Social and World Relationships
As a crucial part of its school-restructuring effort, Littleton High School scrapped the use of Carnegie units as graduation requirements and replaced them with a list of 19 competencies. It began to develop a system of assessments to measure student attainment of these abilities.
Beginning with the class of 1995, all students must demonstrate “proficiency’’ on each of the requirements, and “excellence’’ in two of them, in order to graduate. Students can graduate in less than four years if they meet the requirements early; even if it takes more than four years, they must remain in school and fulfill the requirements in order to earn a diploma.
According to the new requirements, the Littleton High graduate will have demonstrated skills in the following areas:
Communication
- Speaks and writes articulately and effectively. Reads and listens actively.
Community Involvement
- Has actively contributed to community or social-service organizations.
Consumer Economics
- Understands the nature of economics as it applies to everyday living.
Critical Thinking
- Uses research and the problem-solving process in various fields to qualify and quantify information, to make critical distinctions, and to arrive at a decision.
Ethics
- Understands the importance of ethical conduct.
Human Relations
- Interacts well and works cooperatively with others.
Literary Arts
- Reads and evaluates literature.
Mathematics
- Effectively applies mathematical principles and operations to solve a range of problems.
Personal Growth
- Evaluates his or her own goals and demonstrates self-discipline.
Personal Health
- Implements a plan for physical and mental health.
The Sciences
- Applies skills and scientific concepts to explain his or her world, find solutions for its problems, and suggest improvements in the quality of life.
Social and World Relationships
- Uses his or her knowledge of the past to explain the present and anticipate the future.
Technology
- Demonstrates a practical knowledge of specific, current tools and technical systems used by society.
Visual and Performing Arts
- Participates in and is esthetically aware of the visual and performing arts.