DISTRICT COMPETENCIES FOR LEARNING
The New England Association of Schools & Colleges (middle school & high school accreditation) says it best.
"Effective schools identify core values and beliefs about learning that function as explicit foundational commitments to students and community. Decision-making remains focused on and aligned with these critical commitments. Core values and beliefs manifest themselves in research-based, school-wide 21st century learning expectations. Every component of the school is driven by the core values and beliefs and supports all students' achievement of the school's learning expectations." (Standard 1)
The Epping School District takes this standard a step further applying it to all schools and across the District. We have identified "District Competencies for Learning" that apply to all content areas. Within each content area there are concepts specific to that content area. Each content area also shares a set of skills. This work was based on Common Core State Standards, NH Curriculum Frameworks, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning.
CONTENT - Students will understand content concepts and demonstrate the ability to transfer content skills across content areas and apply content concepts to real-life situations. For example, students will understand literacy concepts and demonstrate the ability to transfer literacy skills across content areas and apply literacy concepts and skills to real-life situations. Content areas include English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, unified arts, and world language.
SKILLS - The following skills are integrated in the content areas.
Collaborator - Students will understand that respect, collaboration, and leadership are critical to interacting and working effectively with others.
Communicator - Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly using the most appropriate and effective means.
Contributor - Students will demonstrate the ability to contribute in class and towards a better world through community service, acceptance and tolerance of diverse people, and responsibility for the environment around them.
Evaluator - Students will demonstrate the ability to access, evaluate, use, and manage information.
Learner - Students will demonstrate the ability to be flexible, adaptable, and accountable throughout the learning process.
Producer - Students will demonstrate the ability to manage projects, produce results, and create media products.
Technology User - Students will demonstrate the ability to use technology respectfully and apply it effectively.
Thinker - Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively, and systematically to define and solve problems.
Communication - Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate in meaningful and appropriate ways depending upon the audience, task, purpose, and discipline citing specific evidence to support their points of view.
Cultures & Relationships - Students will understand and acknowledge other perspectives, cultures, and time periods through reading and listening.
Questioning & Evaluation - Students will understand the communications of others and demonstrate the ability to question the assumptions, arguments, and motivations, in order to refine their own values and beliefs.
Knowledge & Enjoyment - Students will demonstrate an appreciation and knowledge of a wide range of topics through reading, writing, speaking, listening, research, and study.
Concepts & Procedures - Students will demonstrate the ability to explain and apply mathematical concepts and interpret and carry out mathematical procedures with precision and fluency.
Problem Solving - Students will demonstrate the ability to solve a range of complex well-posed problems in pure and applied mathematics, making productive use of knowledge and problem solving strategies.
Communicating & Reasoning - Students will demonstrate the ability to clearly and precisely construct viable arguments to support their own reasoning and to critique the reasoning of others.
Modeling & Data Analysis - Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze complex, real-world scenarios and construct and use mathematical models to interpret and solve problems.
- Nature of Science - Students will develop an appreciation for the role science plays in our culture and everyday lives, and actively engage in scientific investigation.
- Stability & Change - Students will understand that living things, materials, and systems remain constant, change at different rates, or exist in equilibrium over time.
- Systems, Energy, & Matter - Students will understand that there is order and predictability in the universe which can be organized into systems and predicted by laws and theories.
- Structure & Function - Students will understand that the structure or shape of a living thing, material, or system is related to its function.
- Models & Explanations - Students will understand that scientists use logic, models, evidence, and current knowledge to explain their world.
- People, Places, & Environment - Students will understand that individuals, groups and societies interact with each other, their social and physical environments such that cultures evolve over time.
- Conflict & Cooperation - Students will understand that conflict and cooperation together shape the development of society.
- Global Communication - Students will understand the impacts that the arts, literature, language and technological advances have on society.
- Citizenship - Students will understand the role of citizens as members of political and global communities and the responsibilities of individuals as members of a group.
- Communication - Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate in meaningful and appropriate ways within the context of their own unique experiences, values, and perspectives.
- Experiences - Students will understand that the processes of creating and/or performing work are essential to the life experience of the individual and the community.
- Global Connections - Students will understand that the unified arts have a fundamental connection with cultures and history.
Integration - Students will understand that the unified arts integrate with other content areas and these interdisciplinary connections enhance their experience.
*Unified arts includes art, business, digital studies, drama, family consumer science, health, music, physical education, technical education, and technology education.
Communication - Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate in meaningful and appropriate ways with users of other languages.
Cultures - Students will gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures by mastering the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.
Connections - Students will demonstrate the ability to connect with other disciplines and acquire information that may be unavailable to the monolingual English speaker.
Comparisons - Students will develop insight into the nature of language and the concept of culture and realize that there are multiple ways of viewing the world.
Communities - Students will demonstrate the ability to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world in a variety of contexts and in culturally appropriate ways.