Fellowship Paper

Program Overview and Design

Students at the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School compile portfolios and complete exhibitions in order to demonstrate their mastery of the skills and proficiencies necessary for them to advance to the next level of study. Under this performance-based promotion model, students are organized into Divisions rather than traditional grade-levels, and the process of moving from one Division to the next is called "gatewaying." The highest level of the school, Division III, is roughly equivalent to 11th and 12th grade, although there are "10th graders" who have advanced to this level of study as well. Division III is a program that encompasses a variety of components suited to address the developmental needs and increased autonomy, initiative, awareness, and complexity of older adolescents.

The design of Parker's Division III program addresses two essential philosophical aims: (1) the school's commitment to authentic, performance-based promotion with its inherent accountability, and (2) the need and desire to transition our oldest students into the opportunities, responsibilities and independence of adulthood. Therefore, our policies that guide the Division III program focus on providing our students with opportunities to act autonomously and make independent decisions for which they are held accountable. Students therefore have the chance to practice good decision-making in a safe and supportive environment. When these kids leave high school and enter what we call "Life after Parker" (whether that be college, work, community service, travel, or any other option), they are considered by society to be "grown-ups" in many ways; we feel that in addition to learning to write well or graph a sine curve, they should have the chance to learn the skills required for the next phase of life, especially time management, balancing "free time" with commitments.

The major components and operating policies of the Division III program are as follows:

• Completion of a graduation portfolio: All students must compile a portfolio of work that fulfills nine of the school's twelve essential skills.
• Senior Seminar & Senior Project: All seniors engage in an independent senior project, which is a component of the yearlong course, Senior Seminar.
• Alternate course and independent work policy: Although many schools allow students to take courses in other places (in fact, the state facilitates it through Dual Enrollment), we have a policy that encourages students to try new things and/or go more deeply into areas of study, including leaving the school for segments of the day or year to pursue learning in other places. Students then bring that work and learning back into the school by including elements of it in their graduation portfolios or by doing small exhibitions in school.
• School Service and Discretionary program: All Division III students participate in a school service program in which they complete two hours of service inside the school each week. The increased responsibility they demonstrate in fulfilling this service is balanced by two hours a week of discretionary time, which students may use as they wish.
• Off-campus policy: Eligible students may go off campus during discretionary time and lunch. Although many schools have an "open campus," our policy is designed as part of a developmental transition to self-structuring free time. We view it as part of our educational program.

This paper explains the wider context and philosophy of the Division III program and provides details on the last three programs listed above. The rationale and practice of performance-based promotion and portfolio assessment (the first point above) are described in more depth in a paper written by former Parker teacher Peter Garbus, available through the Massachusetts Charter Schools Web site (www.masscharterschools.org). Similarly, a paper detailing the Senior Project (the second point above), by Parker teacher Jed Lippard, is also available on this site. (See also Appendix for an overview of Parker Graduation Requirements.) This paper describes the Alternate Course of Study policy, the Division III Service/Discretionary program, and the off-campus policy, programs that are intended to help our students practice the skills of independent adulthood.

Background and Course Structure

Although founded on the same philosophy and principles as the rest of the school, Parker's Division III looks significantly different from Division I (roughly 7th and 8th grade) and Division II (roughly 9th and 10th grade). Certainly the content of courses and expectations regarding coursework change as students become older, but the actual design of the program is different as well. Instead of the team-taught, two hour blocks of integrated coursework that students experience for most of their first four years here (beginning in 7th grade), Division III students make choices about what courses they take, and they have the opportunity to include and exclude various areas of study. By gatewaying out of Division II, students have demonstrated their proficiency in all of the 12 skill areas identified in the Parker School Criteria for Excellence (see Graduation Portfolio section of Appendix, for a full list). Although all students are expected to complete coursework in all domains (Arts& Humanities (AH); Math; Science & Technology (MST); Spanish; Wellness) throughout their high school years, there is more opportunity for individual students to specialize and pursue areas of interest once they get to Division III. Accordingly, Division III is the first time that students are presented with a "course selection" process in which they must select the individual courses, offered in hour long blocks, they will take each semester. This is a new experience for students, as Divisions I and II offer a uniform, teacher-determined curriculum for the year.

