Mission, Vision, Competencies, Standards, and Benchmarks

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Introduction: The CHCA Curriculum The CHCA Curriculum Council presents this Statement of Curriculum as the fourth edition of the original document. In keeping with our earlier curriculum work, and with the goal of ensuring “meaningful, effective, and engaging” instruction, our Statement of Curriculum provides the overarching framework for instruction and assessment in twelve broad subject areas. Each subject’s curricular focus includes four components: Vision—each department’s narrative statement of guiding principles and philosophy, aligned with the Mission and Vision of the school. Standards—the broadest statements of content and curricular themes, these overarch and unify the PK-12 scope and sequence within each discipline. Benchmarks—more specific content milestones beneath the broader standards that our students engage by the end of lower school at grade 6, and by the end of upper school at grade 12. On the whole, our Standards and Benchmarks represent the substance of meaningful and effective instruction, and they guide our assessments of student progress—from daily formative checks for emerging understanding to the summative assessments that form the capstones of class experiences. To match substance with form, this current edition includes a new section for each curricular area—core Competencies. While Standards and Benchmarks will often outline broadly what concepts are covered by the teacher, the Competencies seek to answer critical questions of student engagement: “What am I taking away from this class? What skills am I able to transfer from one class to the next, and even outside the classroom context? What processes, skills, and habits of thinking am I mastering at CHCA?” Like our existing Standards, the core Competencies identified here are overarching. They are essential, transferrable skills that our students refine throughout their PK-12 journey. Unlike the Standards, they are not necessarily subject-specific. Competencies may cut across multiple disciplines, including vital theological connections, indicating the numerous ways in which students work to transfer those skills from class to class. Our competencies fall into five broad, cross-curricular skill categories: ‣ Gathering Data and Evidence: What facts are relevant to what I am studying? What vocabulary do I need in order to engage this topic? What does our data mean? Which sources are most credible? ‣ Thinking Critically within the Disciplines: What does it mean to play musically and with ensemble? How do we understand “proof?” What steps are necessary to solve this problem? What does the author of this text assume? ‣ Communicating within the Disciplines: What is the artist “saying?” What makes my presentation effective? Why does genre matter? ‣ Constructing Meaning & Building Connections: Where have we seen this before? How is this system similar to systems in other contexts? To what extent is this model consistent with a Christ-centered ethic? ‣ Life Skills: What should I do when I get stuck? How do I know when I’m finished? When is this “good enough?” What happens if I mess this up? What about me, and about those around me, would change if I truly understood the love of God in my life? Back to Table of Contents
Together, our Vision Statements, Competencies, Standards, and Benchmarks articulate the what as well as the how and why of teaching and learning at CHCA. They speak to the nexus of our core values of Christ-centeredness, Academic Excellence, and the Whole Person, inasmuch as these converge in our classrooms to produce fruit in the lives of our students in due season. With that end in mind, teachers in all subject areas work toward a common set of goals: By close of grade 12, can CHCA students… …utilize available resources and technology tools to gather data and construct meaning? …explain and accurately articulate academic concepts and themes? …clearly articulate the purpose and meaning behind what they are studying? …engage essential questions within each discipline, and raise their own questions? …discover and evaluate facts, observations, and underlying assumptions within each discipline? …make relevant, logical inferences about what they are studying based on available data? …articulate meaningful, logical connections between disciplines? …respectfully engage differing points-of-view and empathize with others? …revisit, rethink, and revise their own thinking to build newer and deeper understandings? …expand their creativity and refine their skill in multiple forms of expression? …grow their problem-solving potential when the “right answers” are not obvious? …learn from failure as well as from success while building a growth mindset? …experiment, take positive risks, and build resilience? …engage the world around them while viewing it through the lens of biblical truth? And so we seek to challenge our students to grow in wisdom, in character, and in strength, and to see