Helping Our High School Students Prepare for College
As we complete another year of primarily remote learning, our high school students continue to thrive. Many of our graduating seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges with a full year of early learning college credits. These students showcase their talents by participating in college and career events at the school as they interview with board members for future careers and college goals.
Celebrate Achievement
This celebration of achievements prepares our students for the essential skills and educational requirements they will need to complete their college and career goals. As we consider next steps with all of our middle and high school students, we are striving to fully engage them in student led parent-teacher conferences throughout their school years.
Engage Student Learning
To achieve student engagement, we will be adapting the SOAR model of student owned learning (i.e. see Student-Engaged Assessment by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke) per the following steps:
- We will consider what an engaged learner looks like per various definitions of student engagement. Examples may include that the learner is a problem-solver with a variety of solutions, an explorer, or supports community services and an equitable global economy.
- Students will apply the SOAR model of learning where a Student Owns their Learning with Achievable Results.
- First, the student is ready to learn with sufficient sleep, diet, homework completion, and motivation.
- Second, the student understands how he or she learns best (i.e. linguistically, logically, musically, visually, or kinesthetically) and applies this learning style to challenging new lessons. The student learns to modify leaning styles to be more flexible in achieving results.
- Third, the student will work with the teacher to determine how she or he will demonstrate learning and apply these strategies to document performance.
- Fourth, the student will reflect on what worked and what he or she needs to change in being able to complete the assignment.
- Finally, after building a portfolio of lesson completions, the student will meet with her or his teachers to determine final grades and how this documentation will be presented to parents in an upcoming conference.
Students Own Learning
The goal is that the student will be better prepared to understand how he or she can best achieve academic successes and overcome challenges. When feeling challenged, the student will be able to successfully advocate for her or himself in daily life and while attending college.
Much success as we help prepare our kids to self-advocate for their academic and personal growth goals!
Yvette
Copyright © 2021 by GenParenting
Yvette King-Berg, is the Executive Director of Youth Policy Institute’s Charter Schools. She was the former California Charter Schools Association Vice-President of School Development and Outreach-Southern California. Ms. King-Berg has over thirty years of experience working with teachers, students, parents, and organizations in a variety of positions including Director, Assistant Director, Curriculum Advisor, Bilingual, and Title 1 Coordinators, classroom teacher (K-12) in Pasadena and LAUSD. She has been married for twenty-three years, and is the proud mother of her son, EJ, who attends UC Berkeley.