Further, for the first time in our history of educating students in multi-age, multi-level groupings, we've made a distinction between students in Division III, based on anticipated year of graduation. We have slightly different expectations of "Juniors" and Seniors. In a school day with six hours of direct domain-based instruction, all Division III students choose the courses they will take. The typical "non-senior" (a junior or a sophomore who has advanced to Division III already) chooses one math course (for example, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus), one Science course (for example, Physics, Information Technology, Genetics), two Arts & Humanities courses (for example, Color Theory, The American Dream, Morality in Global Politics, Ethics of Crime and Punishment), one Spanish class, and their Service/Discretionary block. Seniors have to find time for their daily hour of Senior Seminar in this schedule; they usually have either completed their Spanish requirements or they take one less AH class in order to do so. It is in their academic classes that students create much of the work that fills their Division III (or Graduation) portfolios.

Alternate Course of Study

We encourage kids to find different ways to pursue knowledge and demonstrate their proficiency as active, independent learners. The Alternate Course of Study policy provides students with the means to work out of the school to accomplish their educational goals. Eligible students are released from a particular Parker class or from school as a whole for a specified period of time in order to pursue an area of study not offered by our school. Some students utilize the Dual Enrollment program, in which high school students enroll in courses, free of charge, at various Massachusetts State colleges and universities. These are often students who are pursuing specialized areas of study or who are challenging themselves to take a higher level of coursework than what we can offer in our curriculum. Other students engage in travel abroad programs, wilderness training programs (National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound) or other independent studies that take them out of the daily life of the school. Some of these studies and adventures require short blocks of time a few days a week for a semester; in other cases, they are full-time, month-long experiences. Sometimes students use some of this independent work to fill their portfolio; other times, students have completed their portfolio well in advance of graduation, and they are using these independent studies to pursue novel experiences in order to deepen and remain engaged in their learning. All these independent efforts come under the Alternate Course of Study policy.

In order to be eligible to participate in such alternate courses of study, students must:

• Be in good academic standing (meaning they have received "satisfactory" in all course work in the prior academic semester).
• Be in Division III in AH and MST.
• Have completed one full semester of coursework in Division III in the domain for which the proposal is being made.

In addition, Massachusetts requires students to have a 3.0 GPA to be eligible for the Dual Enrollment program. Parker does not assign grades, nor does it rank students or assign GPAs. If a student wishes to participate in Duel Enrollment, we determine that student's academic standing by circulating a memo to all of the student's teachers which asks them to endorse the following statement for the student under consideration:

Students in good academic standing at Parker are those who treat every assignment as an opportunity to move nearer to meeting our high standards, and I can safely assure you that the demonstrated academic competencies of the student being recommended for Dual Enrollment meet or exceed the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA. (Parker Memo 2000)

Students who are interested in pursuing an alternate course of study are required to submit a proposal, within established deadlines, stating their plan and intent for their alternate work. Students submit proposals either due to their own motivation or because teachers have encouraged them to exercise this option. Proposals follow these guidelines (Parker Proposal Guidelines 2001):

• Students may propose alternate courses of study to replace one Parker Division III course per academic semester. (This is for the Dual Enrollment option.)
• The proposal must address a content area or specific program not provided by the Parker curriculum.
• The alternate course of study must contain a clearly articulated statement of intent, specific learning goals, and proposal for Parker release time.
• The alternate study must lead to the creation of work for the graduation portfolio. (There are times when this is excused when appropriate to a particular student's situation.)
• Students will provide documentation of program, including all materials, syllabi, and work generated for the course.
• Students will present/submit assessments from outside coursework from colleges and universities to their academic advisor and student services.
• Students must maintain satisfactory standing in their remaining Parker coursework.

