2023-2024 Annual Report
GOAL Academy High School is a multi-district, statewide free public charter school with a fully online curriculum and in-person support at student drop-in centers.
This unique educational model allows students from Colorado to access high-quality education regardless of their location. The fully online curriculum provides flexibility for students to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule, making it an ideal option for those who need a non-traditional learning environment. Whether students are balancing school with work, family responsibilities, or other commitments, GOAL offers the adaptability they need to succeed academically.
In addition to the online curriculum, GOAL provides in-person support at student drop-in centers located throughout the state. These centers offer a space for students to engage with educators and support staff, participate in group activities, and access resources that enhance their learning experience. The combination of online learning and in-person support ensures that students have the comprehensive support system they need to thrive. This hybrid approach not only helps students achieve their academic goals, but also prepares them for future success by fostering independence, responsibility, and a strong sense of community.
Ted Del Duca
President
t.delduca@goalac.org
acceptance and belonging...
Since 2008 GOAL High School has been changing the lives of students who need a different way of learning. At GOAL High School, students feel like they finally belong at school. They have experienced staff that offer a consistent positive presence. The GOAL staff celebrates students for being unique with a caring and understanding culture free of judgement.
Many students feel disconnected from school, work, and society, missing out on the chance to learn, grow, and make a difference in the world. However, GOAL High School offers a unique learning experience for students who need a different way of learning. The school lets you study online at your own pace and schedule, while providing the support and guidance you need from local teachers and mentors in person or virtually. The staff at GOAL takes the time to know the students and all the potential they have to offer, even when it isn’t obvious to them. GOAL High School has many options and pathways for students to explore their interests and goals, whether they want to go to college, get a job, join the military, or start their own business. The school cares about you as a person, not just as a number.
At GOAL High School, students find a sense of belonging. The school has a community of students and staff who understand their challenges and celebrate their achievements. Students have a network of partners and resources who can help them overcome their obstacles and opportunities. The school has a culture of respect and empowerment that inspires students to be themselves and to be their best.
A sense of belonging is not just a feeling; it is a key to success and happiness. It helps students feel more confident and motivated, and students become more involved and responsible in the community.
Students should not let disconnection define them or limit their potential. Belonging changes everything for a young person’s future.
Reaching for the Peak in Helping Students
A Message from the C.E.O.
Dr. Constance Jones
Chief Executive Officer
c.jones@goalac.org
GOAL High School continues to serve such an important role in providing high school students with a unique educational choice in the state of Colorado! GOAL’s approach goes far beyond what is offered in a traditional brick and mortar school building. In addition to a strong academic program that focuses on the necessary skills to become productive members of society, GOAL provides social-emotional services and support that help our students in all facets of their lives. We strive to create a safe and welcoming high school experience where students feel valued and respected for who they are.
Since 2009, the school has positively impacted communities across Colorado by decreasing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates. Our school features highly qualified teachers and a robust special education department with the expertise to meet individual student needs. Students graduate from GOAL High School ready to continue their education, enter the workforce, or serve their country in the military.
GOAL is the largest public high school in Colorado. Our 600+ staff members reside in the local communities they serve and range from licensed teachers, principals and assistant principals, academic coaches, school counselors and counseling assistants, social workers and administrative assistants, all working on behalf of student success.
We are committed to the very important job of educating our students and helping them stay on track to graduate from high school. As you will see in the following pages, the 2023-24 school year provided us with many reasons to celebrate the success of our students and staff!
Dr. Constance Jones, PhD, has been the CEO of GOAL Academy High School since 2018. Under her leadership, GOAL has earned significant awards, including being recognized as one of only three Microsoft “Biggest Impact Schools” worldwide. Dr. Jones believes that effective leadership stems from a willingness to take responsibility and be accountable, aligning with GOAL’s mission to develop productive members of society. As she puts it, “I have always wanted to serve others and make a difference, particularly in the lives of students. It brings me a great deal of satisfaction and joy to see my staff and students succeed and become leaders themselves.”
Pillar 1
STUDENT GROWTH, ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS
ACCOUNTABILITY
Jill Toussaint
Chief Academic Officer
jc.toussaint@goalac.org
GOAL High School served 6,116.5 students in the 2023/2024 school year, marking many successes. We are proud to help students work toward their high school diploma and post-secondary goals.
GOAL Academy High School is dedicated to helping students become productive members of society, focusing on three key areas:
Show Up
Connect
succeed!
