Expectations for Student Learning
Lowell Latin Lyceum
Adopted by the Lowell Latin Lyceum Site Council
April 13, 2004
Section I.
All Latin Lyceum students are expected to:
Ø Attain an understanding of the educational standards, core knowledge, skills, and concepts defined by the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
| Students are expected to:
§ Earn a grade of 75 or better in a course to advance to the next class, or their academic standing will be reviewed resulting in either probation or removal (See Section II: Concerning Probationary Status)
§ Satisfy the requirements of the MCAS test, with the goal being at least a rating of proficient or higher.
Ø Take increasing responsibility for educational decisions on a daily and long-term basis.
| Students are expected to:
§ Attend class regularly and on time, with all materials required for the day's learning activities and prepared to work when class begins.
§ Meet all deadlines; late work may be given partial credit at the teacher's discretion, but failure to submit work on time could, in many cases, result in a zero.
§ Avoid plagiarism, which includes copying other students' work. If identified, the plagiarist and the person who allowed another student to copy his or her work will receive a zero on the assignment.
§ Seek makeup work when absent and complete it within five days of return
Ø Complete academic work both independently and cooperatively in a productive manner.
| Students are expected to:
§ Exhibit exemplary initiative, effort, and work ethic in a cooperative setting.
§ Work without peer or staff intervention in a productive and timely manner on short and long-term assignments, as directed.
Ø Think critically and solve problems using inductive and deductive reasoning.
| Students are expected to:
§ Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of problem-solving skills.
§ Break down problems into parts, show relationships, combine concepts, and evaluate ideas.
§ Apply solutions to problems.
§ Provide insightful interpretations, connections, extensions, applications, analogies, and judgments both orally and in frequent writing tasks.
§ Complete a major research project in at least one subject area each year.
Ø Read effectively and communicate ideas and information using a variety of formats.
| Students are expected to:
§ Complete reading assignments on time.
§ Exhibit an ability to read and listen critically, take notes, and form questions.
§ Write in a compelling, organized, detailed, and insightful manner.
§ Use standard, edited academic English in all writing assignments, unless otherwise specified (e.g., creative assignments).
§ Use a dictionary to expand vocabulary, and keep a notebook of all acquired words.
§ Speak clearly, appropriately, and logically so that the audience understands their meaning.
§ Complete recommended and required summer reading.
Ø Develop an ability to use a variety of mediums-including the creative and the technological-in the process of learning, and demonstrate their acquired learning through use of those mediums.
| Students are expected to:
§ Use a wide variety of creative and technological skills.
§ Display an in-depth understanding of those skills in various mediums, including information literacy.
§ Possess the ability to evaluate the benefits, accuracy, and appropriateness of these mediums as a means of communicating information effectively.
Ø Demonstrate respect for individual differences and appreciation for the diversity of a multicultural world.
| Students are expected to:
§ Respect cultural and individual diversity.
§ Assess, analyze, and defend different points of view.
Ø Understand and demonstrate a sense of community.
| Students are expected to:
§ Participate actively in club, sport, volunteer or work activities.
§ Contribute regularly to the classroom community.
§ Consistently follow school rules and community laws, and behave appropriately in all school settings.
Section II.
Concerning Probationary Status
Students must attain a grade of at least a 75 in a course after any quarter. Failure to meet that threshold will result in academic probation the following quarter. Probationary status would not be reflected on a student's permanent record; it is an administrative and educational tool meant to monitor and assist the student's performance in the desired area.
The initiated actions could be:
· Notification of the parents and a meeting, if decided.
· Appointment of a Mentor Teacher by the Director of Curriculum and Instruction from one of the student's Lyceum teachers.
· Meetings between the Mentor Teacher and the student to appraise the student's progress and arrange remedial actions if warranted.
· Reporting, at the end of the quarter, by the Mentor Teacher to a Probationary Board.
The Probationary Board could consist of the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, a designated Lyceum teacher, and a designated Department Head or Housemaster. The Board would review the problem status of the student and the results of efforts to improve the situation. Recommendations would be solicited from the student's teachers. A final recommendation would be determined by the Board, referred to the Headmaster, and a meeting would be held with the student's parents if the recommendation is negative.
Recommendations include:
· Removal from probation.
· Continued probation.
· Removal from the Lyceum.
