Signature ProgramsThe MKA Core • Culture of Ethics • The Writing Challenge

Montclair Kimberley Academy

MKA owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Peter R. Greer, Headmaster, l992-2005,

for the vision and dedication that inspired and guided

MKA’s three Signature Programs described herein.

Montclair Kimberley Academy is a Pre-K-12 coeducational day schoolwith an exceptional college preparatory program unified by the conceptsof our school motto: Knowledge, Vision, Integrity. An MKA education isdefined by the following commitments:

Knowledge:• To cultivate a love of learning in each student• To develop independent and autonomous learners• To establish a foundation of academic excellence

Vision:• To engage each student intellectually and personally with the world• To graduate students who will excel in college and in their

lives beyond MKA• To recognize complexity and value empathy

Integrity:• To strengthen each student’s intellect, character, and confidence• To promote each student’s full and active citizenship and leadership• To secure a life-long sense of honor through academic, athletic,

and artistic achievement

With traditions dating back to 1887, MKA was formed by the merger of Montclair Academy, Brookside School, and The Kimberley School in 1974.

MKA’s Mission

Montclair Kimberley Academy

The CorePhilosophy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The MKA Core by Campus• Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6• Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8• Upper School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Culture of Ethics• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12• Code of Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13• Character Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14• Understanding Ethics & Developing Character in the Classroom . . . 15• And Beyond The Classroom - Integrated Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17• Recognition for MKA's Culture of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Writing Challenge• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21• Primary School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23• Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25• Upper School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27• How Does the Writing Challenge Inform Teaching and Learning?. . . 29

Assessment Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MKA

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PhilosophyTimelessness

Centra l i t y

In f luence

Or ig ina l i t y

Access ib i l i t y

CoreTheMKA

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THE MKA CORE

William Avery Barras, one of our school’steaching legends (from 1928 to 1956), wasknown to inspire his students by saying, “Ifwhat I am saying goes over your head, raiseyour head.” Great schools challenge theirstudents to stretch their intellectual experienceand their thinking as Barras did. In 1999, MKAfaculty initiated the Core Works, a uniqueprogram to further define the school’s seriousintellectual purpose and to strengthen itscommitment to its motto, “Knowledge, Visionand Integrity.” This program, now known asthe MKA Core, guarantees that all MKAstudents explore seminal works and conceptsof enduring significance—the contributions ofdiverse authors, artists, statesmen andinventors. Through this select core of studies,all MKA students from Pre-K to grade 12encounter some of “the best that has beenthought and said in the world” (MatthewArnold), in addition to some of the best thathas been created. Learning about andgrappling with such a variety of works andconcepts helps students understand some ofhumanity’s essential foundations andaspirations. Experiencing the MKA Corechallenges students to expand theirknowledge, develop an inspired sense ofvision and lead an informed life of integrity.

The MKA Core is also a means of “keepinggood ideas alive” for all MKA students. As MKAfriend, mentor and esteemed ethics scholar,Dr. Edwin Delattre warned, even the great,powerful ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.could all too easily die:

... Ideas do die. Dreams die. They dieunless they are transmitted from each

generation to the next; they die unless theycome to life and retain vitality in the heartsand minds of each generation as it growstoward adulthood and accepts theauthority and responsibilities of that station.. . . Ideas are enormously powerful. If theidea is evil, the fruit is bitter, and its effectsharmful. Justice is an idea; so is bigotry.They both have hugely dramatic anddurable fruits. Cultures rooted in goodideas deserve respect; those rooted in theideas of tyranny, bigotry and contempt forhuman dignity do not. This, childrendeserve to learn. But despite their power,[good] ideas are powerless unless peoplelearn them, learn how to use them, applythem, keep them vital, make them theirown by hard and disciplined thinking. . . .

The MKA Core affords students theopportunity to examine closely some of thegreatest ideas of human civilization and givesstudents a foundation not only to learn thembut also to keep them vital.

Core Selections Many of the core works and concepts thatconstitute the MKA Core have been part ofthe MKA curriculum for many years. In fact, asearly as 1893, the Classical and Scientificcourses at Montclair Academy focused oncollege-preparatory core works. Thus, theMKA Core does not drive the curriculum;rather, the curriculum drives the selection ofthe Core and ensures that those coreexperiences, while not an exclusive focus, givedirection and energy to a particular course ofstudy. The MKA Core is part of the fabric ofMKA’s coherent core of Pre-K-12 studies.

Standards for inclusion in the MKA Core arebased on the criteria listed below. Initiallyadapted from The National Endowment forthe Humanities (NEH) and modified for MKA’sPre-K-12 environment, these criteria aredesigned to honor works and concepts thathave shaped humanity and should endure.

Centrality: Captures foundational thinkingat the heart of the discipline

Originality: Represents a prominent shift inperspective that created a meaningful newvision or a new way of understanding

Influence: Inspires thinking within–andperhaps beyond–the discipline and has anintellectual and/or moral impact

Timelessness: Demonstrates a relevancethat endures (and/or has the potential to do soin the future)

Accessibility: Challenges students to thinkabout big ideas within the discipline inmeaningful ways that are age appropriate

Even with such clear criteria, selecting themost representative works and concepts fromamong myriad possibilities was not easy. Andwhile the rich MKA curriculum alone offeredso many choices, we broadened our scope toconsider many works new to MKA teachers aswell. Indeed, faculty often found themselvesengaged in healthy philosophical debate duringthe original selection process as they chosebetween worthy options. The result, a wiselyselected Core, not only upholds theestablished criteria but also represents diverseviewpoints, makes connections to MKA’sCharacter Standards and reflects many aspectsof the human experience. Core selections

represented here include selections made bythe English, History, Foreign Language, andFine and Performing Arts Departments. Mathand Science are due to add their MKA Coreselections next school year. Then the Corewill include works or concepts for the entirecourse of study that all students must take tograduate from MKA (i.e., elective courses thatdo not satisfy a graduation requirement arenot considered as part of the Core).