Karla Ash - Senior Director of Accountability
Pillar 2
STUDENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Aryn Henneke
Director of Curriculum and Support
ar.henneke@goalac.org
GOAL 1: THRIVE
The Gladiator Connection course at GOAL High School helps students build strong relationships with their mentors. This course teaches important skills for online learning. A key part of the course is the Thrive Survey, which collects information about students’ future goals and career interests. Mentors use this information to guide students in setting and achieving their personal goals.
Fall 2023: Gladiator Connection class is offered to only new students or those that have not passed the course before – 80% completed.
Spring 2024: Thrive Survey submissions by June total 2,241 – 50% completed.
Measurables:
Percent of students completing the THRIVE survey.
GOAL 2: CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT
Increase participation in concurrent enrollment opportunities –
specifically college credit bearing opportunities.
Improve messaging
Expand CE offerings taught by GOAL staff.
Support special population students accessing.
Measurables
Percent of students participating in concurrent enrollment. An 86% increase from the prior year with a total of 726 students participating in the 2023-2024 school year.
GOAL 3: Career & Technical Education
- CTE is core to GOAL’s vision of helping ALL students achieve their full potential.
- Utilize the THRIVE Survey to identify student interest and increase
course offerings. - Provide qualified instructors to teach CTE classes.
- Work-Based Learning involves community outreach
by liasons who connect students with employers.
Students obtain credit based on these
connections and work accomplished.
- 72% of GOAL students participated in CTE.
- 8.8% participated in WBL (Work-Based Learning)
Pillar 3
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
AND SELF-AWARENESS FOR STUDENTS
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
When we discuss social-emotional growth in the same sentence as academic achievement, we are addressing the “whole child.” At GOAL High School, leadership and staff understand the importance of social-emotional learning and self-awareness. Until a student is “okay,” socially and emotionally, academics will remain a difficulty. This department strives diligently to help our students to be “okay.”
Ramon Arriaga
Director of Student Support Services
rp.arriaga@goalac.org
STEPS TO SUCCESS
GOAL 1
Increase GOAL’s return rate through social emotional learning.
GOAL 2
Increase social emotional growth for students to develop the necessary skills to be successful upon graduation.
GOAL 3
Decrease dropout rate through social emotional learning and self-awareness.
BENCHMARKS AND PROGRESS
- Panorama Survey completion rate improved
by 15.4% exceeding the target goal of 15%. - Social Emotional courses are taught statewide, based on the data acquired through the survey.
- Enrollment in these courses continues to increase with 200 students served in 2023-2024. 36% of GOAL students received support from the social emotional team.
- The research and evidence-based Panorama program drives the creation of activities and coursework.
Courses Currently Offered:
Social Emotional Learning I, II, III and IV
- Understanding emotions
- Thoughts and values and with their influence
- Relationship skills
- Growth mindset
- Emotional regulation
- Growth mindset
- Self-management
- Supportive relationships
PILLAR 4
STAFF SUCCESS THROUGH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
WELLNESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
HUMAN RESOURCES
The positive staff culture of GOAL High School is what continues to set our school apart. A positive and unified staff with a strong feeling of wellness and job satisfaction is the key to meeting GOAL’s mission and vision. Happy and healthy staff members effectively role-model the traits we seek to build in our students. Individually and as a team, they mold and create productive members of society on a daily basis.
Ron Vigil
Senior Director of Human Resources
r.vigil@goalac.org
GOAL 1
Hire, train and retain high-performing staff
- Retention Rate 2023-2024
- Teachers: 90%
- All Staff: 83.45%
GOAL 2
Continue and expand opportunities for professional training and career pathways
- Microsoft Innovative Education Expert (MIEE) is offered through the partnership with Microsoft as a Showcase School.
- Staff receives this technology at no cost.
- The MIEE program experienced 68% growth in 2023-2024
GOAL 3
- GOAL promotes career advancement within the school.
- 2023-2024 Internal Moves/Promotions: 69
GOAL 4
The Calm Application is a research and evidence-based mental health application designed to help with stress management, better sleep and living a happier, healthier life.
- GOAL High School strongly advocates for work/life balance.
- From the inaugural year of 2022/2023, there has been a 33% increase of staff use of the Calm Application.
COMMUNICATIONS
Alan Van Norman
Director of Communications
a.vannorman@goalac.org
The communications department impacts the communities of Colorado by ensuring they are well informed how GOAL can empower families through education and earning a high school diploma.
Collaboration with other school communication professionals ensures that we are staying current with changes and trends in Colorado’s education industry.
