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- All students are
expected to meet high academic standards. Teachers supply students with
exemplars of high-quality work that meets the performance standard.
Students revise their work based on feedback until they meet or exceed
the performance standard.
- Curriculum, instruction,
and assessment are aligned with high standards. They provide a coherent
vision for what students should know and be able to do. The curriculum
is rigorous and non-repetitive; it moves forward substantially as students
progress through the middle grades.
- The curriculum
emphasizes deep understanding of important concepts, development of
essential skills, and the ability to apply what one has learned to real-world
problems. By making connections across the disciplines, the curriculum
helps reinforce important concepts.
- Instructional strategies
include a variety of challenging and engaging activities that are clearly
related to the concepts and skills being taught.
- Teachers use a
variety of methods to assess student performance (e.g., exhibitions,
projects, performance tasks) and maintain a collection of student work.
Students learn how to assess their own and others' work against the
performance standards.
- The school provides
students with the time to meet rigorous academic standards. Flexible
scheduling enables students to engage in extended projects, hands-on
experiences, and inquiry-based learning. Most class time is devoted
to learning and applying knowledge or skills rather than classroom management
and discipline.
- Students have
the support they need to meet rigorous academic standards. They have
multiple opportunities to succeed and extra help as needed.
- The adults in
the school have opportunities to plan, select, and engage in professional
development aligned with nationally recognized standards. They have
regular opportunities to work with their colleagues to deepen their
knowledge and improve their practice. They collaborate in making decisions
about rigorous curriculum and effective instructional methods. They
discuss student work as a means of enhancing their own practice.
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