John Muir Charter Schools

John Muir Charter School will improve the academic knowledge, skills, and motivation of its students and will measure its success in doing so. Graduates of Muir will demonstrate appropriate grade-level mastery on measures consistent with state standards of the following core academic skills:

In reading and writing as part of all Muir coursework, Muir students will:

• Read actively and derive meaning from written words
• Read for a variety of purposes
• Write using grammatically correct English
• Adjust tone and style of writing for purpose and audience
• Support statements using documented facts, theories, and opinions
• Separate fact from opinion
• Reach conclusions logically based on sufficient evidence
• State key points clearly and succinctly
• Organize ideas in a variety of ways

• Take personal responsibility for lifelong wellness
• Improve personal fitness
• Learn about employment and postsecondary education options
• Build skills as employees, consumers, and financial managers
• Demonstrate involvement in their communities
• Learn about environmental responsibility
• Enhance computer skills

• Show understanding of history and identify relationships between past and present events and evaluate causes and effects
• Compare people, places, and events through history, identifying similarities and differences
• Describe events and situations in political, economic, and social terms
• Project future events using evidence from the past and present
• Apply physical and cultural geography to his or her understanding of societies
• Follow and analyze current events around the world and in their communities

• Compare and contrast different political systems in the world
• Understand the formation of the United States and its Constitution
• Appreciate the balance of powers and the role of each branch of government
• Study the role of government in society
• Learn about their privileges and responsibilities in society

• Demonstrate knowledge of basic math principles
• Use math to solve common and abstract problems
• Explore ways that math is used in business, industry, science and daily life

• Observe, measure, compare, order and categorize characteristics or behaviors
• Draw inferences about unknowns from information around them
• Understand the use of the scientific method
• Recognize the inter-relationships among the scientific themes (energy, interactions, patterns, and change) and their application to the four spheres (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and exosphere).
• Study the effects of the sciences, technologies, and societies on one another and on the environment

Muir, in collaboration with its client agencies, will expose students to various academic, vocational, cultural, and social opportunities. Muir will assist students in identifying their interests and the skills they need to develop to pursue them. Muir will help students prepare for education and work after they graduate from or leave Muir.

Muir will develop comprehensive assignments and outcome measures for each student in each of the growth areas. The assignments will be tailored to build on each student's skills and assist them in overcoming challenges they face. The assignments will align with California State education content standards.