Proposals are reviewed by Division III teachers and can be approved, amended, or denied. The accountability for a student's work in this alternate or independent study comes in the transcript and the graduation portfolio. Alternate course work is noted on the student's transcript, and work generated from satisfactorily completed courses/independent studies is eligible for inclusion in the student's graduation portfolio. If in an alternate course the student's work is incomplete or assessed "not satisfactory," that fact is noted on the transcript, and work produced from that course may not be included in the graduation portfolio. For self-contained coursework (work done through dual enrollment or in other educational institutions), students are required to submit work/materials for consideration by the Division III teachers: the assignments, the work completed, and the grade. In most cases, this work is measured against the relevant school standards and approved for inclusion in the portfolio.

Independent studies are handled a little differently, as they vary in scope and nature. For independent studies done inside the school (for example, a semester-long investigation into the principles of neuroscience), students work with a faculty sponsor, who is then responsible for assessing the work the student produces. For an independent study that takes a student out of the school (a month-long apprenticeship on the set of a motion picture, for example), students are required to return to school and complete an appropriate exhibition of their work or learning. If the independent study is meant to create work for the portfolio, the stakes for the exhibition are higher than for a student who has already completed their portfolio requirements.

Sometimes students do not apply for release time from the typical Parker schedule, but they do want to include in their graduation portfolio significant work they do outside of school. As students are encouraged to use their graduation portfolio to showcase what they have learned and what they are most proud of, we acknowledge that sometimes what they do outside of school is most relevant to their portfolio, even if it wasn't done "for school." For example, a student with a long history of taking art classes outside of school might not wish to get "credit" for this course work by gaining an exemption from a Parker class, but they may still want to include some of this artwork (under the skill of artistic expression) in their portfolio. A student may be a member of the mock trial team (a nationwide competition in which high school students act as lawyers or witnesses and try a mock case in front of a real judge) and wish to use work from this extracurricular activity to demonstrate skill in oral presentation. These students may include their work in their portfolios, and it is reviewed through the same procedure as work done in school. A student is not able to fill his or her whole portfolio with work done outside of school; however, the academic advisor works with the student so that the portfolio will have a balance of both in and out of schoolwork, as appropriate to the individual student.

Although it requires additional monitoring, follow-up, and meeting time, the benefits of this program far outweigh the "costs" in time and administration. Students are able to pursue authentic learning experiences outside the regular classroom, engaging in experiences that motivate and test them. They learn to manage new "adult" environments, and they develop the self-discipline and initiative it takes to do something outside of the "regular" plan.

School Service and Discretionary Time

As part of their daily schedules, Division III students have one hour per day that is not committed to an academic class. This is called Service (or Discretionary) Time. Two out of four days a week (excluding Wednesday because our schedule that day is different) that time is devoted to School Service. That block is open the other two hours of the week, and students can use it as discretionary time.

In their "Service," students are asked to give back to the school community in a regular and constructive fashion. Students select their service from options posted by teachers, administrators, and staff of the school, and they sometimes propose something that they see needs to be done, but which has not been specifically listed. Some examples of student service include: working with the technology coordinator on computer maintenance, assisting teachers and their younger students in a classroom environment, providing structured one-on-one tutorial support for another student, assisting with custodial work, serving as a research assistant for a teacher, answering phones and filing in the office. The possibilities are myriad, but the driving intent is to put our oldest students to work in ways that will truly be of service to the Parker School community. Since students get to choose their service, they do service that is appropriate and interesting for them.

All adults involved in the daily functioning of the Parker School are able to request service students for whom the adults then serve as mentors. Rather than being a burden or an additional planning responsibility for these mentors, the Division III students are available to serve in whatever capacity makes most sense for the mentors. Teachers who do not want service students do not need to have them. It is a purely voluntary program for faculty and staff, and it has been consistently praised as a wonderful help to teachers and a growth experience for students.

