Content Courses
Rigorous Academic & Arts Courses
Core content courses help students develop discipline-specific skills and content knowledge. Academic courses, which meet in 70-minute blocks, include Mathematical Applications, Scientific Explorations, English Language Arts, and Historical Perspective; Arts courses include both Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Courses are designed with constructivist principles in mind and are scaffolded to allow for a range of depth and complexity to meet the learning needs of all SEEQS students.
Academic Content
SEEQS courses are designed to meet widely-adopted standards, including: Common Core standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts; Next Generation Science Standards; College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies; National Core Arts Standards; and Education for Sustainability standards.
Visual & Performing Arts
Core content courses include Visual & Performing Arts. At SEEQS, we value the role that artistic expression plays in fostering confidence and skill in communication and creativity, as well as appreciation of cultural ideas critical to participating in a global society.
Assessment at SEEQS
Standards-Based Grades: SEEQS uses standards-based grades to communicate progress and mastery. Rather than lumping all content, processes, skills, and habits into one letter grade, we separate information about students’ progress into sections, allowing for more specific feedback and guidance for improvement and growth: Content Standards (what students should KNOW), Performance Standards (what students should be able to DO), Work Habits; and Narrative Comments. Students’ progress is reported along a continuum: Starting, Striving, Succeeding, and Soaring.
Standardized Tests: As a public charter school, SEEQS is responsible for administering state- and federal-mandated standardized assessments to all students. The SEEQS curriculum effectively prepares all students to demonstrate their academic achievement on standardized tests and far beyond.
Authentic Demonstrations of Mastery: SEEQS prioritizes real-world learning experiences, and accordingly, believes in students authentically demonstrating the mastery of skills and concepts. Student-Led Conferences, public project exhibitions, and Portfolio Defenses all provide students with ample opportunities for this.
