Curriculum at Manatee School For the Arts
All students at Manatee School For the Arts take Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies at the appropriate grade level, but the uniqueness of our school comes from the infusion of the arts in all classrooms, and in what elective classes are available for the students!! Students at MSA continually are focused on how the arts benefit all learning, from Math to Language Arts. Teachers work tirelessly on helping students to reach their potential, and express their work in a medium they are comfortable with.
Beginning in the 6th grade, MSA students are enrolled in survey courses in all areas, including a half year program in visual art, graphic art, and theatre. Students elect to take either a full year of dance or music, and they take a half year of the other. In addition to the regular academic program, all 6th grade students take a full year of reading. Our program prepares students to make educated choices about the academic program they choose, starting in 7th grade.
Starting in 7th grade, all students continue to take Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, and dependant on their scores on the previous year’s FCAT, they will get between 2 and 4 electives. These electives can be from any of our departments (visual art, graphic art, theatre, music, dance, science, math, language arts, or social sciences). Students may choose from one special area of interest or take a variety of courses, depending on their particular interests.
All of our programs start at the introductory level and build upon the skills of the previous course. Our goal is to create students who are able to think and create for themselves, no matter what their area of interest. Focusing on teaching to all of the Multiple Intelligences and infusing the arts in all we do, Manatee School For the Arts is a warm, caring school community for all our students.
Our staff is committed to meeting the needs of all students. They are a dedicated group of individuals. All are certified by the Florida Department of Education, with most having a Masters Degree or higher. Many of our teachers have worked or currently work professionally in their field of specialty, including dance, music, art, and theatre. Bringing in a variety of experiences from the arts world to the business world makes our faculty special. Teacher work together to create curricular unity for the entire school, grades 6-12, by working together at the department level, on grade level teams, and with many cross-curricular initiatives throughout the school.
A unique aspect of our school is that we are the only school in Manatee County that has programs from 6th through 12th grades, and is dedicated to developing students at all levels throughout the school. Starting in the 6th grade, we are continually dedicated to the development of the whole child, from pre-adolescence through early adult-hood. Our Student Services department is the center of assisting all students with any need they may have throughout their secondary education.
We are not only dedicated to excellence in the arts, but in academic areas as well. Manatee School For the Arts provides students with remedial, honors levels, and starting in the 9th grade we offer Dual Enrollment courses for students with a 3.0 GPA and qualifying scores on the College Placement Test (CPT). Our Dual Enrollment program, in conjunction with Manatee Community College, allows students to take college level courses for both high school and college credit at the same time. It is not uncommon for students to graduate MSA with 3-30 college credits, all at no charge to the student/parent. Students take most of their courses on the MSA campus, taught by our teachers who are also professors at MCC. This program allows students to gain quality college level experiences while still in high school, and setting students up to take with the ability to their first year of college at MSA. Students are also able to take up to 2 courses a semester on the MCC campus as a Dual Enrollment student, again at no cost to them or parents.
In addition to the support of our Student Services team, our school has the services of two guidance counselors who monitor and support the academic needs of students. They provide a multitude of services to our school community from educational, career, and college planning to preparations to school-wide events such as CHOICES career exploration, college visitations and applications, Bright Futures and other scholarship applications, SAT and ACT registration support for students, and preparations for the annual FCAT administration.
Click on the links to the left to read our course descriptions for our current classes, Please feel free to contact our staff in reference to classes.
