Looking Back to Look Ahead MURRAY HIGH SCHOOL Looking Back to Look Ahead

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Our Mission and Vision The core purpose of Albemarle County Public Schools is to establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance, and rigor, one student at a time. All learners believe in their power to embrace learning, to excel, and to own their future.

Our One Student-Centered Goal ​All Albemarle County Public Schools students will graduate having actively mastered the lifelong-learning skills they need to succeed as 21st century learners, workers and citizens.

The original intent of charter schools... In 1988, Albert Shanker proposed the concept of a “charter school”— a school model which would allow teachers to experiment with innovative approaches and be empowered to draw on their expertise to create educational laboratories from which the traditional public schools would learn. Source

In Virginia... Charter schools provide options for parents and students while allowing communities and educators to create innovative instructional programs that can be replicated elsewhere in the public school system. All charter schools in Virginia are nonsectarian alternative public schools located within a school division and under the authority of a local school board. Source

Virginia Code... 22.1-212.5. Objectives; definitions. A. In order to (i) stimulate the development of innovative programs within public education; (ii) provide opportunities for innovative instruction and assessment; (iii) provide parents and students with more options within their school divisions; (iv) provide teachers with a vehicle for establishing schools with alternative innovative instruction and school scheduling, management and structure; ‘(v) encourage the use of performance-based educational programs; (vi) establish high standards for both teachers and administrators; and (vii) develop models for replication in other public schools Source

Local Labs for Educational Innovation Per Policy LC, the primary objective of charter schools within Albemarle County Public Schools is to serve as “labs” to improve educational opportunities and enhance student achievement for all schools. Toward these goals, the Albemarle County School Board will receive and consider requests for charter schools if such charters are focused on educational excellence and student achievement, can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of educational services, and can enhance and inform the division through the research, development, and implementation of programs that align with division mission, vision, and goals. Murray High and the middle school Community Charter were both brought forward with the intention of serving as places where practices that deepen and support the mission of ACPS - creating relationships, relevance, and rigor - one learner at a time - can both serve students well to accomplish the vision and mission but also offer opportunities to develop and refine promising practices that inform strategic design that can impact not just the charters but also the entire diivision - Murray has always defined itself through student-centered learning, mastery, choice theory, and student agency.

Current Transcript Approach HIGH SCHOOL 2022 Changing Emphasis—Not Changing Everything Current Transcript Approach Profile of a Graduate CONTENT KNOWLEDGE WORKPLACE SKILLS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY CAREER EXPLORATION Matt Profile of a Graduate represents a shift from: A content-centered curriculum to a concept-based curriculum; Learning experiences that emphasize academic skills to those that build workplace skills; A college first paradigm to career exploration; and Students working in isolation in terms of space and curriculum to students working in a community.

OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF HIGH SCHOOL 2022 High-Quality Learning Experiences Ensure equitable access and opportunity for all students. Use fair and meaningful assessments. Implement flexible scheduling to support student-centered learning. Encourage students to explore their interests and passions for course credit. Matt High-quality learning experiences are: Accessible to All Student-Designed Interdisciplinary Community Oriented Fostering Life, Career & Citizen Success Mentored Authentic

Founding Values and Principles Founded in 1988 on the following principles Empowers students and teachers Appeals to individual learning styles and intelligences Focuses on hands-on learning, application of concepts, and interdisciplinary teaching Promotes the development of meaningful student products and allows for different means of assessment Fosters meaningful relationships and respect among all members of the Murray community

How might we... Continue to try new instructional strategies and find ways to scale across the division Build on our emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning Build on the historical focus on art and creative pursuits

Looking Ahead Art and Design-infused curricula and course pathways of study; enhanced by by resources and support for authentic design-thinking and entrepreneurial skill development Academic excellence through Mastery Learning, a culture of feedback, and authentic assessments Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) influenced by Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory and restorative practices

Looking Ahead Pedagogical approach will include P-Based (project, problem, passion, place), experiential, Self-Directed (SDL) and inquiry-based learning Student choice, voice, and influence through school-wide Community Meetings and greater community impact opportunities Personalized learning through focus on relationship building and an individualized instructional approach