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Academic Expectations

1. At graduation, all students will be able to communicate effectively through listening, speaking and writing

Exemplary	Volunteers to speak during appropriate times
	Shares well developed, pertinent information in a concise way
	Uses non-verbal cues (eye contact, facial expressions, posture)
	Listens attentively and interacts as appropriate
	Consistently organizes a coherent composition with clear focus and supporting ideas
	Consistently applies knowledge of English grammar structure, usage, and mechanics
	Revises writing continually to improve logical organization and word choice
	Consistently generates thoughtful questions and summarizes information

Proficient	Expresses in writing or speech a coherent or unified idea using an organized approach
	Tailors the message to the audience
	Is a reactive and reflective audience to other people's ideas
	Effectively supports one's own ideas

Not Yet Proficient	Is reluctant to speak or speaks at inappropriate times
	Shares unrelated or distracting ideas
	Uses no non-verbal cues or uses them inappropriately
	Is inattentive or interacts in an inappropriate way
	Rarely organizes a coherent composition with or without guidance
	Needs guidance to apply English grammar, structure, usage and mechanics
	Makes minimal revision to improve organization or word choice
	Rarely generates open-ended questions or summarizes information with or without guidance

2. At graduation, all students will be able to utilize skills as critical thinkers and problem solvers

Exemplary	Develops and/or conducts sophisticated investigation
	Revises and refines methods and explanations as appropriate
	Makes well substantiated judgments presenting convincing evidence
	Generates unique strategies and procedures to solve non-routine problems
	Uses multiple reasoning methods to solve complex problems

Proficient	Identifies patterns and predicts future sequences
	Synthesizes information
	Determines, collect, and organize necessary information
	Identifies possible solutions
	Chooses and implements an appropriate solution for the situation
	Compares and analyzes the pros and cons of possible solutions
	Develops and tests strategies or options that might work
	Justifies or describes how and why a particular solution was chosen

Not Yet Proficient	Develops and/or conducts partial investigations
	Partially revises some methods and explanations
	Substantiates some judgments with limited evidence
	Applies learned procedures to solve routine problems
	Applies some reasoning methods to solve problems

3. At graduation, all students will be able to gather, display, and critically evaluate information using appropriate research tools

Exemplary	Uses a variety of means to gather and analyze and to draw defensible conclusions
	Is actively and critically literate in a variety of media

Proficient	Develops a plan for gathering information
	Uses sources that are current and appropriate to the topic
	Evaluates sources for correct and trustworthy information
	Documents sources appropriately

Not Yet Proficient	Uses limited means to gather information and attempts weak interpretations
	Has limited knowledge of media and its applications

4. At graduation, all students will be able to demonstrate academic accountability

Exemplary	Provide strong work that is very clear, cohesive, organized, detailed, and consistent with academic standards
	Makes strong connections to what was studied with thinking that goes beyond what is obvious or explicitly taught

Proficient	Takes ownership for own learning
	Advocates for self and others
	Develops personal resources for creative effort
	Distinguishes between original and derivative work

Not Yet Proficient	Produces naive work that is sketchy and/or unclear, incoherent, disorganized, or inconsistent with academic standards

5. At graduation, all students will be able to use technology to collect, analyze, and present data; and support student learning

Exemplary	Uses a variety of means to gather and analyze data and to draw defensible conclusions
	When given appropriate data, uses a variety of means to analyze and to draw insightful interpretations and conclusions

Proficient	Evaluates sources for correct and trustworthy information
	Gathers information using a variety of technologies
	Uses appropriate technology to effectively present information
	Documents sources of information appropriately
	Develops a plan to use appropriate technology to organize data

Not Yet Proficient	Uses limited means to gather information and attempts weak interpretations
	When given appropriate data, uses limited means to analyze information and rarely attempts interpretations