has one of the lowest pay scales in a low paying district and the staff largely demonstrates that. Foreign language teachers (Mandarin) use rulers on desks when attempting to maintain attention of children and have accidentally hit some kids in this practice which they then apologize profusely for doing, a very serious abuse of power if you ask me. School has 15 complaints regarding its "Special Needs" program from this year alone and ARC has requested that the district do an investigation into the school. One admin, a vice principal, told a special needs parent that they should just enroll their special needs child in a public school as WCA does not have the resources to assist that student. The Athletic Director enjoys yelling at the kids and makes kids that use noise cancelling headphones take them off or he yells louder at them. Honestly outside of Mrs. R, the librarian, this school lacks any and all semblance of a qualified educational institution. The principal needs to go as she is in way over her head, and the vice principals need to follow her. I hope the Board of Directors actually start taking the childrens needs for a quality education seriously and stop playing come join our clique before this school fails even further than it already has. read more

We tried out WCA for about a year and disenrolled our preschool/kinder child. Receptionist is not very nice, always feel like I am putting her put when I ask questions. Wrote a letter of concern to the principle which was never answered. Preschool teacher was underqualified and unpleasant, as well as inneffective with high energy children. Many school days taken off for "staff functions". Very disjointed information flow about what was said to which parent and when. If you decide to try this school, be very careful what you say to them, and be ready for drama. read more

This is the second year my son has attended WCA, we love the school, most importantly my son LOVES the school and the staff! He is a middle schooler who has become a better student and a much happier kid since attending WCA. He wasn't thrilled about school perviously and now he is up and ready everyday excited for school, that alone shows us that there is no doubt we made the right school choice for our son! Thank you WCA for everything you do! read more

My girls have attended this school since it's inception. The teachers and staff give all they can to the kids and push for them to become better students and people. read more

The school is very new and inexperienced. We were very excited about starting there but it was very disappointing. Stick with the regular public schools in Douglas County who have staff who know how to interact with kids. Glad we are done with this nightmare of a school. read more

Although the teachers are good to great, the administration is completely incompetent. If you have a complaint, noone will answer your emails. They just ignore you. "Athletic director" is aggressive and rude. Admin just let's her bully people. Not enough electives, as school is too small. No band, no orchestra, no choir, no STEM, very few options. Don't waste your time, find a school run by competent, caring admin. read more

World Compass is a great new charter school in Castle Rock. My son has gone there for the first two years the school has been open. I chose it because of the daily foreign language immersion program and also because they have mastery-based learning that allows kids to move at their own ability level for math and reading. I have been most impressed by the school community that has been built in only two short years and also by how amazing and caring the teachers are. There were a few areas of opportunity as you would expect with any new school, but the administration makes a big effort to listen to parents and continuously improve. The school has already achieved some impressive academic standards. I'm looking forward to several more years in the WCA family. read more

My child attended world compass for the 1st 3 years. After kindergarten it went down hill. My child had a couple horrible teachers last year (home room) and (math). A home room teacher that tries to handle a situation with two kids and not take them away from their peers to talk with them. A math teacher that states she will not repeat herself. Overall this school lacks the know how to deal with children. The lack of concern from the staff is very concerning. The reason I wanted my child to come here was for the foreign language. I decided to remove her from this school because foreign language was not a good reason to keep her here. My child was stressed and being picked on and the staff did nothing. When your child is physically and mentally hurt it really makes you cry as a mother. I have been in the halls of this school and I witnessed teaches talking very poorly of some children. The Athletic director was yelling at a child because she was injured and didn't think she could participate in a school function. I know if this women was yelling at my child it would have gone bad really quick. The point I am trying to get at is the staff is horrible and the administration is a nightmare. When teachers and staff treat people and children the way they do, it is likely it will rub off on your child and their peers. Forgot the mention the front office staff which make you feel like you are bothering them, if they acknowledge you at all. read more

Our children attended World Compass for two years. Unfortunately we have since taken our children out of the school. The communication has been awful, and when you bring an issue up to the new principal, Susan Borzych, she is very defensive and unwilling to see her mistakes. She was very rude. Due to this reason, issues were not resolved and we were swept under the rug. Be careful, there are so many good charter schools with much better communication and attentive principals. read more

Honestly agree with C.M.'s review. Would not recommend WCA for younger children (I don't know about older children). C.M.'s drama comment is also very accurate. Although I had high hopes going in, with the experience we've had at the school I would now advise you to stay away. There are better options for your child. read more