At Bronx Latin, we have academic expectations for all our students across grades 6 – 12. As a College preparatory school, we are developing our students to be deep, critical thinkers.
An academically rigorous classroom consists of the key elements listed below:
- All students are cognitively engaged at a high level during the class. During a significant portion of the class students should be exploring the content by applying higher order thinking skills.
- Students are grouped to promote independent learning. The tasks given to groups allows for choice and/or the creation of materials.
- Teacher’s questions are at a high level (analysis, evaluative, synthesis). Students are also able to ask higher order questions.
- The teacher creates an opportunity for an authentic discussion to develop among students. Students are able to hold a discussion on their own as the teacher steps aside. Most students participate in the discussion.
- The teacher actively monitors and assesses individual students’ understandings.
- Students are expected to produce a work product by the end of a lesson/unit that reflects the understanding of challenging concepts and the use of high level skills.
- Students are aware of and understand how they are being assessed. Students are able to engage in evaluating their own work or that of their peers using standards or a rubric.
- Students may be given the opportunity to create the assessments and/or criteria/rubrics for evaluating a task or assessment.
Students using Google Expeditions, via a cardboard viewer and a smartphone, at Bronx Latin High School in New York. Credit Andrew Federman/Bronx Latin High School (via the New York Times, September 28, 2015)
