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 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.
Students learn how to assess their own and others' work against the performance standards.
The school provides students time to meet rigorous academic standards. Most class time is devoted to learning and applying knowledge or skills rather than classroom management and discipline. Students have the supports 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.