Too often, New York City high schools fall into two camps, says NYCiSchool co-principal Alisa Berger. "There are test prep factories where kids get diplomas but don't actually learn anything, and there are places where they do creative work and ignore the tests, but then they struggle to graduate," she says.

The NYCiSchool was founded as a way to offer both the creative projects that kids find engaging and the test prep they need to pass Regents exams.  "We decided it was an irresolvable dilemma to do both in one class, so we separate them," Berger said as she gave us our tour.

 In one class, students worked with their science teacher and two community volunteers, an architect and an engineer, to design a "green roof" complete with a garden, a shallow pool and solar panels, for their school building (which is shared with Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School). In another class, students had a traditional math lesson, and in a third they worked on a self-paced computer program to help them prepare for Regents exams. The computer programs, which offer video clips of teachers lecturing as well as multiple choice questions, focus on "facts you need to know to memorize to pass the Regents," Berger said. Each student may work through the program at his or her own speed; a student may stop the lecture to take notes or repeat an unclear passage. Some students are prepared to take a Regents exam after just six months of study, while others may take as long as 18 months.

Class size varies according to the subject. The computer-centered classes tend to be the largest, with about 30 students per class. Math classes may be as small as seven.

Berger, formerly principal of Mott Hall II, a middle school on the Upper West Side, believes the transition to high school should be gentle, and offers as much support to ninth graders as possible. Ninth graders, she says, have more in common developmentally with middle school children than with older high school children. Berger and Mary Moss, both of whom are the mothers of small children, are co-principals.

The organization of the school and the use of computer-based instruction makes it possible to accommodate English Language Learners and children with special education needs because each child's program is geared to what he or she needs. Berger said a child who is too shy to speak in class, or a child with autism, might respond to a teacher's query by posting a comment on an online "discussion board" in the evening. The next day, the teacher may read that comment out loud to the class - allowing a child who might otherwise be excluded to take part in a discussion. A child who had "language processing issues" dictated an essay into a computer, which automatically-typed a first draft which the child then edited.

Regular classroom teachers offer French, Spanish and Mandarin, and their lessons are supplemented by compact discs produced by the Rosetta Stone company. Students who want to study less common languages, including Polish, German and Swedish, may use a self-directed Rosetta Stone program. Similarly, two students who speak a language other than English at home were perfecting their English with a Rosetta Stone program, Berger said.

The NYCiStone opened with 100 ninth graders in the fall of 2008. It plans to add a grade each year until it has 400 students. It is housed in a rather rundown building constructed in 1848. Relations between the two schools in the building are cordial. The building has a tiny cafeteria and a small auditorium. There is no gym; physical education classes are held in a nearby recreation center. Some kids take dance classes after school, others get phys ed credit by biking with their parents.

The school, just a few blocks north of Canal Street, is convenient to many subway lines including the A, C, E, and 6 trains.

Special Education: The school offers Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT), Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS) and plans to open a self-contained class for special needs children.  The staff works to meet the needs of all students in the general classrooms, according to the principals, including a few who are on the autism spectrum.

Admissions: Students are "screened" for admission. Preference is given to students who complete an online activity on the school's website, who score Level 3 or 4 on standardized tests and who have grades of 85 or above in their core academic classes. (Clara Hemphill, November 2009)

HEY everyone PLEASE check out this NY1 link and this Gotham Schools link.

Correction: The building was actually built in 1848, was in a fire in the early 1900's and was reconstructed again. The building was originally an elementary school so, odiously, the children were much smaller and didn't need much space. The school is also small and we will only have 400 students on average through out the years that the iSchool will be open so we don't need much space.

Like my fellow classmate posted below, we come up with other ways to get our gym credits that are fun, innovative and productive. We also DO have a gym, the auditorium becomes a gym when the chairs are removed, which can be done and is an easy and quick process. The building was built in the late 1800's-early 1900's so it has some quarks to it but at the end of the day it works and no one complains.

oK our school is way to small than a gym, but even with out that the sudents had came up with a innovative way to get their gym hours in. Kids like me have joined up for sports team in school like the track team, or some kids signed up for the rec center near our school and worked out their a a hour or two, or some kids used wii fit in their house. So even though our school do not have a gym that will not stop us.

