Below are the curricular design principles upon which the Rivendell Interstate School District was founded.
An engaging, team designed curriculum
A staffing process to hire teachers who are eager to collaborate with colleagues in the design and implementation of a curriculum based on the Statement of Philosophy
Significant and ongoing connections between school and community
An inclusive planning process, seeking clarity of mission
Structures and practices that support teaching and learning
Creating of a schedule that responds to the needs of learners
Clear standards and accountability
Planning backwards from the mission, envisioned in terms of student performance
An emphasis on assessment, including Exit Exhibitions at the end of grades 8,10, and 12
We believe these values best support engaging and challenging instruction, and thus a valuable education for our students.
Challenging Students where they are: We combine personalization and shared experiences to drive deep and meaningful learning.
Equity/Fairness: We make room for a diversity of entry points and value the individual differences students bring to our community. (link to equity letter, 2019)
Collaboration/Integration: We collaborate to design interdisciplinary courses and complex projects requiring teamwork and creativity.
Agency, Engagement and Exhibition: We ask students to take an active role in learning, make their learning personally meaningful, and present their work publicly.
Our ongoing work with Critical Exploration (https://criticalexplorers.org/about/origins-inspiration/)
and rigorous projects as exemplified in the work of students at High Tech High (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7o0QBk-a1U) are integral to our design principles.
Our learning Expectations represent a core set of skills that we expect students to demonstrate in as many ways as possible in every class they take at Rivendell Academy. We believe these skills are at the core of our students’ success in school and throughout their entire lives; thus, we expect students to learn these skills well. Part of this learning will be demonstrated by students’ ability to reflect often on their work across all classes.
The Learning Expectations structure student portfolios, that are used as the foundation for their Roundtables in 8th, 10th and 12th grades.
Effective Communication: Students develop their communication skills by interacting with people and media to acquire ideas and information. They develop and communicate their ideas to audiences through appropriate media.
Effective Problem Solving: When faced with challenging situations, students demonstrate effective problem solving by thoughtfully framing the problem, applying their knowledge, and using inquiry skills to work toward solutions that address authentic needs.
Responsible Citizenship: Students demonstrate responsible citizenship by showing concern for and appropriate actions towards themselves, the community, and society as a whole.
These broad categories comprise a conceptual framework that focuses Rivendell curriculum on broad, interdisciplinary themes. When curriculum is guided by narrow objectives, teaching strategies and curriculum tend to be equally narrow and limited. Our focus emphasizes students’ ability to make connections across disciplines see the larger significance of what they are exploring and learning.
Teachers in each discipline periodically collaborate to define how they believe their discipline address truth, systems, choice, and change; thus’ articulating the deeper purposes within disciplines and across disciplines.
Truth: How do you know what you know? What do you do with the truth? Why does truth matter? What are my assumptions?
Systems: How do the parts relate to the whole? What is the relationship between form and function? Am I connected to a system? Do systems liberate or restrict freedom?
Choice: What can I choose? What can’t I choose? Who determines what I may or may not choose? What do I want? How do I decide? How do I determine whether a choice is good or bad?
Change: Why do we change? How do we change? How do systems change? How do we detect change? How do we evaluate change?
Everyday expectations for success are defined habits that all teachers expect students to learn and demonstrate. These habits are specific and well defined. The Everyday Expectations target:
Professional communication
Timeliness
Proofreading
Formatting for written assignments
The Common Assessments acknowledge that some areas of knowledge need to be internalized and “on tap.” Knowing one’s math facts is a case in point. Each year in grades 7th-10th students will be asked to show proficiency on four math assessments and four Language Arts assessments. The assessments are short and are to be retaken until students demonstrate competency.