SOUTHSIDE BUSINESS: Pikes Peak Prep – Colorado Springs only TAP Charter School

To lead the TAP implementation, Pikes Peak Prep recently hired two TAP master teachers to direct the school. Stephanie Atencio was named TAP master teacher and principal and Kyle Gilliam was named TAP master teacher and assistant principal on January 6. Both Atencio and Gilliam are respected educators with years of experience in D11.

“We are delighted to have Atencio and Gilliam lead our academic efforts at Pikes Peak Prep. We are strong believers in the TAP model and are fortunate to have two of the best TAP master teachers leading academic achievement at PPP,” said Kevin Teasley, president of GEO Foundation, an Indianapolis-based non-profit sponsor of PPP. Staff at PPP have been trained in the TAP model and two staff members have been trained and approved as “TAP mentor teachers.” The training includes nine days of extensive training and passing a TAP certification test. The TAP model is intensely focused on student achievement and requires staff to gather in clusters each week to review data and student performance.

Teachers are supported by the master and mentor teachers in developing effective strategies to impact learning. Merit pay is part of the TAP model and staff are rewarded for not only their own performance, but the school’s overall performance as well.

Pikes Peak Prep is Colorado Springs’ only TAP model school.