Rosetta Stone has proven to be an ideal way to learn a different language. Also, as I mentioned before, we do practice with our peers who are fluent in these languages and we do go out of the school to other sites such as Columbia University and practice with people who have degrees in these languages. Most of the languages that we learn are pretty common such as French, Mandarin, and Spanish so we do have contact talking to other people. Other languages that are not as common such as Swedish, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Swahili and Polish are practiced with people in Columbia University and people in other countries (were the language is native to) in small groups in school. Long story short, we do have interactions with people to practice talking, and Rosetta Stone is not a traditional learning method, but itis the 21st century and things are changing, shouldn't our education to?

I know you can talk using the Rosetta Stone. The problem is, you talk to the computer. I am not saying you can't learn anything using the program, I am saying that is not the ideal way to learn a language. To learn a language you must interact constantly. A teacher who doesn't get the kids to talk in language class would be bad as well. I did not say the school was badI said it had many wonderful aspectsI just would not send my child to school here because I don't want her language class to be on a computer.

What that parent is saying about the rosetta stone program in the school is totally incorrect. I am a sophmore in the school, and I have taken a spanish class last year in the school, and I sometimes I did not understand it, but rosetta stone does help a great deal. It shows you how to pronounce the words, how to say the word, and use the word in a sentence. To all parents and students who are looking at this school,instead of reading comments that people say about the school, you should come to the open houses where you can see a us at work, abd instead of standing around looking at us ask us questions. We know the school better than anybody else, and can explain to you what is going on.(P.S The school is not disorganized it is just to small.)

I don’t understand how someone could walk into a classroom and pretend to understand the fundamental dynamics within a school they never actually attended.If parents considering iSchool as a choice want to know about the school, they should listen to the students that devote at least six hours a day sitting at a desk there, learning.Not, instead, someone who views it from the outside, with little to no knowledge on how the students feel or how they learn.Evidently, students are proud to be attending the iSchool.Apart from that, some facts mentioned in this review are straight-out wrong.You COULD speak on Rosetta Stone.It is an interactive program, despite what the review says.There is a microphone installed in the program, which allows you to practice enunciating the words.If you mispronounce it, they make you repeat again and again until you say it correctly.Clearly there are gaps in this review which still need to be sorted out.

A grate thing about this school is that the curriculum is more based on general learning rather than just passing a test. We learn about a variety of things that will enable us to do good in the city regents. Classes such as American Humanities which help us learn about American history through the arts, American Masters which teaches us about grate American literature, Minors in which we learn about court cases, Segregations in which we learn about segregation in the US public school system, and Obama:Analysis in which we learn about the presidents of the United States and how they compare as well as evaluating the currant president. We also have regular classes such as online US, which we learn about US history in a n online course and meet twice a week with a teacher in a class room to discus and go over what we learned. All of these classes are constructed to enable us to pass the regents and learn about American History. The same goes for every other regent test subject and class

reply: redpoint This is an inaccurate report, we do talk to people who have mastered the language in columbia university, and Rosetta Stone dose help with our pronunciation as well. Our school also has a large diversity in student, recently i helped my friend practice her spanish r's and she helped me practice my french and swedish as well. we get plenty of interaction in learning languages and its not just to pass a test. We also meet in class ALOT not just in online. We actually only have online for about 4 hours to 6 hours a week maximum. The day you came we were actually having technical difficulties with the computer speakers so we couldn't practice with Rosetta, instead we practiced writing. There are times when we do talk but it is in the end of the day typically, which you usually wont be able to see because tours are in the morning.

I visited this school this September, and there were many appealing things about the program, but one big thing that made me cross it off my daughter's list. The kids were (just like the last poster said) learning languages using Rosetta Stone. I saw a classroom of kids quietly on their own computers studying. They do meet once a week for a regular class. The person proctoring the class (? a teacher?) told me that the Spanish Regents test didn't require the student to speak, so Rosetta Stone was working fine. This really bothered meI'm not interested in sending my child to school in order for her to pass a test. Learning a language is learning communication, culture, as well as the courage to speak out and risk feeling like a fool. Rosetta Stone cannot teach that. I wish the school well, and hope they change this part of the curriculum.