The ultimate accountability for the program lies in the fact that School Service is a graduation requirement. Therefore, students must be willing to work and must show an honest and consistent commitment to it. Students and mentors are presented from the outset with a list of criteria that articulates the qualities of successful School Service, and students are expected to live up to these criteria throughout each of their "mentorships." The Criteria for Excellence in School Service (Parker Criteria 2000) have been articulated as follows:

• Students will take their school service seriously and make it a priority to devote their two hours per week.
• Students will arrive to their school service sessions on time.
• Students will stay for and work efficiently throughout the duration of their school service sessions.
• Students will perform a meaningful service to the school (work which benefits teachers, students, and/or the school as an institution).
• Students will diligently keep their school service logs (up-to-date and thorough).
• Students will participate willingly and demonstrate tangible productivity in their School Service.
• Students will be responsible for advance communication (e-mail, phone, in-person, etc.) with their mentors in the event that they are unable to attend a school service session.
• Students will demonstrate proof of progress over the course of their school service.
• Students will participate in an initial conference with their mentors to set expectations for the service assignment.

Division III students are responsible for keeping a simple School Service Log in which they document their hours and the specifics of each session. Mentors are responsible for initialing these Logs at the end of each session, communicating with a student's advisor if that student is not living up to the criteria, and completing a relatively simple checklist to evaluate the student's performances at the end of each semester. The ultimate responsibility for a wayward student lies with the advisor, who is responsible for overseeing his or her advisees' School Service, reviewing their Logs, and (when necessary) imposing appropriate consequences for failure to fulfill responsibilities. Service assignments can last for a semester or the whole year, and situations that are clearly not working to the benefit of the student or the teacher/administrator with whom the student is working are changed as needed. Other norms and consequences for service (Parker Service 2000) include:

• Students may miss School Service sessions only for legitimate reasons/extenuating circumstances [college visits, athletic events, illnesses, conferences, Senior Project (with approval)]; students will not be responsible for making up missed hours resulting from these "excused" reasons.
• Students must make up all service missed due to "unexcused" reasons by performing some other form of school service within two weeks of the end of the semester.
• Students who habitually neglect their School Service responsibilities will lose the privilege of discretionary time.
• Failure to make up missed service will jeopardize graduation status.

The "privilege" that students receive in exchange for the responsibility they demonstrate through School Service is discretionary time--the two hours Division III students have each week in which they do not have to check-in, sign-in, or otherwise make themselves present anywhere in particular. Although discretionary time is a "reward" of sorts, it is provided primarily so students can practice managing their time and the things they need to accomplish. Often students use discretionary time to do their schoolwork, meet with teachers, hang out with friends, go to the library, or leave campus (more details on this later; see "Off-Camps Policy"). Students may do whatever they like with their discretionary time, as long as they remain within the boundaries of normal school expectations for behavior. Any transgression of these norms of conduct is dealt with the same way it would be if a student were misbehaving during any part of our school program.

Our experience with the practice of allowing students discretionary time has been incredibly positive. We have had almost no disciplinary issues. Students are monitored closely and coached through poor decision-making, so they learn how to function well independently. Through the program, students learn to balance the multiple demands on their time, prioritize what they need to accomplish, practice integrating "down time" into their days (much as college students do) while still getting done what they need to get done. Our graduates have specifically commented on their ability to manage and balance the multiple demands of their new independence in college and on the job, based on the opportunities they had to practice those skills in high school. Discretionary time also gives students time to do the business they need to do in the life of the school (for example, conference with teachers, check-in with the college counselor, meet with classmates about group projects, etc.) that might not otherwise find a place in the hectic and full school day. Often, students speak about something they need to accomplish, and they suggest their discretionary time as providing the opportunity to get it done. Ultimately, however, discretionary time is a privilege, and it may be lost through misconduct, failure to fulfill service responsibilities, or loss of satisfactory academic standing.
Again, although there are some monitoring and administrative burdens associated with service/discretionary time, the benefits to the students and the school far outweigh the burdens (even the paperwork).

