Department's Vision: The Business and Technology Department aims to empower students by developing their critical thinking, problem solving skills, technological know-how, and entrepreneurial mindset, so they can make positive contributions to society and achieve success in their personal and professional lives.

Department goals: 

• DEPARTMENT GOAL 1:  By the end of each semester (January 2026 and June 2026), at least 40% of students enrolled in Business & Tech courses will apply their learning, and feel Strongly supported in their understanding, based on  standards rubrics, student reflections, formative and summative assessments, and end-of-semester evaluations.

• DEPARTMENT GOAL 2:  By the end of each semester, at least 70% of students enrolled in Business & Tech courses will achieve a Connected level (3.5) or higher, as measured through standards-based assessments, project rubrics, and consistent teacher feedback.

• DEPARTMENT GOAL 3:  By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, the Business & Tech department will implement at least 3 real-world projects or simulations ( Shark Tank, Startup Hub, marketing campaigns, Innovation Convention, RoboJam, IMMUNS) to ensure that 100% of students engage in authentic, hands-on learning experiences that connect classroom knowledge to practical applications.

• DEPARTMENT GOAL 4:   By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, all Business & Tech teachers will revise and align their rubrics to standardized Connected/Complex performance criteria, ensuring that at least 90% of summative assessments in the department use consistent success criteria and language.

OUR FIRST MEETING - August 28, 2025

To kick off the school year, we held our first departmental meeting with an activity centered on teamwork, belonging, and the value that each individual brings to a group. Through a collaborative challenge, teachers reflected on how their unique strengths, experiences, and perspectives complement one another and contribute to the success of our department.

FINAL RESULTS

• Department Goal 1: Student Support & Application of Learning

• Based on student feedback and end-of-semester evaluations, the department demonstrated significant growth in students’ perception of support and their ability to apply learning. In Middle School, the percentage of students reporting strong support increased from 25.0% in 2024–2025 to 38.24% in 2025–2026, while High School increased from 51.3% to 63.86% during the same period. These results reflect a positive trend across the department and indicate that instructional practices, project-based learning experiences, and teacher support systems are having a meaningful impact on student learning and engagement. While the Middle School target of 40% was narrowly missed, the overall growth demonstrates substantial progress toward achieving this goal.

• Department Goal 2: Connected Level (3.5+) Achievement

• The department successfully exceeded both the schoolwide target of 60% and the department's more ambitious internal target of 70% of students achieving a Connected level (3.5 or higher) across nearly all grade levels. Results ranged from 69.8% to 80.1%, with every grade level surpassing the school expectation. Sixth grade narrowly missed the department target by only 0.2 percentage points, achieving 69.8%. These results demonstrate strong student performance, effective standards-based instruction, and consistent implementation of Connected-level expectations across the Business & Technology curriculum.

• Department Goal 3: Authentic Real-World Learning Experiences

• The department successfully achieved this goal by implementing multiple large-scale authentic learning experiences that connected classroom learning to real-world application. Students participated in initiatives such as Shark Tank, RoboJam, and IMMUNS, providing opportunities to apply critical thinking, collaboration, communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, and technical skills in authentic contexts. These experiences allowed students to engage with real audiences, solve meaningful problems, and demonstrate learning beyond the traditional classroom environment. As a result, students across the department were provided with rich, hands-on opportunities that reinforced the department’s commitment to experiential learning.

• Department Goal 4: Alignment of Connected/Complex Rubrics

• Progress was made toward the alignment and standardization of Connected and Complex performance criteria across the department. Throughout the year, teachers continued refining standards-based assessment practices, revising rubrics, and increasing consistency in the language used to evaluate student learning. While meaningful advances were achieved, the department recognizes that additional work is needed to fully implement standardized success criteria across all summative assessments. As a result, this goal will remain a priority for the 2026–2027 school year as the department continues strengthening assessment alignment and ensuring greater consistency across courses and grade levels.