We are currently taking chemistry, USA, AP USA, calculus, 9/11, Humanities, American masters, Child imprisonment, forensics, any foreign language available (as long as Rosetta Stone has it), and we continue to add more classes.

classes are more structured and students are ALOT more on task.

"The NYC iSchool is supported by a $1 million founding gift from Mortimer B. Zuckerman. Cisco, the world's leading networking company, is collaborating with the NYC iSchool to provide hands-on expertise and to advise educators as they develop technology-based teaching methods that can be replicated in classrooms everywhere," according to a city Department of Education press release.

"This review is WRONG. NYCischool is a Great school. My friend goes to this school and the 'reviewer' was inexperienced and did not have a good understanding of what she was doing. The module class was on PHYCOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE of course they will watch a video on a related topic like language, which has to do with the brain.......this reviewer needs to come back to that school and give it another evaluation."

"I am a student attending the NYCiSchool and I have been for almost 7 months now. I would like to say to those who are reading this comment that many of the reviewer that reviewed my school is untrue. Our module classes aren't really "off topic" as the author writes. The goal of this school is to connect real world problems with everyday basic classroom learning. I participated in the lecture about language mentioned in the review, and the lecturor was talking about how, as a child of young age (1-6 years old), hears two or more different languages being spoken to the child at the same time, at a certain age the child's brain automatically separates the different languages. This lecture was about a common psychological phenomena. Our school is also not "run down" and our floors are not dented. Our school is in stable condition, and it's always clean. I have learned so much from being here, and the extra-curricular options are endless. I, myself, was going to attend a summer program..."

"I do not believe this post is at all accurate. I am a current student at NYCiSCHOOL, and am happy to be at this school. Yes this school is disorganized and in an old building; but it is an excellent school. Eleven comments have been posted and I still see that your review has not changed. Our school gives students a lot of freedom because our ideals are to teach students to be independent and be responsible. It has helped me to become a mature young lady in school and outside of school. I am able to manage my time and get done what I want when I want. In the end if realize that I have to get all that I need to done. This review may need to be changed because our school and students have grown a lot. No longer do students get on Facebook, nor do they chat as much. Coming in the beginning of a school year, when a school ahs just opened gives many no incite as to what is happening. If you were to return now, you would have to change what your previous thoughts were. Please do come again."

"This school is amazing. Working at your own pace is great and better. It is good for motivated students. You get freedom and are trusted as adults. All that load of not goodness about bad building does not affect our learning and its stupid because no one notices it unless they have a magnifying glass. The teachers are so helpful and kind, they are more like friends and the subjects are fascinating, especially the neuroscience module. Go to the school for the tour and you'll love being an ISchool student:):)"

"As a school student, I completely disagree with the "reviewer". At the beginning of the school year we weren’t use to the technology and we sometimes got a little bit off task, but EVERY STUDENT DOES! Even students in top schools. The reviewer mentioned that students go on MySpace & Facebook, well it's now blocked. In the first quarter online classes weren't much watched, but now they are. We have structured study hall and online classes. Students write their goal for the class on their planners & teachers check them, the teachers also go around the class to check on us. The tables are also turned facing the white board, which make the class very silent & everyone is focused, the loudest thing you can hear is key boards clicking. We still do have technical problems but they are easy to fix, there's teachers & students from the advisory Tech Squad that know how to fix the laptops. Our school is beautiful! There are no cracks on the wall. The reviewer should come back & see what they h"

"As an iSchool student I LOVE the online courses.During the online courses students work at their own paste.I'm glad that I'm in iSchool because the teachers are great.For every online course there is a teacher in charge of the course(for example Miss Pellicci is in charge of the Online Global Course,and Dr.Kantowitz is in charge of the Online Living Environment course)you can go up to them at any time during the day to talk to if you need help or if you need help at home with an online course you can email the teacher within appropriate hours.As of the school building having"cracks in the walls"I haven't even notice that,I don't understand how that effects a student's learning ability.I think that the school is a beautiful environment to learn in.The school just started out in 2008 and the school staff is trying their best to make the school a good learning environment.I don't think people should listen to the reviewer they should go see the school their self's."

