Assessment Tools

Academic Rigor and Support Self-Assessment
Offering High Quality Instruction

Characteristics of Schools With Academic Rigor and Support

Important to Our School

Exists at Our School

Difference

Offer high quality instruction

Competent teaching staff

Recruitment of teachers who are able to deliver challenging core curriculum

School initiatives to strengthen existing teacher content knowledge (where needed)

Teachers prepared to teach advanced placement, honors, and/or International Baccalaureate program courses

Teachers oriented/trained/prepared to:

Meet needs of college prep students (as opposed to vocational or general education students)

Meet needs of a diverse group of students

Make real world connections

Make the curriculum engaging

Modify instructional approaches when students fail to progress

Work with students’ families

Work with volunteers and other external sources of support

School supports to ensure teacher success

Opportunities for teachers to interact and collaborate with one another

Teacher support mechanisms

Personalized learning environments that allow teachers to know their students well and to operate in a more collegial manner

Structured opportunities for smaller, more personalized learning environments within schools

Smaller schools within larger schools