Off-Campus Policy

One of the things that some students may choose to do with their discretionary time is leave campus. They do many things when they leave. They go out to lunch. They go to the local library. They go home to do school work. They run errands. They meet with outside mentors or contacts for various projects, and so forth.

In order to facilitate the process of learning to use their time well, while allowing them to demonstrate their ability to make responsible choices, the off-campus policy was developed by staff, students, and parents over the course of the 2000-2001 academic year. Off-Campus privilege is defined as school and parent permission to be off-campus during unscheduled time during the school day (which is really just discretionary time, lunch, and sometimes, for students involved in release time for an independent study, that open hour). Under this policy Parker rules apply while students are off-campus during school hours. In addition to parental permission, students must have the permission of their advisor, who verifies academic and behavioral good standing.

Since off-campus privileges are just that, privileges, they can be revoked at any time if a student is in unsatisfactory academic standing or if they abuse the opportunities presented to them. Consequences for violations of the Off-Campus policy are determined by the Justice Committee (the student-based school disciplinary group) and the Principal and can range from a warning to temporary or permanent revocation of off-campus privileges. Students are required to sign in and out in the front office and to indicate their destination while they are off-campus.

One of the qualities that distinguishes this policy from a standard open campus is who is eligible to participate in it. At the beginning of the school year, only seniors have this privilege. In the second semester, juniors gain the ability to leave campus. This fits into the developmental expectations we have for our students. Seniors are closer to being in the world beyond high school, and it therefore makes more sense for them to be able to practice the associated skills. Once juniors have some practice with the other freedoms associated with the Division III program, they "progress" to the final level of independence. Once again, our aim is to create a structure that enables our students to exercise the skills of autonomy, initiative, and good decision-making. Because we give them opportunities to practice these skills, and because they have help learning these skills and recovering from their mistakes, we have grounds on which to expect our students to demonstrate such skills now and in life beyond Parker.

Implications for Other Schools

Although the components of the Division III program form a coherent whole at Parker, parts of the program could be implemented or adapted at a traditional public school. In fact, many schools may have in place some policies and practices like those at Parker. We feel, however, that the developmental model in which they are presented is of utmost importance. In our experience, it is the wider philosophical context of the Division III program that makes it unique and functional. If other schools were to contemplate implementing some of elements of the Division III program, it would be useful for staff to keep in mind the following: It is important to establish organizational structures and the means to manage logistics, but the key to success is the tone set by the school culture.

At Parker, the program works because we trust our students, and we give them room to try new things and make mistakes. We take the time to know our students very well, and we spend much time working closely with them, guiding them through the choices they make. We recognize that it is only through a time-consuming and care-intensive process that students come to learn how to manage themselves as they make the transition to adulthood. We make expectations clear, for both students and adults, and we foster a sense of accountability. In such a program, everyone must be aware of their responsibilities and the consequences for not following through with them. Students must be called to account for their transgressions, but not necessarily in a spirit of punishment. The policies we have in place go a long way toward helping students learn to use their privileges well, make their choices effectively, and exercise their independence to their own, and their community's, benefit.

Finally, it is crucial that students and parents are part of creating and reviewing programs that help older adolescents transition into adulthood. All constituencies in our school community were involved in creating such programs for our Division III students, and their voices helped make the programs the success they are today.

Conclusion

We have high academic expectations at Parker, and we demand demonstrated excellence from all students (as manifested in the graduation portfolio and the senior project). We believe our program and expectations prepare students for "Life After Parker." We are deeply concerned with transitioning our students into the independence and responsibility of adulthood, and both the policies and practices of our Division III program, and the philosophy underlying it, reflect that concern. By presenting Division III students with multiple opportunities to learn to manage themselves and make good decisions about their independence, and by consistently following-up with students when they do not make these decisions well, we believe our students are better prepared to enter the world beyond high school and better able to experience success and satisfaction on their chosen paths.