Once every five years, the faculty formallyreview and adjust the MKA Core as a whole.The MKA Curriculum Committee, inconjunction with the Academic ProgramsCommittee at each MKA campus, reviewsand modifies or approves any suggestions forchanges to the selections during the reviewprocess. While the goal is to maintainconsistency in the Core where possible, thisformal review process is integral to ensuringthat the selections spring naturally from thecurriculum, ensure a diversity of perspectivesand truly represent the greatest ideas thatwe must commit to keeping fresh and alivefor our students.

Teaching the MKA CoreThis unique program requires facultycommitment to intense study, continuedscholarship and collaboration. To ensure thatstudents’ learning experiences are of thehighest quality, MKA faculty members studyclosely all of the Core selections that theyteach. Colleagues work together and, at times,with experts in the field to ensure that they areready to teach these important selections withboth knowledge and vision. In addition, MKAsummer curriculum development grants

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Promises of The MKA CoreBecause the MKA Core guarantees that MKA graduates have a uniformity of exposure to someof the great works and concepts that define the human experience, MKA is able to fulfill thefollowing promises:

MKA students will engage in common learning experiences and help to create a commonfoundation for discussion of important and lasting ideas — a carefully built foundation uponwhich faculty can depend as a reference point for students’ learning throughout the years.

Pre-K-12 exposure to the MKA Core will provide students with the foundation for a trueliberal arts education and leave them well prepared for the intellectual engagement requiredin college classrooms where they will further examine the “big ideas” of human culture.

The MKA Core establishes lines of inquiry for faculty studies that foster intellectual collegialityamong the faculty and enhance communication both within and across the Primary, Middleand Upper School campuses. Faculty work together and with outside experts to ensurequality curriculum, a coherence of study and the highest quality teaching and learning.

Indeed, through students’ learning experiences in the MKA Core, we promise that good ideas willremain vital and endure at MKA.

provide opportunities for grant recipients todesign or refine lessons related to an MKACore selection. Blauvelt Professional StudyAdvancement Awards offer additional fundingfor independent, in-depth, faculty study ofEthics that can further support MKA Corecurriculum design.

Faculty members carefully craft lessons thatnot only include common learning activitiesand assessments for all students in that course,but also identify the “big ideas” that teachersexpect students to understand, retain and beable to apply as a result of their study. Teamsof faculty who teach the same Core selectionsreview, adjust and improve their carefully

crafted lesson plans together. Through thiskind of thoughtful and focused teaching andlearning, MKA assists its students tounderstand each other better and to becomecitizens of the world.

The MKA Core by Campus The following pages highlight the enrichingsequence of varied selections that studentsencounter as they progress through the threeMKA campuses. Facing each campus’ chart ofselections listed by grade are a few sampledescriptions of the Core that illustrate how thecriteria for selection apply. (Math and ScienceCore selections will be added next school year.)

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THE MKA CORE

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White, Charlotte’s WebLiterature, Grade 1

Charlotte’s Web is revered as a timelesschildren’s classic. It received Newbery Awardhonors in 1953 “for literary quality and qualityof presentation for children” and continues toappear on well-respected children’s book lists.Through humor, pathos, wisdom and beauty,White tells an accessible story that exploresthe central issues of life, death, friendship,diversity, justice, courage and moral dilemma.

White uses an original mix of fantasy and realityto capture young readers. Students can easilyidentify with Fern, the novel’s eight-year-oldprotagonist, and her vision and understandingof life. Through the personification of a spider,Charlotte, and of a pig, Wilbur, students learnof the “web” of friendship between twoanimals who often receive little regard frompeople. Through Charlotte, they also cometo address their fears of death. Charlotte’sWeb celebrates nature’s beauty; and thenovel’s delicate realism, which holds meaningfor readers of all ages, influences students toengage in serious moral conversations.

African Sculptural FormsThe Arts, Grade 3

One of the greatest contributions that Africancultures have made to the cultural heritage ofhumankind is their richly varied use ofgeometric form. The aesthetic impact of theirworks has been substantial, and the influenceupon the development of twentieth centuryWestern art is resounding. Apparent in theworks of Picasso, Braque, Brancusi, Modiglianiand others, that impact has led to artmovements such as Cubism, Expressionism,Fauvism and Surrealism.

Although there are many African tribes andraces and over 1,000 different languages,three distinct types of societies south of theSahara comprise our focus: 1) nomadic tribesin the desert; 2) sedentary farming cultures inthe savanna; and 3) ancient, sophisticatedkingdoms of Nigeria and the Guinea Coast ofWest Africa. While all have their own distinctcultures, beliefs and customs, their original artforms are similar in use of geometricabstraction, attention to craftsmanship andintimate connection to the lives and religiousbeliefs of their creators. In the absence ofwritten documents, Africans often preservedtheir beliefs and values by conveying them

From familiar fairytale themes that are common across cultures to the intricacies of The

Preamble to the Constitution of The United States, the MKA Core continually enriches and

challenges MKA’s youngest students. The examples below demonstrate how the works and

concepts meet the criteria for inclusion in the MKA Core.

Primary School

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from generation to generation through theirart. The centrality and significance of eachwork, therefore, derives not only from itstangible form and its aesthetic merit, butequally from the concepts and beliefs that itembodies. Such sculptural forms offer animportant avenue to an art that was born outof ritual and meaning. They represent a

timeless art that is inseparable from life asthey take on the powerful images of mythand transformation. This study of Africansculptural forms is accessible to third gradestudents because it dovetails with the clayprogram as students continue to experimentwith concepts of design.

