Learning Goals
To ensure that students are prepared to succeed in college and life beyond, Indianapolis Met has defined five academically-applied learning goals that each student must meet in order to graduate. These goals represent the skills and qualities the school believes are crucial to post-graduate life.

Communication Skills:
(How do I take in and express information?)

•  Reading fiction
•  Reading non-fiction
•  Writing
•  Speaking
•  Conversation

Quantitative reasoning:
(How do I measure, compare or represent it?)

•  Math skills

Empirical reasoning:
(How do I prove it?)

•  What idea do I want to test?
•  What has other research shown?
•  What is my hypothesis?
•  How will I present my results?

Social reasoning:
(What do I bring to the process?)

•  How can I demonstrate respect?
•  How can I look out for my health and well-being?
•  How can I better manage my time?
•  How can I take on more of a leadership role?

Personal qualities:
(How do I take in and express information?)

•  How can I write about it?
•  Who can I listen to about it?
•  How can I speak about it?
•  How can technology help me to express it?

Learning plans

When students first arrive at the Indianapolis Met, we work with them to identify their strongest interests, to understand their learning styles and histories and then to develop a learning plan that combines their interests with schoolwide learning goals and requirements.

The anchor of this learning plan is Learning Through Internship, where the student works closely with an adult mentor who shares the student's interests. Indianapolis Met students learn from life experiences, college courses, independent projects, computer-assisted instruction and more traditional methods of direct instruction from mentors and advisors.

Indianapolis Met students take all required Indiana state standardized tests, complete college courses while in high school and participate in enrichment courses.

Students keep a learning journal and make entries at least three times a week describing what they are learning. Every student meets with his or her advisor to review the journal, learning plan and other materials to evaluate what has been accomplished and next steps.

Students also keep a working portfolio and create a final presentation portfolio at the end of each year that will be translated into a grade-level transcript. At the end of each quarter, students present what they have learned at a public exhibition. This is followed by a student and advisor reflective narrative about his or her performance. Both documents are shared with parents and become a part of the student's permanent record.

Advisors (teachers) keep track of how students are meeting the Indiana standards and expectations for course work. This is documented in a transcript that can go to another high school or college. All work is assessed by students, parents, advisors and mentors so that all can understand what a student has really learned and where he or she is struggling. Together, the learning team can create next steps in the student's learning.

 

Advisories

Philosophy: An advisory is a small community within the school. Students remain with the same advisory all four years of high school. Advisories become great support systems because students are able to have close relationships with the advisor and each other.

A Student's role

Students go to advisories every day and end each day in their advisories (except internship days). An advisory is a student's family group at school, with its own name, culture and personality. Students are expected to become respectful, caring and productive members of the advisory group.

Advisor's role

The advisor leads the group, facilitates team building and plans advisory activities. The advisor sets up structures to help students succeed, tracks each student's work and learning and enriches the advisory with an array of learning activities. The advisor helps students manage their time, plan work, find internships and complete projects.