What is the Summit Learning Program?
And how does it support learning at BHH?
Developed by teachers from Summit Public Schools with engineering assistance from Facebook, the Summit Learning Program is the backbone to the Summit experience. It is a tool that helps students set both short and long-term goals while tracking progress toward these goals, prioritize their work, learn content at their own pace, complete deep projects that apply to real world situations and reflect on their learning.
At Bader Hillel High, powered by the Summit Learning Program:
- Students make a plan for success in college, career and life. No matter what students want to accomplish in their lives, they need a plan to make that dream a reality.
- Students are aware of what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they learn best. They become self-directed learners and develop the behaviors and mindsets for success.
- Students engage with projects that connect the classroom to the real world. When students work in teams to apply what they’re learning to projects that mimic and solve real-world problems, they develop strong collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills.
- Students have a mentor who provides ongoing feedback and serves as a coach and advocate.
How does a teacher use the Summit Learning Program?
Empowering Teachers to support student learning
The Summit Learning Program was designed by and for teachers, to help them put learning back into the hands of their students. Bader Hillel High teachers use the platform on a daily basis to organize all of their work with students, first by helping students to set goals, and then working backwards to identify and plan the actions they need to take and the knowledge they need to master – across all subjects, not just the one that teacher leads.
Bader Hillel High teachers use the platform to organize their own work, including developing curriculum by creating or adding resources to playlists, and creating or modifying projects. Through the platform, BHH teachers monitor individual student and class-wide performance and progress, and tailor instruction accordingly, as well as provide direct feedback and ultimately grades.
How do projects work with the Summit Learning Platform?
Projects: Immersing BHH Students in Real World Scenarios
At a high level, during Project Time students own their learning journey by setting goals, mastering content in their learning style, and applying Content Knowledge. Teachers support students with whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction, intervention, and mentorship.
Students spend the majority of class time immersed in real-world projects using Cognitive Skills. Every project in the Summit curriculum assesses multiple Cognitive Skills. Our Cognitive Skills Rubric outlines 36 skills necessary for college and career readiness. Students hone these skills in every subject and grade level across multiple contexts, progressing along a continuum appropriate for their level of development. Seventy percent of a student’s grade is based on Cognitive Skill development, which is easily tracked in the Summit Learning Platform.
The Summit Learning Platform houses more than 300 projects and includes a series of built-in checkpoints, or opportunities for formative feedback, from teachers, peers, and self. Teachers can choose from these projects depending on their curriculum requirements and student needs. Projects culminate in a performance-based assessment such as an essay, lab report, or presentation. For example, students could be applying geometry and personal finance knowledge to design and budget for their dream home.
Cognitive Skills
At Bader Hillel High, we emphasize the development of student’s cognitive skills. Cognitive skills — such as developing an argumentative claim, presenting a clear idea, and interpreting data — are essential for success in college and career.
The Cognitive Skills Rubric is a single, research-based tool based on feedback from hundreds of educators, and validated by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE). The Cognitive Skills Rubric is an assessment and instruction tool that outlines the continuum of 36 interdisciplinary, higher-order thinking skills that are necessary for college and career readiness.
They are broken down into seven (7) categories: Speaking & Listening; Writing/Composing; Analysis & Synthesis, Inquiry, Using Sources, Textual Analysis, and Products & Presentations.
Furthermore, these skills are also aligned with the top skills that employers say they’re seeking, including: Complex problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, creativity, and the ability to coordinate with others.
Students are graded on a continuum of 0-8. So by the time a student is a senior, they should be scoring in higher ranges.
