We are pleased to announce that Wasatch Academy, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, is an approved ETS Certified Test Administration Site. For more information regarding ETS or the TOEFL iBT test, please contact Cheri Crosby at 435.462.1425 or ...read more

We are pleased to announce that Wasatch Academy, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, is an approved ETS Certified Test Administration Site. For more information regarding ETS or the TOEFL iBT test, please contact Cheri Crosby at 435.462.1425 or cheri.crosby@wasatchacademy.org. The TOEFL iBT acronym stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test. The school offers two labs for testing: the first in the Craighead Library, and the second in the Math-Science computer room. In the Fall of 2009, the testing labs will be moved into the new Center for Evolving Technologies (CET) building, offering two classrooms, each equipped with fourteen testing stations. The TOEFL iBT is a four-hour exam categorized into four sections: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Each section offers a maximum of 30 points with the maximum points for the exam totaling 120. “Very often, colleges will consider a student’s TOEFL score before their grades or even their SAT scores. It is a very important test for our ESL students,” notes Mrs. Crosby, our ESL Director. Mrs. Crosby is very pleased to offer this added benefit to the ESL student body. “In the past, students have had to wake up very early and travel to testing sites in Provo or Salt Lake,” says Crosby. “But now, students will have the convenience and familiarity of testing on-campus, with tests administered by faculty they know and using computers that they have taken practice tests on.” Though testing dates are predetermined and non-transferrable, having an on-campus testing facility gives the school flexibility in the times at which the test is administered, thereby enabling students to be more mentally alert and better prepared to take the exam. It also helps reduce associated travel and food costs. Wasatch Academy currently offers two semester-long blocks in TOEFL preparation, in which students are taught strategies for taking the test. ...hide

Wasatch Academy is honored to be named a School of Distinction by the All Kinds of Minds Institute. We are the one of the first schools to receive this designation from the organization. This designation signifies that Wasatch Academy demonstrates a ...read more

Wasatch Academy is honored to be named a School of Distinction by the All Kinds of Minds Institute. We are the one of the first schools to receive this designation from the organization. This designation signifies that Wasatch Academy demonstrates a commitment to implementation of All Kinds of Minds’ philosophies on a schoolwide level. Mr. Max Roach, our Dean of Teaching and Learning and a member of the Schools Attuned National Facilitator Advisory Board, explains the unique criteria that culminated in our recognition as a School of Distinction. “All Kinds of Minds,” says Mr. Roach, “is kind of like an educational research/ best teaching practices ‘think tank’ that offers several resources to teachers, administrators, and parents.” Schools Attuned, one of the programs developed by All Kinds of Minds, is a series of professional development trainings for educators and administrators. Schools Attuned uses a neurodevelopmental approach to assess learning strengths and areas of improvement for students, parents, and teachers alike, and equips them with the tools necessary to adapt learning and teaching styles for greater academic success. Wasatch Academy is a notable member of the All Kinds of Minds community for a number of reasons. Wasatch Academy has integrated many of its initiatives at multiple levels within our school. Mr. Roach recently received special permission from Schools Attuned to build a unique Learning Profiles Database for use at our school. Mr. Roach inaugurated the Learning Profiles Database (LPD) in the fall of 2008, and it is already in use assessing twenty students. The LPD integrates specific knowledge of a student’s strengths and weaknesses, as expressed by a neurodevelopmental learning profile, into improved teaching practices. We coordinate our Schools Attuned program ideologies with our Learning Strategies student course curriculum. This creates an integrated institutional framework that supports teachers and students by using shared philosophies, vocabulary, and tools. Wasatch Academy also provides faculty with continued support as they work with their students and improve themselves as teachers. Mr. Roach, our full-time professional mentor and Schools Attuned administrator, is here to provide continued training and support to our faculty. He is launching a Teacher Support Program to meet this need. “This program allows faculty to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses, applying Schools Attuned principles and processes to themselves and the infrastructure of the school as well,” explains Mr. Roach. To date, over 41,000 people have been trained in the Schools Attuned program. Of these, 600 have been selected to become a Schools Attuned Facilitator. Selected from the ranks of professional facilitators are an esteemed 16 who serve on the National Facilitator Advisory Board. Wasatch Academy has among its faculty not one, but two National Facilitator Advisory Board Members, Mr. Roach and Mr. English. We thank All Kinds of Minds for this incredible distinction and for the opportunity to continue improving the quality of educational growth and support for our students and faculty alike. ...hide