the world around them more clearly through the eyes of faith. Finally, a word of special thanks is in order. This curricular work would be impossible without the earlier leadership and vision of Karen Smeltzer. For many years as our beloved Academic Dean, Karen’s dedication to rigorous academics, her passion for challenging, Christ-centered education, guided instruction and assessment at CHCA. As she challenged us with pedagogical best practices and led us to deeper automaticity in navigating academic frameworks, we are forever indebted to her meticulous efforts as we build here on the work she has gifted to us. I would also like to thank all of the CHCA faculty from the 2017-2018 school year. Our Curriculum Council members took the lead in brainstorming with departments and recording revisions, yet it was the thoughtful, collaborative effort of all our teachers working together across divisions that made this current edition possible. Thus, we are very pleased to present this Statement of Curriculum. Honoring the foundational academic work of earlier years, we look ahead to the challenge of preparing our students for all that God is calling them to be in the years to come. Kris Gilbert, May 2018 Back to Table of Contents
Page 1 and 2: MISSION, VISION, COMPETENCIES, STAN
Page 3 and 4: Our Mission Cincinnati Hills Christ
Page 5: Our Promise Statement Centered in t
Page 9 and 10: Core Competencies: Mapping Skills A
Page 11 and 12: Breakdown of Competencies Competenc
Page 13 and 14: Competency: Spiritual Formation Des
Page 15 and 16: Vision English Language Arts 1 Thro
Page 17 and 18: Competency: Reading—Application o
Page 19 and 20: Competency: Writing—Information F
Page 21 and 22: Benchmarks By close of grade 6, Low
Page 23 and 24: ‣ Apply reading comprehension str
Page 25 and 26: ‣ Organize writing using a draft
Page 27 and 28: Speaking/Listening/Discussion ‣ E
Page 29 and 30: Vision Mathematics 2 Mathematics is
Page 31 and 32: Competency: Attend to precision. Es
Page 33 and 34: By close of grade 12, Upper School
Page 35 and 36: Geometry and Geometry VT Within the
Page 37 and 38: Advanced Placement Calculus AB By c
Page 39 and 40: Vision Science 3 Science is a metho
Page 41 and 42: E Essential Questions: ‣ How do w
Page 43 and 44: ‣ Apply scientific ideas, princip
Page 45 and 46: Benchmarks By close of grade 6, Low
Page 47 and 48: ‣ The amount (weight) of matter i
Page 49 and 50: ‣ Support an argument that the gr
Page 51 and 52: ‣ Investigate fossil records whic
Page 53 and 54: ‣ Describe collisions of objects
Page 55 and 56: Advanced Placement Science Courses
Page 57 and 58:
Vision Social Studies 4 Students ac
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‣ What pieces of history show us
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Core Understandings: Students will
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Competency: Communication and Colla
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Core Competencies ‣ Use diagrams,
Page 67 and 68:
Advanced Placement Social Studies B
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Modern World Languages: Spanish 5 V
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Competency: Making Connections, Com
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‣ Listing and identifying practic
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‣ Plan real or imaginary travel t
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‣ Listen to music, sing songs, or
Page 79 and 80:
Modern World Languages: Mandarin Ch
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Benchmarks: Mandarin Chinese Lower
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‣ Communication Strategies (How d
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Classical World Languages 7 Vision
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Page 89 and 90:
Comparisons ‣ Demonstrating the r
Page 91 and 92:
for coping with high levels of stre
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‣ Identify the five sense organs
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Page 97 and 98:
Competency: Building Manipulative S
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Vision Fine Arts, Music As a result
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Competency: Creativity and Musical
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‣ Perform with expression and tec
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Vision Fine Arts, Visual 9 CHCA Vis
Page 107 and 108:
Competency: Creativity and Artistic
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Advanced Placement Art By close of
Page 111 and 112:
Breakdown of Competencies Competenc
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‣ How do I know which ideas are
Page 115 and 116:
‣ Developing habits of navigating
Page 117 and 118:
Vision Information Literacy 11 As a
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Mission, Vision, Competencies, Standards, and Benchmarks

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