Home: Proposal
About: Analysis of Need, Current Efforts, Demographics
People: Students, Parents, Teacher, Advisors
Courses: Descriptions and Schedule
Logistics: Homework, Grades, Rules
Money: Cost and Funding of Program
Outcomes: Habits of Mind, Projections, Proficiencies
Outcomes: Habits of Mind, Projections, Proficiencies
Timeline: Blog of progress with visuals!

MAKERTEENS Agreements

Rules:

Students must abide by school’s student code handbook in order to remain in the program. However, when permitted, peer-mediated interventions to student infractions follow the model of restorative justice. Clear expectations and self-monitoring tools assist students to avoid detrimental triggers and increase skills in conflict resolution.

Homework:

It is expected that MAKERTEENS will track daily household chores and music practice. In a type of “flipped class” students are expected to read assignments at home in preparation for class discussions and activities. Most importantly, each student is expected to demonstrate ownership of their individualized, constructivist education, by contributing to our online collaborative forum, reflecting on learning, posing deep questions, suggesting research resources, as we encourage each other in our quest toward healthy minds and habits.

Grades:

Timely, authentic, formative feedback is provided with rubrics that vitalize ownership and productive learning. Proficiency based grading allows students to demonstrate competencies in a variety of ways. Portfolios of evidence, industry certificates, and well defined badges, are objective verifications of knowledge and work skills.

MAKERTEENS are trained to grade themselves along their quest to package their lives as a gift to their current and future friends, family, and community. In the process of life, grades on extrinsic behaviors cannot accurately approximate the true value of intrinsic habits of mind.

MAKERTEENS persist in productivity, integrity, care and team work. We use restorative justice and a professional vocabulary. In a analogy of athletic discipline, when the coach of a sports team tells his players to run a lap, the players respond with dedication to the task because they trust the coach is preparing them for success. Likewise, when the foreman assigns his laborers a task, they trust the foreman knows the blueprint so the workers get paid for quality work. In order to catch up and excel beyond peers, there is no down time on our job site. We strive for continual improvement. We persist with a drill, or a guitar, or a potter’s wheel. We read books to challenge our comprehension, we write for clear expression of thought, always pushing and being pushed toward betterment of the brain. We earn the right to self-manage, setting priorities to meet individualized goals while still putting the needs of the team above our own. We care.

Dress Code:

As an outward demonstration of an inward commitment to change, during second semester students will begin wearing professional business attire two days per week.

Merit Pay:

Students can earn up to $20 per week by complying with the MAKERTEENS dress, language, and behavior requirements. Tuesday and Thursdays require formal business attire, zero cussing, and “going the extra mile”. Merit pay is awarded by student elected government. Paychecks are delivered every other Friday.

For example, a student who arrives in formal attire on Tuesday is credited $5. This student is noticed and nominated to the student judges for “going the extra mile”. After closed deliberation, the judges pronounce additional payments totaling $4. Unfortunately, the student exercises little control over personal vocabulary and is charged $1 per curse word, ended the day with a balance of $3. The Teacher determines merit pay for judges based on input from the Executive.

Student Government:

Initiated in October, each month students elect 2 representatives to the legislature and 1 executive who appoints 3 judges, to be confirmed by the legislature. Judges decide merit pay, penalties, and determine restorative justice among peers. Judges serve 4 consecutive months. The Executive may be reelected up to 3 consecutive months.

Enrollment: Every 2 weeks, the placement team (teacher, admin, parent…) may decide to return a student into regular education or place a student into the more restrictive MAKERTEENS program. Scenario: The administration suspends a student for 10 days and the placement team decides the LRE will be the MAKERTEENS program. This window of open enrollment diminishes disruptions to the 2 week lesson units in the MAKERTEENS classroom. Ideally, enrollments occur in bulk at the start of each semester.