MISSION STATEMENT

Educate, Engage, and Empower Each student to succeed in a dynamic world.

Guiding Principles

• High Student Achievement
• Continuing Awareness and Recognition of Our Constantly Changing Global Society
• Standards Based Education
• Respect for the Rights Of Others
• Unlimited Opportunities for Achieving High Expectations
• Dedication to Lifelong Learning
• Motivation through Challenging Curriculum

Goal 1:

By June 2012, all students will increase performance on targeted specialized Language and Terminology skills using instructional interventions implemented in all curricular areas as measured by the TN3 Social Studies subtest and other System-wide and school based assessments.  The targeted skills are to use specialized common vocabulary to discuss key concepts in content areas and to develop an understanding of the root meaning of words including prefixes and suffixes to decipher new words.

Essences:
• Students will use a specialized common vocabulary to discuss key concepts in many content areas.
• Students will develop an understanding of the root meaning of words including prefixes and suffixes to decipher new words.

Intervention: 
Vocabulary Wall - a strategy to reinforce the core vocabulary of a specific subject.

Sub-Population Intervention:
Analyze Prompt - Solving the problem of: “I thought they were asking…”

Goal 2:

By June 2012, all students will increase performance on targeted Critical and Analytical Thinking Skills using instructional interventions implemented in all curricular areas as measured by the TN 3 Science subtest and other System-wide and school based assessments.  The targeted skills are to determine important ideas and synthesize important information during/after reading of text material; to use content related theories and apply them to new content areas; and to use concepts presented in non-fiction content area text and generalize to a new content area. 

Essences:
• During/after reading content area text students will determine important ideas in the text.
• During/after reading content area text students will synthesize important information in the text.
• Students will take content related theories and apply them to a new content area.
• Students will take the concepts presented in non-fiction content area text and generalize to a new content area.

Intervention:
Graphic Organizers – are valuable instructional tools. Unlike many tools that just have one purpose, graphic organizers are flexible and endless in application. One common trait found among graphic organizers is that they show the order and completeness of student’s thought process – strengths and weaknesses of understanding become clearly evident. Many graphic organizers show different aspects of an issue/problem – in close and also the big picture. Since many graphic organizers use short words or phrases, they are ideal for many types of learners, including English Language Learners with intermediate proficiency.