Our Jr. High program is comprised of 7th and 8th grade. These years are crucial in developing students’ awareness of self and personal responsibility. Jr. High is a time for students to become responsible for their own learning so they are prepared for High School which will be filled with decision making concerning their future. Considerations are made for student interest-driven learning, social emotional development, and social emotional learning. One of the major components of transition for Jr. High students is the introduction of grades for all classes.
Jr. High Distinctives
Grades
At the Academy our elementary level students do not receive letter grades for their assignments or their courses. The reason why students don’t receive grades is because it’s been my (Mr. Garner’s) observation (and study) that most children are not able to differentiate between their work being graded and their person being graded. For example, a 4th grader can get a C- on an assignment (where they are told the C- means below average), and unfortunately, may come to believe that they are below average, as a person. Or at least that they are below average when it comes to that particular subject matter. This is of course a misconception, but the labeling becomes difficult to compute for a mind that has yet to develop the cognitive capacity for making abstract connections. It’s for this reason that our elementary students do not receive letter grades. It helps our teachers to focus on meeting students where they are within a certain subject matter, and helps them to move forward at a pace relative to their capacity.
Once students get to Jr. High, their cognitive ability to understand the separation between the grade and their person is possible. We want them to understand what a grade is: merely a way to gauge how well you accommodated expectations related to an assignment, and NOT a label characterizing you as a person. In order to help our students experience grades in a healthy way we have to demystify and also neutralize the psycho-social power that the label has. We do this by walking students through how they should understand the grading process.
The reality is that grades are common place and in college these kids will be graded. We want to prepare them to see what a grade is and that a grade is again, merely a way to gauge how well you accommodated an expectation to an assignment. This will also prepare them for their careers when they will have supervisors and others who will give them “grades” so to speak, or critiques. Hopefully they’ll know enough about grading that when it happens they won't take it personal, but they will be moved to ask the right questions and gauge expectations so that they can perform accordingly.
Worship Band
For our Jr. High and High School students, worship band is a main component of spiritual emphasis day. Each Wednesday, students participate in worship band for a majority of the day with a small group of students and a worship band teacher. Students have the opportunity to work as a team to develop music skills, team dynamic, and an art to share with other levels throughout the school.
Elective Courses
Throughout the two years of Jr. high our students have the opportunity to participate in a number of elective courses that are created based on student interest. These electives are focused around one of our three academic disciplines: Language Arts, Creative Arts, and STEM. Students fill out surveys and participate in Headmaster and Principal round table discussions to determine courses offered that would meet their interests.