ZION R.

  • Zion R is a former Baltimore International Academy (BIA) student (K through 5th grade). Zion's BIA language concentration was in Mandarin Chinese. BIA offers both language immersion and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Grades K-8. Students choose one of five language immersion tracks (Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, or French) and become fully immersed in their target language for their entire career at BIA. By the end of the program, students are bilingual and bi-literate in both English and their chosen target language. In English K to 1st-grade students learn to read and write in their target language only. However, in 2nd Grade, English Language Arts (ELA) is introduced as a formal subject for one hour per day. 
  • The BIA left Zion with multiple ELA deficiencies. in August 2019, starting at the 6th-grade year, he was enrolled in Mother Seton Academy (MSA). Zion's parents also enrolled him in the Sylvan-In-Home Tutoring (March - June 2020) at a substantial hourly rate, in which 42.3% went to Sylvan, and 57.7% went to tutor. Dr. Allen, a CSM (Certified in the Sylvan Method), was selected as Zion's tutor. In the 7th-grade, Zion be switched from Sylvan to the free teaching/tutoring services offered by MJAllen Ministries, LLC, an educational services small business in Maryland.  
  • continued:

ZION R.

continuation:

During the 1st Quarter of Zion's 7th-grade year, it was evidenced further, through an i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment (09/3/20) conducted at the MSA, that Zion's challenges from the BIA had a definite negative impact. 

For the remainder of the 7th-grade year, Zion is on a progressive track to address some of the challenges identified in the in-Ready Diagnostic Assessment, not limited to the following areas: 


Decoding, comprehension, instruction  and strategies such as summarizing and analyzing narrative point of view.

Reading novels as well as legends, myths, folktales, and tall tales.

Citing textual evidence directly from the text, without interpretation, and explain more about the point.

Making inferences by combining evidence from the text and make inferences about characters, setting, and plot in Grade-6 literary text, and then to support those inferences with evidence from the text. Teach central idea: in informative text. 


Zion graduated from the Mother Seton Academy of 2022. 


I affectionately call him the Little Professor because he is an old soul in a young body. Zion can articulate, is intelligent, outgoing, and has incredible potential. Therefore, I was not surprised at his acceptance at Calvert Hall College High School for the Class of 2026. Zion remains a star student. He makes me proud to contribute to his legacy.   If I had a second son, he would be the one. 


We proudly announce that Zion completed the 11th grade at Calvert (Spring 2025); he was accepted into Morehouse College Summer Pre-College Courses in the Summer of 2025, and will enter his Senior year (12th grade) (Fall 2025). at Calvert


As of January 10, 2026, Zion has been accepted to his 2nd and 4th university choices: Morgan State University and Hampton University, his 1st and 3rd choices  , Morehouse and Temple University, are pending.  To his amazement he was accepted at Xavier University on a substantial scholarship.  



Calvert Hall College High School

8102 Lasalle Rd, Towson, MD 21286

Class of 2026 - Commencement : Saturday, May 30, 2026

Mother Seton Academy

2215 Greenmount  Avenue - Baltimore, Maryland 21218

8th -Grade

Class of 2022