- Partnered with 43 community
and public relations organizations - Awarded for excellence in Publications and Digital Media
- Provided communications support to 8 non-profit organizations
- Published articles in 30-plus print media affiliates across Colorado
- Increased social media followers to influencer status by Meta
- Mentored student interns in all areas of communications
PILLAR 5
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SUPPORT SCHOOL INNOVATION AND STUDENT SUCCESS
FACILITIES, MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS
Courtney Seder
Director of Facilities Management & Operations
cl.seder@goalac.org
Geri Sandoval
Asst. Director of Facilities Management & Operations
ge.sandoval@goalac.org
Some of the most important work is developing strategies and goals to ensure we are fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars.
Students and staff can succeed in a safe, professional, and comfortable learning environment.
APPLICATION SERVICES
Brenton Downey
Director of Application Services
br.downey@goalac.org
INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES
Kyle Van Acker
Director of Infrastructure Services
ka.vanacker@goalac.org
ELEVATED PLATFORMS
Microsoft Teams:
MS Teams is where GOAL staff and students connect to chat, check announcements, complete assignments, attend live sessions, and message others individually or as a group.
Microsoft Email (outlook):
MS email is another key communication method at GOAL. Staff use it to send progress reports, event info, and school announcements.
Microsoft Office Tools:
MS Office Suite includes: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and training for each.
Schoology:
Schoology is a main hub for classes. Students can complete assignments, check grades, and keep track of upcoming due dates. It’s packed with instructional videos, discussions, and needed tools.
Renaissance (STAR):
Renaissance is our testing platform to track student growth. STAR tests help students see what they know and what to learn next.
WorkKeys:
ACT WorkKeys assesses student’s job skills in reading, writing, math, and essential skills. It’s a must for all students before graduation and helps show readiness for post-secondary success.
Edmentum:
Edmentum is the platform used for CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes at GOAL. It creates personalized learning paths and supports teacher’s methods.
iLitELL:
This program provides grade-level texts, translations and visual dictionaries, and foundational skills instruction. The program also includes specific lessons for newcomers to English.
Aleks:
Aleks is a math support platform that lets students learn at their own pace. It is user-friendly and easily adapts to student ability.
Dreambox Reading:
Dreambox Reading is GOAL’s personalized reading support platform. Like Aleks, it lets students learn at their own pace, starting with an intro video upon log in.
supplemental platforms:
GOAL also offers several supplemental platforms that help extend learning and engagement. These platforms aim to make learning fun and engaging for students. They include Newsela, EdPuzzle, Writable, AI, Padlet, Peardeck, Infobase, Tumblebooks, Gizmos, Nepris, and Freckle Math and ELA.
FINANCE
Bryana Burns
Director of Finance
bc.burns@goalac.org
GOAL
Ensure financial stability and maintain optimum financial ratios to be a high-performance school.
Current KPIs being tracked:
Days of Cash on Hand: Measures the school’s liquidity to meet payroll and operational costs. As of October 2024, GOAL has 172 days cash on hand.
Current Ratio: Measures the school’s ability to pay short-term financial obligations. The current ratio is 73. Meaning there are 73 dollars of assets for every dollar of liability.
Fund Balance to Expenditure Ratio: 50% The school’s fund balance is 50% of the total expenditures.
Personnel Costs (salaries and benefits) to Total Expenditures Ratio: The school’s target ratio is no greater than 75%. As of October 2024, personnel costs are 66% of total expenditures.
Student Data
GOAL High School Is
A Top Workplace!
Chief Executive Officer
GOAL High School has been recognized as a 2024 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence winner. This honor, based on employee feedback, highlights outstanding workplace cultures. GOAL earned awards in three categories: Woman-Led, Employee Appreciation, and Employee Well-Being.
The Woman-Led award recognizes organizations with female senior leaders who cultivate exceptional cultures. The Employee Appreciation award celebrates those who acknowledge and motivate their staff. The Employee Well-Being award honors prioritizing health and wellness and work life balance.
“Every member of our team feels valued and empowered. We take immense pride in promoting leadership. Together, we are building a school culture where excellence, well-being, and leadership go hand in hand, and we couldn’t be prouder of this achievement.”
GOAL High School’s leadership expressed pride in these achievements, emphasizing their commitment to a positive and supportive environment. They also highlighted the importance of leadership, diversity and inclusivity.
“Our employees are at the heart of everything we do to support our students,” said Ron Vigil, Senior Director of Human Resources. “We want to celebrate all who contribute to a healthier workplace. These awards reflect our commitment to our core values.”
Top Workplaces awards are based on the Energage employee engagement survey. Energage CEO, Eric Rubino, emphasized that these awards reflect genuine employee feedback and are a badge of honor.
GOAL High School serves more than 6,500 students at 38 locations across Colorado, offering a personalized education model that blends online learning with in-person instruction and emphasizes social-emotional support. The mission is to nurture productive members of society through a caring, supportive learning environment.