"As a student that attends NYCiSchool, I DISAGREE with the "review" about our school. I was in the Psychology class at the time when a student asked "because I spoke Spanish at home when I was younger is that why I know two languages" the student just wanted to get the answer to her question. The reviewer made the student look immature but the student was just asking a simple question; About Facebook and Myspace in school the websites are BLOCKED.During online courses you aren't able to sign on Facebook or Myspace. In a regular school students sign onto Facebook or Myspace using proxy websites.As a student I personally don't sighn onto any website during school hours because I know I have work to get done, logging on Myspace or facebook is a personal choice.If a student spends their online time looking for proxy websites then they are wasting their time and they will have to get their work done on their personal time."

"As an NYCischool student I personally disagree with this assessment. In the beginning of the school year people were not that accustomed to the learning style and some students did stray away onto other websites. Our school has gone to grate lengths to ensure that every student is comfortable with the online learning style and web sites such as Myspace and Facebook have been blocked so that students don’t get of topic. In any school that you visit you WILL find a student that is not as focused in there work, you could go to Stuyvesant, Bard, Beacon, Columbia University and there will be of topic students, especially since your observation was done in October. This school is NOT a technology school so yes a student accidentally erased her class mates email, but that’s the beauty of a flash drive, you save your work in it. This school only uses technology to enhance our education and help us meet the academic placements that the rest of the world is at,becaus U.S education isnt the best."

"These reportings are extremely innacurate. The Neuroscience of Learning video we were watching was not disorganized because we were learning how the brain processes language, not grammar. Also many other factors in this review were illegitimate."

"As a student at the iSchool, I personally do not find this summary indicative. The technical problems that come with online courses are no more of an obstacle than the difficulties that arise in a lecture class. Granted, in the beginning, certain websites such as Facebook were left unguarded, leading some students astray an issue that has long since been dealt with. Also, a student that has a tendency to wander off on the internet will obviously also find ways to do so in a regular class as well; you may change the circumstances, but not the student. One of the central ideas at the NYCiSchool is that students should be given the chance to explore their independence, not be burdened by it. That was a new concept to many of us when we first started, but many of my classmates have already adjusted and now prefer the online work compared to the old, lecture-and-textbook classes. Also, although the environment may not be filled with colorful, artsy walls and panels, we have compensated by installing plasma screen TVs throughout the commons. We also an after school program, specialized mainly on creating banners for the school walls. In no time, we should have bright and lively boards hanging on our walls as well. Yes, at times the Neuroscience and Psychology class the lesson may seem unorganized to the naked eye. Even so, some good must have come from it if months later I still have memorized fundamental parts of the human brain and their functions. I have also begun reading Mind Magazine and Psychology Today as opposed to People, as the class has revealed a science which interests me and I am considering to it pursue as a career choice. The lessons may seem uncoordinated, but in truth I extrapolated a good deal from it. As for the dents in the walls and the crevices to be honest, I don't know what that changes for the individual student. If my teachers are supportive, the curriculum is informative, and my peers are all friendly and welcoming, I don't think a few cracks here and there will change the average high school experience. I hadn't even noticed them. All new establishments start on shaky grounds. Naturally, it is to be expected. I think that the NYCiSchool is a promising institution and shows great potential."

"The school is a great environment to learn. The term school of the future is not forgotton. The school is a very organized school. This reporter has been a little harsh on the school. Students at the school want to relate and want to think teachers as friends. Every teacher is as great as the other. They all push the students to do better and to question more. Although this school is great, some teachers have to remember to treat every student the same. Sometimes, several teachers pay more attention to a specific student than another student. The worst thing about the school, though, is the cafeteria food. It's as hard as rock and should at least look edible. Overall, the school is great."

"Some of these statements that this person say is untrue. I go to this school and it is very, it brings a new experience and a new perspective in a way to living. Our school does not have dents in the floors like this reporter describes, and the lessons that have especially in our module class always relates to the topic and sometimes when a student ask a question that may not be realted the teachers always find a way to relate, that student question to the topic, and there is no way we an log into facebook if all sites that does not relate to school is blocked by the Board Of Ed, and constant supervision from teachers. My advice If you really want to learn about the schooldo not take opinions from others come for selve and see."

“I like it here. It’s hard to get used to at first, because it’s different. But, once you get used to it, I like this way better,” said one student referring to the use of online learning, and the heavy use of computers in the school.

“The school was charged with rethinking high school for the 21st century,” said Michelle Leimsider, the school’s guidance counselor.