Ninth grade is the final year of the Idea Program. Students complete the Achievers' Program, a year-long study that challenges students to investigate areas of personal interest and go beyond present skills. Monthly “Works in Progress” and regularly scheduled teacher conferences ensure that students learn to approach long term projects in a disciplined, managed way, while providing opportunities for the student to receive helpful feedback from both peers and teacher.
In addition, daily curriculum utilizes strategies designed to satisfy the course objectives (see below), as well as strengthen academic skills such as using intuitive and deductive reasoning, critical and inferential thinking, creative problem solving, as well as making valid observations and comparisons and drawing conclusions. The course will also work to develop social skills, such as the ability to collaborate in productive teams to make decisions based on evidence and clear unbiased thinking. This is a pass/no credit course.
Schedule Commitment
Class time-4 days in the 8 Day Cycle
Conference- 1 study hall
Objectives
To develop and extend communication skills
To encourage utilization of higher-level thinking skills
To encourage productive interaction with intellectual peers
To develop independence and an awareness of individual potential and responsibility
To develop and extend independent research skills