Literature The Arts

Fairy Tales (e.g.,“Snow White,”“Mufaro’s BeautifulDaughters,” “Lon Po Po”)

Anansi the Spider(McDermott)

RepresentativeWorks of Paul Klee

The Little EngineThat Could (Piper)

Aesop’s Fables(Pinkney version)

Carnival of the Animals(Saint-Saens)

Pre-K

Grade

K

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2

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Charlotte’s Web(White)

The Tale of PeterRabbit (Potter)

The Nutcracker Ballet(Tchaikovsky)

Those Shoes(Boelts)

The Rough-Face Girl(Martin)

Representative Worksof Frank Lloyd Wright

American TallTales (e.g., “PaulBunyan,” “JohnHenry,” and“Swamp Angel”)

The Preamble tothe Constitution ofthe United States

African SculpturalForms

THE MKA CORE

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The Declaration of Independence History, Grade 8

The original cornerstone of American democracy,the Declaration of Independence is timeless notonly because it has withstood the trials andtribulations of the American people and worldhistory for over 200 years, but also because itcontains in it America’s most fundamentalprinciples concerning its people, its government,and the rights and responsibilities of the two. Thisdocument crystallizes the fundamental conceptthat the government begins and ends with thepeople for whom it works.

The Declaration of Independence addressescentral questions of government, such as “Whendoes a government govern justly?” “What innaterights do people have?” and “When do the peoplehave the right to rebel?” Its influence reachesbeyond the American sphere, where it serves as atouchstone for how millions of people live theirlives, to provide a model for other countries intheir pursuit of democracy. The Declaration isaccessible to students because they are at exactlythe age when they begin to question and to trulyunderstand what their rights and responsibilitiesare, both as citizens and as human beings.

Myths and Stories from AncientGreece (e.g., “Pandora’s Box” and “The Trojan Horse”) Literature, Grade 5

Greek myths and stories have been a part ofwestern culture for more than 3,000 years. They

illustrate how people have developed stories toexplain the world around them and to perpetuatethe values of their cultures. The central themes ofthese Greek stories—questions about why goodand evil exist in the world and the values of honor,bravery and humility—are truly timeless. Studentsfind the “good versus evil” struggles and otherethical issues embodied in Greek myths to be veryaccessible and worthy of discussion. They alsoenjoy examining the mythical explanations given tonatural phenomena.

As a literary genre, myths and hero stories haveserved as the original model for new literary formsas diverse as modern drama and video games.They have also influenced works in virtually everyother artistic medium, including dance, music,painting, sculpture and film. Allusions to Greekmythology often appear in popular media andadvertising, as well as in modern literary works.American culture has long tried to imitate thesuccess of these ancient tales and has created“new myths” around movie and comic bookheroes, even athletes and rock stars. Theshortcomings of these imitators only serve tohighlight the enduring qualities of the Greek tales.

Impressionism - French, Level 1Created in Paris in the 1860s, the impressionistmovement marked the original frontier betweenclassical and modern art and made a timelessimpact on the art world. The Impressionistsbelieved that art should be appreciated by all the

As students progress from the Primary to the Middle School years, the MKA Core expands to foreignlanguage studies, such as the Legendary Heroes of Ancient Rome in Latin class. Students explore literaryclassics ranging from Homer's Odyssey to Langston Hughes' "Harlem" and historical foundations forgovernment such as Hammurabi's Code of Laws and the Declaration of Independence. The examplesbelow demonstrate how the works and concepts meet the selection criteria.

Middle School

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senses. Their paintings rely on the viewer’s ownsensibility and impressions and speak to thecommon man because they depict everyday life inimages, more as an evocation of surroundings andatmosphere than as a realistic rendition.Impressionism changed traditional conventionsand ways of seeing the world and challenged thehuman relationship with reality. Its influence

created a different understanding of the function ofcolor and revolutionized art as it redefinedaesthetics. The central and easily interpretedthemes of impressionism, such as every dayscenes, depictions of childhood, and emphasis onlight and color, make these works accessible toyoung people.

Hans ChristianAndersen’s FairyTales (e.g., “TheUgly Duckling”and "Thumbelisa")

“The NewColossus”(Lazarus)

Myths and Storiesfrom AncientGreece (e.g.,“Pandora’s Box” and“The Trojan Horse”)

Hammurabi’sCode of Laws

The ExtraordinaryCases of SherlockHolmes (Doyle)

“The Road NotTaken” (Frost)

The Silk Road:Bridges AmongCultures

To Kill aMockingbird (Lee)

Odes to CommonThings (Neruda)

The MoveableType PrintingPress

The Odyssey(Homer)

“Theme fromEnglish B” and“Harlem” (Hughes)

The Declarationof Independence

The Constitution ofthe United States

Music: Peter and the Wolf(Prokofiev)

Art:Representativeworks ofAlexander Calder

Dance:Revelations (Ailey)

Theatre:Shakespeare’s Life and Art

Spanish Level 1:Frida Kahlo

French Level 1:Impressionism

Latin Level 1:Legendary Heroesof Ancient Rome

Chinese Level 1:Feng Shui

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Grade English History The Arts Foreign Language

THE MKA CORE

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Shakespeare, MacbethEnglish, Grade 10

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a timelessexamination of the destructive consequences oftemptation, ambition, moral depravity and greed.These central themes, which drive Macbeth’scompelling tragedy, are arguably more relevant incontemporary society than ever before. Throughthe hopes and the ultimate downfall of its maincharacter, Macbeth enables students to walk in theshoes of a hero who falls victim to the temptationsof his own vaulting ambition. The power ofMacbeth’s potential as a leader and the tragedy ofhis descent into moral corruption are striking. Hisdepravity is a cautionary lesson. These strongmessages make Macbeth one of Shakespeare’smost accessible tragedies, a compelling and pathos-laden story of triumph and tragedy.

Among the most influential touchstones of theWestern canon, Macbeth combines thematicpower with linguistic beauty. Shakespeare’spopularity flourishes as successive generations bringrelevant Shakespearean works to the forefront ofpopular culture. Indeed, Shakespeare stands as anoriginal literary and moral beacon, truly the “soul” ofpast and future ages.

Beethoven, Ninth SymphonyThe Arts, Chorale

A historic, monumental and timeless work by anystandard, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony foreverchanged our conception of what a symphony

could be. At least twice the length of any previoussymphony, Beethoven’s work was also original inits breadth and directly influenced later greatsymphonic works of Berlioz, Liszt and Mahler,among others.

The first of its kind to utilize a chorus, The NinthSymphony incorporates one into the finalmovement, a striking and innovative way to useFriedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem “An die Freude”(“To Joy”), with its central themes of idealism andworld brotherhood. Beethoven used a creativeapproach to make the novel concept of a chorusin a symphony accessible for his audience. Thefinal movement begins in D minor, thenreexamines themes from the other movements insuccession and discards each, in turn, asinadequate. Finally, a baritone soloist introducesSchiller’s text in D major, and the chorus joins himfor the final, thrilling moments of the piece tomake Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony a truly seminalwork of art.

King, “Letter from a Birmingham CityJail” History, Grade 11

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote “Letter from aBirmingham City Jail” from his jail cell in 1963 afterhe was arrested for leading a non-violentdemonstration in Birmingham, Alabama. Its centraltheme of justice, a virtue that man has sought toachieve for thousands of years, makes it a timelesstreatise. In his letter, King provides an originaldefinition of justice. Rooted in political philosophy,the distinction that he makes between breaking

Upper School students explore an extensive range of Core works and concepts—from the writings ofShakespeare to those of Confucius, and from the Communist Manifesto to Abraham Lincoln’s secondinaugural speech. Depending on their arts courses, students may examine Michelangelo’s David or thefilm Casablanca. They may study Civil War in Rome or Don Quijote in Foreign Language class. Duringtheir junior and senior years, students move to semester-long English classes where they encounter atleast four, diverse Core authors from across the centuries. The examples below demonstrate how theselected works and concepts meet the criteria for inclusion in the MKA Core.

Upper School

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just and unjust laws is clear and straightforward.The notion of breaking an unjust law because itdoes not “square with the moral code of God”and because it “degrades the human personality”speaks to all people.

“Letter from a Birmingham City Jail” allows us tolearn from the past and influences us to right the

wrongs in our society. If we live in an environmentwhere the notion of justice cannot be analyzedand made part of our everyday vocabulary, we aredoomed to repeat the wrongs of the past. Justiceneeds to be defined and discussed if we everexpect to achieve it. King’s letter provides anaccessible way for students to engage in such anessential discussion.

Antigone(Sophocles)

Lord of the Flies(Golding)

The Analects(Confucius)

Siddhartha(Hesse)

Macbeth(Shakespeare)

Frankenstein(Shelley)

CommunistManifesto(Marx and Engels)

Liberty Leading thePeople (Delacroix)

** Students read aminimum of fourCore texts in theirEnglish classes. Asample of thoseworks includes:

Wuthering Heights(Bronte)

Inferno from DivineComedy (Dante)

The Brief WondrousLife of Oscar Wao(Diaz)

The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner)

Home (Morrison)

“Letter from A BirminghamCity Jail” (King)

AbrahamLincoln’s SecondInaugural Address

Band: Rite of Spring (Stravinsky)

Chorale:Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Strings:Beethoven’sSymphonies

Communications:Casablanca

Theatre: Works & Style of Neil Simon

Photography:The Family(Strand)

Fundamentals of Art: Georgia(Close)

Sculpture: David(Michelangelo)

Dance: Life and Works of Bob Fosse

Chinese Level 1:Feng Shui

Chinese 2: The SilkRoad: The Spread of Chinese Culture

Chinese 3:Confucius

French level 1:Impressionism

French 2: Chateau of Versailles

French 3: ToussaintLouverture

Latin Level 1:Legendary Heroesof Ancient Rome

Latin 2: Senate andPeople of Rome

Latin 3: Civil War in Rome

Spanish level 1:Frida Kahlo

Spanish 2: Día de La Raza

Spanish 3:Don Quijote

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Grade English History The Arts Foreign Language

THE MKA CORE

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“Knowledge, Vision, Integrity” – These ideals inscribed on the MKA school seal shapea Culture of Ethics and Character that is vital and relevant to students’ learning and growth andintegral to all aspects of the school community. Students are challenged, empowered and trustedto create their own character, to be independent practitioners of informed decision-making andto exercise empathetic judgments in their daily lives. As a result of their experience at MKA,students have the opportunity to develop a life-long sense of honor and integrity—a “moralcompass” to guide them through the 21st century as global citizens.

MKA’s formal Ethics and Character Development Program, begun in 1993 to celebrate andfurther strengthen this hallmark of the MKA experience, has become a renowned, Pre-K - 12Culture of Ethics that permeates all aspects of daily school life. While this Culture of Ethicsnurtures students’ development of character both in and out of the classroom, it also challengesstudents to understand ethical foundations for making decisions and to put their knowledge touse through active and informed citizenship. Based on MKA’s eight Character Standards for theMKA Community – respect, friendship, responsibility, confidence, temperance, fairness, honestyand wisdom (described below) – students come to understand how both their moral andintellectual habits shape their character. The personal integrity that they build is founded on theconsistency between their public and private convictions and actions. Through purposeful

CultureEthicsof

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participation in robust curricular and co-curricular opportunities, students explore keyconcepts and challenges of character formation. Through study, reflection and action,students develop good habits and thereby develop good character. As students progressthrough MKA, good character is acknowledged and celebrated in much the same way asacademic, artistic and athletic achievements are.

MKA’s Culture of Ethics builds upon the foundations that parents have laid as their children’sfirst teachers and encourages an ongoing partnership with parents as students internalize themeaning of good character. To fully prepare faculty to be active partners in this process, MKAoffers a formal professional development program that provides teachers with strategies forintegrating MKA’s Character Standards into the curriculum and their discussions with students.As a result of this educational partnership, students engage in complex and constructive moralconversations as they consciously work to develop their own character and their empatheticinvolvement in their community.

CULTURE OF ETHICS

The MKA Code of HonorBased on the belief that the process ofdeveloping personal honor provides studentswith insight into their beliefs and their personalintegrity, MKA’s Code of Honor encouragesintrospection and helps students to develop amoral compass. The community’s commitmentto the Code creates a school atmospherewhere values such as honesty, integrity andmutual respect can thrive. Revised in 2005, thecurrent Code of Honor is the culmination oftwo years of student-driven work that focusedon creating a living document, relevant to thestudent body. Written completely by students,the Code, which applies to all students in grades6 through 12, was approved by theadministration and ratified by the student bodyand the faculty. As the students state in Article

I, “The purpose of this Honor Code is to instilla sense of honor and an atmosphere of trustamong all members of the community.”

At the Upper School, students are integral inensuring that the Code of Honor remains avital part of school life. Twelve electedstudent representatives and two facultymembers comprise the Honor Council, anUpper School leadership group. The schoolcommunity entrusts the Honor Council withthe significant responsibility to ensure thatthe values of the Code of Honor areupheld. The Council’s primary responsibilityis to educate all constituents throughlearning about and discussing ethical issuesthat shape the school community.

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RESPECTFUL:We act with civility in our relations with others while still valuingourselves. We are conscious of the world around us and recognize the worth of all wehave and treat it accordingly.

FRIENDLY: We demonstrate good will and compassion in our relationships with others.We understand that in order to have friends we must be friends and treat all withunderstanding, loyalty and respect.

RESPONSIBLE: We fulfill obligations and complete tasks to the fullest of our ability, andwe are accountable members of our community. We volunteer our assistance when calledupon and budget our time, efforts and resources sensibly.

CONFIDENT:We uphold a positive image of ourselves regardless of the way othersperceive us. We recognize our potential and challenge ourselves to improve the talents andskills we possess. We are able to take pride in our work, while remaining humble andaccepting criticism. We express our opinions freely without fear of the judgment of othersand always speak up when we see acts of injustice.

TEMPERATE: We balance all aspects of our lives. By devoting personal attention toacademics and personal commitments, we maintain moderation. While welcoming relaxation,we exert self-control and strength of will when faced with temptation and challenge.

All members of the MKA community strive to act, speak and think in ways that are:

Character Standards for theMKA CommunityThe eight MKA Character Standards provide acommon language and focus for the MKAcommunity to support students as theydevelop good character and negotiate thechallenges, ambiguities and rewards of makingethical decisions throughout and beyond theirschool years. With foundations in the works ofAristotle — who identifies many aspects ofcharacter development that transcend

differences in history, culture and religion —these Character Standards guide students tobest define a moral framework for leading agood life marked by integrity. Originally writtenby a team of faculty and visiting experts, theseexpectations have been revised and expandedby groups of students to ensure that thesestandards continue to have meaning andrelevance in their daily lives.

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CULTURE OF ETHICS

Understanding Ethics & DevelopingCharacter in the Classroom

FAIR:We cultivate an environment where all students may act and speak without the fearof prejudice, intolerance or judgment. We recognize and seek to understand the differencesbetween individuals in the community. While recognizing these differences, we also valuethe inherent equality among all.

INFORMED: We rely not only on our own experiences to make decisions, but we also actively seek a more thorough understanding of the world. With our knowledge,we envision a more peaceful and empathetic society.

HONEST: We understand the value and necessity of being true to ourselves, as well asothers, and we are sincere in words and actions. We take pride in the authenticity ofour own work and ideas, and we have the courage and integrity to take responsibilityfor all of our actions.

MKA’s focus on ethical understanding andstudents’ development of their own characterpermeates every facet of school life, fromformal curricular programs to spontaneousteaching moments, and from collaboration ontheatrical productions to teamwork andsportsmanship on the playing fields.

At the Primary School, characterdevelopment is naturally integrated throughoutthe course of each day as MKA’s youngeststudents learn how to respect one another,forge friendships and assume responsibility fortheir learning and their actions. Ongoingengagement with MKA’s Character Standards iswoven throughout the curriculum beginning inPre-K. Specific, teacher-guided activities helpdevelop the social and ethical capacities of eachstudent. During daily classroom MorningMeeting—an essential component of the

research-based Responsive Classroomapproach to fostering students’ social andemotional development—students activelyparticipate in building a respectful, inclusive andsafe learning community. Students developthe habits of good character as they enjoyactive greetings, share news and engage inboth academic and social activities instructured and positive ways that arerespectful of one another. Teachers alsospontaneously address MKA’s CharacterStandards and ethical themes and issues asopportunities arise throughout the day.Students develop responsibility through dailyjobs in the classroom ranging from snackcleanup to proper recycling of materials.

In addition, the MKA Core provides contextfor ethical discussions by ensuring PrimarySchool students’ familiarity with both modern

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and classic literature that presents meaningfulexamples of the MKA Character Standards inaction. For example, in addition to readingfamiliar fairy tales, Pre-K classes read “Lon PoPo,” a Chinese version of “Little Red RidingHood” that focuses on being appropriatelyconfident, and “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters”that encourages one to be respectful, friendlyand temperate. First grade students explorethe themes of friendship and loyalty as theclass reads Charlotte’s Web, and third gradestudents study American Tall Tales with theirlarger than life men and women of characterand courage. Class plays, often based onliterature that focuses on moral issues, such asresponsibility, friendship and bullying, provideopportunities for students to bring to lifelessons about good character.

At the Middle School, characterdevelopment continues to be woven into thefabric of daily life, and a formal advisorprogram becomes an important vehicle fordiscussing and developing the habits of goodcharacter. Students learn that integrity isessential to forming good character, and thewords of MKA’s school seal—“Knowledge,Vision, Integrity”—take on a moresophisticated meaning as students come totruly understand that learning is about morethan acquiring knowledge.

Within the academic classroom, studentsfrequently reflect on the moral implications ofsubjects they study, including the actions ofhistorical figures, characters in literature, andthe contributions of famous scientists andmathematicians. For example, 4th gradestudents create pictures that depict the MKACharacter Standards they recognize in the

stories of Hans Christian Anderson, and 8thgrade students assess the character ofOdysseus in The Odyssey based on MKA’sCharacter Standards, particularly whetherOdysseus is appropriately responsible,confident and temperate. The CharacterStandards are also a foundation for 8th gradestudents’ work on Project Citizen, part of theSocial Studies curriculum that allows studentsto explore how the United States governmentworks and to propose public policy that is fairand respectful of all citizens.

At the Upper School, students develop adeeper and more nuanced understanding ofethical issues presented during advisor groupconversations and in some of theircoursework as they are challenged to reflecton how their ethical foundations mightinfluence their actions and characterdevelopment. For example, 9th gradeCivilization classes debate what it means to bea “good leader” when they conduct researchto examine the character of Alexander theGreat. Is there an ultimate standard of good,or is good connected to time and place?Sophomore history students continue toconsider this essential question as they readMarx’s and Engels’ Communist Manifesto.From considering the ethics of laboratoryresearch in science class to examiningfriendship in Vergil’s Aeneid in Latin class,students are internalizing MKA’s CharacterStandards on a daily basis. Themes ofleadership and citizenship permeate bothacademic and community conversations andprepare students to assume leadership roles asactive and empathetic citizens of their globalcommunity. The explicit focus of GlobalCitizenship and Ethics and Leadership in the

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And Beyond the ClassroomBeyond examining character within the advisorgroup or academic classroom, co-curricularactivities provide students with additionalopportunities to reflect and focus on their owndevelopment of good habits and goodcharacter. Whether working together on atheatrical production, displaying sportsmanshipon the playing fields or becoming activelyinvolved in the Student Government, studentshave opportunities not only to put theirknowledge about Ethics into practice on a dailybasis, but also to assume leadership roles thatenrich their community. Student EthicsCommittees at the Middle and Upper Schoolsprovide leadership in the area of Ethics andcharacter development. In partnership withthe faculty Ethics Coordinator at each campus,they help to drive the conversations and workthat shape MKA’s Culture of Ethics. UpperSchool students have many additionalleadership opportunities. From Peer Leadersto team captains, from club presidents to classofficers, and from Brookside Interns tomembers of the Honor Council, UpperSchool student leaders actively model theMKA Character Standards.

INTEGRATED ETHICS: Because Ethics and Character Developmenthave become integral and interconnectedparts of school culture that extend to allaspects of school life, MKA supports andhonors the collaborative work of many strandsknown collectively as “Integrated Ethics.”These strands inform not only the curriculum,but also, and perhaps more significantly, thelearning that students do on a daily basisbeyond the classroom walls. Through theirinvolvement with the many Integrated Ethicsstrands outlined below, students examine theirrole in the world through a number ofdifferent perspectives and continuously andimplicitly engage in answering the question:“How can we develop the moral andintellectual habits of good character?”

Through the Lens of Diversityand Inclusion, students participate indiscussions and activities related toDiversity and Inclusion and areencouraged to explore and appreciatedifferences and similarities, to challengestereotypes and to acknowledge the rangeof perspectives within and outside of theMKA community. MKA welcomes,embraces, supports and encourages all

9th and 10th grades provides students with afoundation in ethical principles that inform theirdevelopment of good habits, strong characterand important leadership skills. Whether theyare participating in a respectful, whole-school

meeting to discuss a community issue orchallenging issues of fairness in the studentnewspaper, students are constantly reflectingand acting on what they have learned aboutethics and integrity.

CULTURE OF ETHICS

18

members of the MKA community – its races,cultures, genders and sexualities; its experiencesand economics; its aspirations, abilities andaffiliations. Students graduate from MKAprepared to engage with the world throughstrength of ethical convictions and recognition ofprofound interdependence with others.

Through the Lens of MKA’s GlobalExperience, students prepare to live, learnand work in the 21st century world asintellectually and personally engaged globalcitizens. All members of the MKA communitystrive to answer an essential question: “Howcan I be an engaged member of a globalcommunity?” MKA offers both domestic andinternational travel experiences that extendfrom and expand upon the curriculum, arequired 9th grade Global Citizenship class,and annual Global Round Tables that bringback to campus both young alumni andprofessionals working in an internationalcontext. Through these experiences, studentsgrow to understand that becoming aninformed, effective, engaged and sensitivemember of a global community requires aconstant process of inquiry, action andreflection to understand oneself and actmeaningfully, in relation to one’s communityas well as a greater global community. Bothclassroom and international experientiallearning are essential for students to buildbridges between their community and othercommunities, countries and cultures; to gainknowledge; and to develop empathy.

Through the Lens of EducationalTechnology, MKA’s 1:1 Laptop LearningInitiative not only encourages robust use oftechnology to enhance learning, but it alsoconsciously helps students to build habits of

good digital citizenship. MKA strives to graduatetechnology-literate students who can create,collaborate and share their thinking and workresponsibly to contribute positively to theschool community and to the larger communitybeyond MKA’s walls. As students begin theirlearning journey at the Primary School byexploring technology tools and using them todemonstrate and share their thinking, they aretaught to be mindful of their digital footprint.Students’ journey from campus to campusprovides greater opportunities for students toapply increasingly complex, innovative andindependent thinking using technology–all thewhile understanding issues related to MKA’sCharacter Standards of responsibility, respect,temperance and even friendship that help themto navigate their digital world.

Through the Lens of ServiceLearning, MKA students put their ethicalunderstandings into action through helpingothers. Service opportunities include anelement of reflection that helps students learnfrom their experiences and consider theircommitment to future service. Students areasked to consider what personal strengths andtalents they can share with others and whatneeds they can identify within their localcommunities and throughout the world thatcould be addressed through age-appropriateservice. Service Learning Coordinators at eachcampus, together with other faculty and parentrepresentatives, provide necessary support andguidance for students' service initiatives.

Through the Lens of Sustainability,students become aware of their impact on theenvironment and how to make informeddecisions that help to ensure sustainability atboth a local and global level. Targeted efforts

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in advisory and student-led clubs at theMiddle and Upper Schools encourageresponsible and thoughtful actions.Recycling initiatives at all three campusesand gardening activities at the Primary andMiddle Schools provide models of andpractice for sustainable living habits. TheGreen Group at the Middle School worksactively on campus-wide green initiativesand education efforts, and theEnvironmental Action Group at the UpperSchool monitors energy use and recyclingefforts. Through these group efforts,students have actively helped to shape theMKA culture by raising environmentalawareness and providing the foundationsfor the community to change its habits.

Professional DevelopmentFaculty professional study—a hallmark ofMKA’s Culture of Ethics—ensures that facultyare fully prepared to take advantage of majorcurricular connections and serendipitousteaching moments to help students bestunderstand their own character developmentand take action accordingly. As members ofthe MKA community of learners, teachersread, discuss, and reflect on Ethics and thedevelopment of good character and spendtime integrating their understanding into theircurriculum and instruction. In addition, EthicsTeam Leaders from each MKA campuscoordinate these efforts and assist in shapingthe MKA community’s engagement withrelated issues.

Each summer since 1993, MKA faculty haveworked with visiting scholars to study andappreciate the timeless relevance of significantworks related to Ethics – including thefoundations in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics,

an important lens for understanding the virtuesrepresented in MKA’s Character Standards, andPlato’s Meno, which has provided a model ofSocratic questioning that underscores theimportance of inquiry and reflection indeveloping good character. Faculty also exploremore modern works of philosophy, literatureand educational research that inform theirthinking about Ethics and CharacterDevelopment in the classroom. An equallyintegral part of what has come to be known asIntegrated Ethics Institute is the time that facultyspend collaborating on developing theircurricula to shape students’ development of theintellectual skills and ethical competencies theyneed to thrive in their 21st century world. Asthey design their lessons with these ideas inmind, teachers strive to include opportunitiesfor students to continually reflect on both theirunderstanding and their personal progress withtheir own positive character development.

The Blauvelt Professional Study AdvancementAward also provides faculty with additionaltime during the summer to study, reflect andplan ways to further integrate Ethics andCharacter Development into their classroomsand advising work with students. Designed tosupport full-time faculty who wish to study andwork intensively over the summer, the awardchallenges teachers to think creatively aboutdesigning curriculum and related assessment.Teachers choose to work individually or inpairs on their projects and often collaborateextensively with colleagues during IntegratedEthics Institute and throughout the summer.Mirroring MKA’s commitment to servicelearning, grant recipients take everyopportunity to share their completedcurriculum plans with colleagues, both withinand outside the MKA community.

CULTURE OF ETHICS

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MKA’s Partnership with ParentsMKA is fortunate to have a thriving and activepartnership with its parent body—apartnership that has been key to the success ofits Ethics and Character Developmentinitiative. In acknowledging that parents aretheir children’s first teachers, MKA looks toparents to continue as partners in teaching andlearning from students as they grow. As aresult, MKA offers parents opportunities tostay informed about a variety of issues relatedto Ethics and Character Development,including regular forums with Heads ofCampus to discuss relevant issues, such as

how to assist students in learning to makepositive choices, and Moral Conversations, apublication that highlights ethics in action atMKA. Parents also initiate many programsdesigned to promote character developmentin MKA students by identifying outside expertspeakers to educate the community andhelping facilitate the numerous servicelearning opportunities available to students,particularly in the younger years. As theirchildren move through the school, parents,like teachers, play a pivotal role in preparingstudents to assume greater responsibility fortheir own character development.

MKA is known around the country—andeven around the world—for its Culture ofEthics and has a long history of beingacknowledged for its efforts, including:

Appeared in Building Character in Schoolsby Kevin Ryan and Karen Bohlin, Jossey-Bass, 1999.

Heralded for its efforts by John Costentinoin his report from the Blue Ribbon Schoolsite visit, 2000: “[MKA’s] charactereducation program is not brought to theforefront in a gimmicky or canned manner.It is truly an ethical standard that isportrayed in each student’s and teacher’sactions on a daily basis.”

Named a National School of Character bythe Character Education Partnership, 2003.

Visited as a model school for bestpractices presented in Smart & Good HighSchools: Integrating Excellence and Ethicsfor Success in School, Work, and Beyond (AReport to the Nation) by Thomas Lickonaand Matthew Davidson, 2005.

Cited in the Middle States Association ofColleges and Schools Diagnostic Report,2006: “Personal and character developmentis an exemplary strength of the school.”

Featured in “From Aristotle to Angelou:Best Practices in Character Education” by Paul J. Dovre, published in EducationNext, 2007.

Visited by research teams from bothTaiwan and Japan as a model school forEthics and Character Development in theUnited States, 2010 and 2012.

Recognition for MKA’s Culture of Ethics

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Students who write well have mastered one oflife’s most essential skills. To do so, they mustassimilate the complex acts of analysis,synthesis and the clear and convincingexpression of ideas. In 1993, MKA facultyinstituted the Writing Challenge to helpstudents face these challenges and becomebetter writers. This unique program hasbecome a major benchmark in MKA’s writingprogram, which has achieved measurableresults. Through alumni surveys and visits withteachers, MKA graduates consistently reportsuccess with their writing at college and in theirprofessional lives beyond. The WritingChallenge clarifies expectations for students in

grades Pre-K-12 and helps students to betterunderstand the strengths and weaknesses intheir writing. It places a consistent emphasison writing as a cumulative, continuous processthat includes pre-writing, drafting, revising,editing and sharing, and encourages studentsto strive for excellence as they hone both thetechnical and stylistic aspects of their writing.Using specifically defined criteria, groups ofteachers formally assess students’ writing atfour benchmark grades: 3, 5, 7 and 11.Students take time to reflect on their writingproducts and their progress and, as a result,are able to set pragmatic, effective goals forimproving their writing.

Writing Challenge

The

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

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The Writing Challenge andProcess Writing

From their introduction to fundamental writingskills in Pre-K, MKA students engage in writingas a process that typically includes five stages:pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing andsharing. This writing process provides afocused framework for students to translatetheir ideas into organized, polished text.

