Academics and Curriculum
How
will students’ academic progress be assessed?
Assessment
Vista Grande High School is a project-based school, which means
that students learn by doing projects in addition to studying
books and taking tests. We believe that assessment is an integral
component of good instructional methods. VGHS students will earn
traditional credits for classes such as Math, Humanities, and
Science. In addition to the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment,
Vista Grande High School will administer, from time to time, standardized
exams such as SAT and ACT for comparative purposes and to inform
instruction.
VGHS will use standardized tools such as these for two very different
purposes: assessment of learning (summative assessment to compare
students to criteria) and assessment for learning (formative assessment
that points out areas for growth and allows teachers to modify
instruction to meet student needs).
Transcripts and test scores are good pieces of a holistic assessment
plan.
However, a collection of letter grades and test scores can never
tell us much about the projects students complete and the growth
they experience during their career at Vista Grande High School.
Daily assessment that is for learning is crucial for students
to appropriate skills and content; ongoing assessment is also
valuable for teachers to assess their own teaching in order to
alter curriculum and instruction as needed. At Vista Grande High
School, the following features of assessment are what create reliable
and accurate data on student achievement:
• Good assessment addresses both process for learning
and outcomes of learning.
• Good assessment requires the use of thinking and problem-solving
skills.
• Good assessment is comprised of open-ended questions
to necessitate higher-level thinking.
• Good assessment is an instructional method.
• Good assessment provides descriptive feedback designed
to scaffold student improvement.
• Good assessment encourages students to evaluate their
own work.
• Good assessment is supplemented with observations, interviews,
reflective journals, and student portfolios.
Digital Portfolios
In order to gather personal and meaningful information about student
work at Vista Grande High School, student learning will also be
assessed by the development and presentation of a Digital Portfolio.
This portfolio will demonstrate skills the student possesses and
will be an invaluable tool when applying to colleges, jobs, and
other post-secondary endeavors. The portfolio will contain a resume,
work history, letters of recommendation, and samples of each student’s
best work.
Celebration of Learning
At the end of each semester, VGHS will host a Celebration of Learning.
This will be a time for students, parents, VGHS staff, and community
members to get together to celebrate the authentic work of our
students. Due to the nature of student work, the Celebration of
Learning is also a venue for authentically sharing products and
student research with interested community members.
10th Grade Passage
10th graders are required to pass the New Mexico High School Competency
Exam before advancing to the 11th grade. Students who do not pass
the exam will be required to pursue additional test preparation
and will be provided opportunities to retake the exam.
10th graders also participate in a Digital Portfolio Review. Students
will be required to defend their body of work in front of a panel
of teachers, students, parents, and community members. This review
will be assessed as pass/fail and students not meeting the requirements
will be provided opportunities to revise their portfolios.
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What
are the credit requirements for graduation?
All students will be required to complete at least 26 academic
credits--four full years of science and humanities courses, at
least three years of mathematics, at least two years of modern
language courses, and several elective courses.
Four Year Plan at Vista Grande High School (26 required credits)
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How
is Instruction and Curriculum Designed
to Promote Success on Standardized Tests?
Standardized Tests
Across America, standardized tests like the SAT, ACT
and/or the Stanford 9 and standards based assessments, such
as the NMSBA are used to compare student achievement from different
schools across the state and the country. Vista Grande High
School believes in long term, responsible preparation for these
very important exams.
Vista Grande High School courses will routinely focus on fundamental
mathematics and verbal skills that are needed for these exams.
Short-cycle assessments will be taken regularly by students
to identify particular academic areas that individual students
need to improve upon, and students will help set their own goals
to improve. Specific practice, exposure, and guidance will be
offered as needed to help individual students prepare.
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What is a Digital
Portfolio?
The Digital Portfolio
All Vista Grande High School students are required to develop
a digital portfolio of pertinent information, work samples,
evaluations, critiques and reflections on learning. Portfolios
are formally assessed throughout the year, and these assessments
are included in each student’s overall grades. Digital
portfolios are reviewed at the end of each year to assess competencies
and readiness to progress to the next year of study.
Parents, teachers, and students will be able to monitor student
progress by viewing their portfolios via the Internet, as much
of the student portfolio is intended to be in digital format.
Vista Grande High School plans to implement a system for delivering
narrative assessments by teachers and assessing the school’s
learning goals. This system will make feedback about student
work available to all stakeholders—students, parents,
faculty, and administration.
Linked with the digital portfolio program, the system will
help teaching teams monitor student progress. It will also provide
concrete examples for faculty and student discussions about
standards for student work.
Digital portfolios will be a compilation of a student’s
best work that can be used when applying to colleges, jobs,
and other post-secondary endeavors.
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What Kind of
Technology Will be Used at VGHS?
• Vista Grande High School students will receive rigorous
instruction in the use of technology as a tool.
• School technology resources will reflect those used
in workplace settings, and will also reflect the constantly
changing landscape of technology.
• The teachers of Vista Grande are committed to integrating
technology into the curriculum, and will make class and course
information available and accessible online.
• Thematically-linked, project-based, multi-week Learning
Expeditions will integrate technology with core subject areas,
providing students with experience using Macintosh and IBM
computers, GPS navigation units, digital cameras, scanners,
and other peripherals, and software for editing music, movies,
images, and web content.
• Through the school’s local area network, students
will work on interconnected curricular projects where they
will access and participate in shared folders, chats, and
forums.
• Students will be “information literate”
by learning a systematic process to conduct Internet research.
They will learn how to find, use, apply, evaluate, and present
information to specific academic needs and tasks.
• Technology applications will support higher-order
thinking by engaging students in authentic, complex tasks
within collaborative learning contexts. Additionally, technology
and the arts will be combined in digital photography and video
projects.
• Students will design a personal website and develop
and maintain a digital portfolio, a compilation of their best
academic work. Digital student portfolios and teacher narratives
will describe individualized progress over time and will be
online and accessible for students, parents, and teachers
from school and home.
• Students will use industry-standard software such
as Microsoft Office Suite 2000; AutoCAD; Adobe Illustrator,
PageMaker, Macromedia Flash, Photoshop, Premiere, iMovie,
iPhoto, Garage Band, and Dreamweaver, among others.
• Vista Grande aims to provide each student with a
laptop computer, which will go everywhere the student goes,
allowing for access to coursework and class collaboration
before, during, and after school hours.
• Vista Grande upper-grade students will have the opportunity
to concurrently enroll in UNM Taos technology courses, and
pursue select IT (Information Technology) certifications.
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For more information, contact
Vista Grande High School
at (575) 758-5100 (Main Office) or (575) 758-5102 (Fax)
Taos Charter High School: Vista Grande Charter
High School in Taos, New Mexico |
