Skip To Main Content

Beaverton Schools

About Us

 

Painting of a face

SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

Arts & Communication Magnet Academy, founded in 1992, is an accredited Beaverton School District Options School, serving 725 students in grades 6-12. ACMA is a magnet school of application lottery and draws its students from all areas of Beaverton. At ACMA, students participate in a specialized performing, visual and communication arts integrated program of study.

 

School Code: 380081

MISSION STATEMENT

Arts & Communication Magnet Academy's innovative educational community engages all students and staff in achieving academic and artistic excellence.  We ignite the human need to create and question by honoring both the unique characteristics and the interdependence of all disciplines of study, while weaving a rich collaborative tapestry of experience.
 

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Students are attracted to ACMA because they possess a skill and are proficient or show strong potential in one of the arts. ACMA provides its students with a rigorous academic program of study, integrated with an arts curriculum. ACMA prepares each student to achieve the high academic standards as identified by the State of Oregon and the Beaverton School District.  In addition, ACMA offers students opportunities for artistic exploration, as well as pre-professional training in the arts.

 At ACMA, the arts-integrated curriculum encourages student excellence and its college prep courses meet the state and district requirements for graduation. ACMA students traditionally graduate fully prepared to pursue the college of their choice.

 

SCHEDULE

ACMA students attend eight classes, on an A/B schedule, Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 2:05 p.m. ACMA provides an extended day for advanced performance-based groups. All ACMA courses are graded.

 

CURRICULUM

ACMA offers a comprehensive program of college preparation through Pathway Endorsements. Honors and Advanced Placement Courses are available to all students.

 

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

For successful completion of a subject class, students earn half (0.5) a credit each semester. Students are expected to earn a minimum of 24 credits in grades 9 through 12, per district and state requirements, in order to graduate.

 Language Arts – 4 credits

Mathematics – 3 credits

Social Sciences – 3 credits

Science – 3 credits

Health Education - 1 credit

Physical Education – 1 credit

Applied Arts, Fine Arts, World Languages – 3 credits

Career Development - 0.5 credit

Electives – 5.5 credits

 

HONORS COURSES

Honors Biology

Honors Chemistry

Honors English 9/10

Honors Government

Honors Health

Honors Physics

Honors Modern World History

                                                                                                                                               

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES

AP English Literature

AP Calculus

AP French

AP Spanish

AP Statistics

AP Studio Art

AP U.S. History

 

CAREER PATHWAY ENDORSEMENT

In addition to a diploma from the Beaverton School District, ACMA students are eligible to earn an Arts & Communication Magnet Academy endorsement with emphasis in an Arts Career Pathway.

 

Performing Arts (includes):

Dance
Music 
Theatre

 

Visual Arts (includes): 

Ceramics and Sculpture
Drawing and Painting
Photography

 

Communication Arts (includes):

Film
Creative Writing
Animation
Graphic Design

 

COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS

Beaverton, a suburban residential area, is located eight miles west of Portland, Oregon. The Beaverton School District is the third largest school district in the State of Oregon and serves an estimated 40,000 students in 34 elementary, 9 middle, 6 high schools, 7 Options Schools, 7 Option Programs and 2 Charter Schools.  BSD has a student population consisting of 54% minority students. The largest minority student group is Latinx followed by Asian American.

 

ACMA HONORS SCHOLAR

The Arts & Communication Honors Scholar award is conferred on seniors who pursue academic excellence throughout their high school career. Requirements for the ACMA Honors Scholars award are:

 

·        Cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 at the end of the first semester for Grade 12 and no significant change in grades by the end of quarter 3,

·       Proficiency through level three in the same World Language,

·       Successful completion of the full year of Capstone at a level of mastery,

·       Completed an endorsement in a Career Pathway,

·       Completion of a minimum of 90 hours of verified community service.

 

CLASS RANK AND GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Students graduating from ACMA will have both a regular GPA and a weighted GPA on their academic transcripts. Grades of A, B, C earned in weighted classes will earn an extra grade point. An "A" in a weighted class will yield 5 grade points (4 points for the A and 1 more as a weighted bonus.) At ACMA Advanced Placement (AP) courses will be weighted.  ACMA offers AP courses starting in the 9th grade year. Beaverton School District does not include a class rank on a student transcript.

GRADING SYSTEM

The year is divided into two semesters with grades given in January and June.

 

A  (4 points) indicates exemplary performance

B  (3 points) indicates mastery performance                                    

C  (2 points) indicates competence

D (1 point) indicates passing

(0 points) carries no credit, indicates failure to meet competence/ standards                                                          

WF  (0 points) indicates withdraw/failure given to students who are failing and withdraw two weeks after the semester has begun.

U  (0 points) indicates unsatisfactory 

P  (0 points) indicates pass                                                               

S  (0 points) indicates satisfactory                 

 

POST HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

In the graduating classes of 2016, over 95% of ACMA graduates indicated post-secondary training as his/her educational plan; represented by four-year colleges or universities, two-year colleges, and specialized arts programs, schools or institutes.

 

REPRESENTATIVE COLLEGES ATTENDED BY ACMA GRADUATES 2000-2021

 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

American Academy of Dramatic Arts

American University

Amherst College

American Musical & Dramatic Academy

Arizona State University

Art Center College of Design

Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Portland

Bard College

Beloit College

Bennington College

Berklee College of Music

Biola University

Boston College

Boston University

CalArts

California College of the Arts

Cal State University Long Beach

Chapman University

Columbia College, Chicago

Cornell College, Mt Vernon

Cornish College of the Arts

Culinary Institute of America

Dartmouth College

Dillard University

Dominican University of California

Drake University

Eastern Oregon University

Eastern New Mexico University

Evergreen State College

Fashion Institute of Design

Franklin & Marshall College

George Fox University

Gonzaga University

Goucher College

Grand Canyon University

Hampshire College

Hobart and William Smith 

Indiana University

Iowa State University

 

Juilliard School

Kenyon College

Lewis & Clark College

Linfield College

Los Angeles City College

Loyola Marymount University

Macalester College

Manhattan School of Music

Marquette University

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Monmouth University

Montana State University

Mount Holyoke College

Musicians Institute

New School, New York

New York School of Film

New York University

North Carolina School of the Arts

Northwestern University

Oregon College of Art and Craft

Oregon State University

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific University

Parsons School of Design

Pennsylvania State University

Pointe Park University

Portland Community College

Portland State University

Pratt MWP

Puget Sound University

Reed College

Roanoke College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Santa Fe, College of

Savannah College of Art & Design

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle University

Sonoma State University

Southern Oregon University

 

Syracuse University

Tisch School of the Arts

University of Arizona

University of British Columbia

University of California Berkeley

University of California L.A.

University of Chicago

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Denver

University of Hawaii

University of Idaho

University of Oregon

University of Maryland

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Montana

University of New Mexico

University of Northern Colorado

University of Notre Dame

University of Portland

University of Puget Sound

University of San Francisco

University of Southern California

University of Utah

University of Washington

Warner Pacific College

Washington State University

Wellesley College

Western Oregon University

Whitman College

Willamette University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute