GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Nov. 14, 2023 - Teachers and administrators at National Heritage Academies' (NHA) partner-schools use many different classroom management strategies, but one in particular has helped promote academic excellence at the highest levels: CHAMPS.
CHAMPS, which stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, and Success, is a method used to set expectations for scholars at the beginning of every activity they do. Whether students are reading independently or learning the next evolution of math, teachers employ CHAMPS to give their scholars a baseline for what is coming up in the activity.
The method comes from the book "Champs: A Proactive & Positive Approach to Classroom Management" by Randall Sprick. Teachers write out each of the six categories on white boards, clearly defining what success looks like in each section. While Sprick's catchy acronym is used at the beginning of the process, its effects are seen at the end.
Jessica Glass, NHA's Senior Leadership Development Specialist, said the approach supports everything in the Behave With Care framework. CHAMPS is much more than a moniker.
"The acronym is just the tip of the iceberg," Glass said. "It's really about understanding your students and having positive motivation. It's focused on finding out what makes your kids tick and then motivating them, using those things and building relationships with them."
The relationships built grow with each activity. These positive deposits are crucial to academic excellence seen across the entire 101-school NHA network.
Linden Charter Academy in Flint, Michigan, has decided to weave CHAMPS into everything they do. The school even includes the strategy in its student handbook. Julie Dixon, Linden's principal, said she believes increased student success is directly tied to CHAMPS.
"We've seen it make a huge difference in the way that our kids know what we expect of them," Dixon said. "Kids want to be successful. Every kid wants to have a good day. If they know what to do and how to do it, they are set up for success. As a teacher, if I'm clear about what I'm looking for, the likelihood I'm going to see it is astronomically higher."
The dedication to CHAMPS is one of the many reasons Linden has outperformed the local district for 13 years. Putting an emphasis on parent partnership is another reason the school has seen so much success. Parents have reported to Dixon that they use CHAMPS at home to clearly set expectations.
These lessons learned from Sprick's book aren't only beneficial in the classroom. Moral Focus virtues, the backbone of NHA's character-based curriculum, and CHAMPS go hand-in-hand. With expectations set for scholars, they are learning to use self-control and respect around others, and wisdom and perseverance in their work.
Dixon said she believes every Moral Focus virtue can be taught through CHAMPS. The combination of these two educational cornerstones at Linden is laying the foundation for its scholars for the present and the future.
"It's really directly aligned with our Moral Focus virtues and our social contract," Dixon said. "We're teaching them a way to navigate society in a way that's going to benefit them in high school, college, and the workplace."
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of 101 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 68,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com. To find the nearest charter school near you, use the NHA school finder.
SOURCE National Heritage Academies
