A National Heritage
Academies School
Hamtramck Academy
Hamtramck Academy was selected as a BTH school because multiple student groups including Asian students and students from low-income backgrounds showed exceptional academic progress as demonstrated by exceeding the statewide proficiency rate in both ELA and Math for 3 consecutive years.
Hamtramck Academy effectively uses data on an ongoing basis to track student progress and inform individualized instruction.
Teachers pay special attention to the differences between state assessment performance and day-to-day performance, and utilize daily “exit tickets” to determine needs for further intervention and focused, small group instruction. Students at Hamtramck benefit from a robust team of specialists, interventionists and paraprofessionals, and intervention groups are varied to reduce stigma and promote an inclusive class environment. Finally, Hamtramck Academy faculty and staff demonstrate a commitment to engaging families and honoring the many cultures represented in their school community by providing Arabic and Bengali translators, engaging in diverse reading materials, and using culturally-responsive communication and discipline practices.
The only way that you can effectively help a kid is to know what their needs are. That’s simply where we start. When a kid comes in, [we check] ‘how’s your reading, how’s your writing, how’s your math? What is your math fluency? What is your reading fluency?’ For a little one, [we check] your letters, numbers, can you write your name? We start from the very basics of what they need. When we say individualized, we really mean it.”
Principal
96%
of the student population come from low-income households
85%
are students of color
[The] teacher paid enough attention to the students to acknowledge that my child needed help with certain things. They did testing on her, they identified that she was behind, but it wasn’t because she wasn’t trying, it was just how she learned. So, since then, every grade she’s been in, she’s had great teachers that take their time and make sure she understands even if the rest of the class does.”