About the Author

Deb Merriam is a founding teacher at the Francis W. Parker School. She holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College and received her M.Ed. from Harvard University. Deb currently serves as the Division III Coordinator and teaches Division III Arts and Humanities.

The Senior Year focuses on investigation and demonstration, as well as critical thinking, in an effort to imbue and foster in our students the qualities of autonomy, interdependence, resourcefulness, compassion, curiosity, perseverance, pride, and respect for themselves and for others.

The Senior Year
The Senior Year is a full year program defined by Senior Seminar, Senior Project, Division 3 course work and Graduation Portfolio, and School Service. In order to be considered a Senior, students must be in Division Three Arts and Humanities and Math, Science, Technology. They must complete Division Two Spanish by the end of their Senior Year.

Graduation Requirements (in addition to meeting State Board of Education requirements):

Successful completion of the Senior Project

Graduation Portfolio and cover letter

Successful completion of the Senior Seminar

Fulfillment of School Service requirement

Completion of Division II Spanish or its equivalent

Completion of Wellness requirements

Senior Project
During their final year at Parker, students will complete a Senior Project in which they myst:

1. Generate an essential question

2. Explore this question by:

a. Engaging in formal academic research

b. Collaborating with people outside of Parker (e.g., internships, interviews, job-shadowing, field research)

3. Use their findings/work to benefit the larger community

4. Apply skills and knowledge from several disciplines to complete the project

5. Present their project to a panel

Graduation Portfolio
The graduation portfolio will contain work from Division III courses which demonstrates the student's accomplishments in at least 9 of the 12 skill areas identified in the Parker School Criteria for Excellence:

Oral Presentation

Writing

Reading

Research

Listening

Artistic Expression

Spanish

Scientific Investigation

Mathematical Communication

Mathematical Problem Solving

Systems Thinking

Technology

Furthermore, the graduation portfolio will contain no fewer than 6 individual pieces of work that meet expectations, drawn from now fewer than 5 Division III courses.

Only work from satisfactorily completed courses will be eligible for the graduation portfolio. Courses of study which are incomplete or for which the student has been assessed "unsatisfactory" will be noted on the transcript; work from those courses will not be eligible for the graduation portfolio.

Once all work has been collected, the student will compose a cover letter that reflects upon and synthesizes his or her work at Parker, and describes the ways in which the portfolio reflects the Parker Habits of Learning (critical thinking, reflection, expression, inquiry, collaboration, involvements, organization, and attentiveness). Specific requirements for the reflection will be provided to students.

Senior Seminar
Senior Seminar is a year-long assessed course dedicated to developing and fostering critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration, and personal achievement. In addition to its curricular function, the Senior Seminar provides structure and continuity for preparation for Life after Parker, as well as the locus for the Senior Project and the presentation of the Graduation Portfolio. Seminar teachers act as advisors to seniors for all aspects of the Senior Year, including the Senior Project.

School Service
School service is an ongoing requirement of Division III. Seniors are expected to satisfactorily complete their school service requirement during the senior year.

Wellness
Satisfactory participation in Wellness programming and learning activities is required of all Division III students.

Spanish
Successful completion of Division II Spanish (or its equivalent) is required of all Seniors.

Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School Division III Faculty. 2001. Alternative Course of Study Proposal Guidelines. Fort Devens, MA. 2000, Revised. Duplicated.

------. 2000. Criteria for Excellence in School Service. Fort Devens, MA. Duplicated.

------. 2000. Dual Enrollment Competency Memo. Fort Devens, MA. Duplicated.

------. 2001. Parker Graduation Requirements. Fort Devens, MA. 1999, Revised. Duplicated.

------. 2000. Norms and Consequences for Service. Fort Devens, MA. Duplicated.