In keeping with the most current researchabout the teaching of writing, MKA teachersdeveloped Writing Challenge AssessmentGuides to define criteria for writing excellencein areas such as topic focus and development,organization, and details and support, as well asstyle and voice, word choice, and technicalmastery of grammar and mechanics (includingpunctuation, capitalization, spelling and usage).To ensure smooth transitions in the writingprogram between grade levels and campuses,teachers have developed three versions of theWriting Challenge Assessment Guide, oneappropriate for Primary School students, onefor Middle School students, and one for UpperSchool students. All three focus on the sameessential aspects of good writing and presentcriteria in age-appropriate language that

students can understand and use. At the sametime, they depict the increasingly complex skillsnecessary for good writing as students movefrom the Primary School through the Middleand Upper Schools (see the sample MiddleSchool Guide on the inside of the back cover).

During their 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th gradeyears, students write a formal WritingChallenge essay, which requires them to movethrough all stages of the writing process as theyindependently compose an in-school essay,structured to reflect a typical writing assignmentat their grade level. A team of MKA teachers,trained in assessment using the establishedWriting Challenge Assessment Guides,evaluates the students’ final writing pieces in adouble-blind read where two readers mustagree on the score for each criterion. Therubric scoring provides students with detailedfeedback and gives students and parents arealistic assessment of students’ writing skills.Teachers additionally address how students’writing has developed over time, placing theresults of the Writing Challenge in the contextof students’ growth. These assessmentsenable students to set specific goals forcontinuing to improve their writing.

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write daily in a Writing Workshop formatthat promotes process writing andprovides feedback from teachers andpeers to guide improvement

examine models of good writing fromliterature and from their own writing tohelp define the qualities of effective writing

discuss and continually return to criteriafor good writing

become increasingly familiar with theediting process through revision lessonsand the use of editing checklists

partner with their teachers in examiningtheir writing to set goals forimprovement and to assess their ownprogress in achieving those goals

share their final writing pieces duringwriting celebrations with classmates,students at other grade levels, andparents or guardians

In preparation for the 3rd grade Writing Challenge, students in the 1st through 3rd grades:

At The Primary School

The formal Writing Challenge, administered inthe Spring of the 3rd grade year, reflects thestages of process writing that students follow inthe classroom as part of their writing units ofstudy in daily Writing Workshop. The WritingChallenge structures that process into a four-day writing assignment that 3rd grade studentscomplete semi-independently, guided by onlyone round of feedback from the teacher:

Day 1: Students choose a seed idea from theirwriters’ notebooks and develop it into a draft ofa personal narrative that zeroes in on a smallevent and creatively captures the importance tothe writer in an effective story format.

Day 2: Through individual conferences, theclassroom teacher guides each student tofocus on writing strengths and goals forimproving the draft.

Day 3: Students use the foci from theteacher conference and their ownobservations about their draft to revise theirwork (e.g., for content, organization,audience, etc.).

Day 4: Students use a dictionary and anediting checklist to edit their workindependently and recopy their work to createa polished, final piece.

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

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A team of teachers assesses the formalWriting Challenge pieces according to thecriteria established in the 3rd grade WritingChallenge Assessment Guide. During thespring conference, the teacher providesparents with an overview of the student’swriting progress by sharing the WritingChallenge piece and the student’s writingfolder. In the final comment of the year, theteacher provides an in-depth, writtensummary of the student’s writing progress.This summary identifies strengths andweaknesses apparent in both the student’scumulative writing portfolio and the student’sperformance on the formally scored WritingChallenge assignment. It additionallyhighlights goals for students to continue toimprove their writing.

As the Coordinator of Curriculum for thePrimary School explains: “It is affirming to see

the 3rd grade children take part in thisculminating writing experience. The WritingChallenge embodies students’ cumulativeexperience as writers. It allows students touse the writing skills they have developed todemonstrate how they are able to workthrough all of the stages of the writing processto produce a published piece in a compressedtimeframe and with limited feedback fromtheir teacher or peers. They are proud ofwhat they can do.”

At the end of the 3rd grade year, the child’s4th grade teacher receives the child’s formal3rd grade Writing Challenge piece, anadditional sample of the student’s writing, anda summary of the student’s writing strengthsand goals. This information serves as thefoundation for the 4th grade teacher and thestudent to discuss individual writing goals whenthe student enters the Middle School.

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At The Middle School

The formal Writing Challenge, administered inApril for both 5th and 7th grade students,reflects a curricular focus on expository andpersuasive writing and on students’ developingindependence as writers. The WritingChallenge essay requires 5th grade students tocompose an expository essay independentlyover a three-day period:

Day 1: Students respond to a general writingprompt by planning a formal essay; they areencouraged to brainstorm and outline beforethey begin writing.

Day 2: After thinking about their essaysovernight, students draft a formal essay.

Day 3: Students revise and edit their work tocomplete a final draft.

Seventh grade students complete a similarwriting task in two days as they combine theplanning and drafting days (Days 1 and 2 above)into one. The 7th grade writing promptencourages students to write persuasively indeveloping an argument with evidence.

A team of teachers does a double-blindassessment of the formal Writing Challengeessays according to the criteria established in theMiddle School version of the Writing ChallengeAssessment Guide. Two teachers must agreeon the score assigned for each criterion. Whenstudents receive their results, they review theirWriting Challenge essays and the score rubric,and they discuss the results with their teachers.Using this feedback, each student writes a self-assessment of his or her writing process,including strengths and weaknesses, andidentifies specific goals for improvement.

use the appropriate Writing ChallengeAssessment Guide to develop writingpieces across the curriculum and performself assessments of their written work

engage in process-writing assignmentsthroughout the year to evaluate theirown writing, and receive feedbackaccording to the criteria.

In preparing for the 5th and 7th grade Writing Challenge essays, all Middle School students:

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

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The student’s self-evaluation and goals and thestudent’s performance as represented on theWriting Challenge Assessment Guide aremailed home to parents or guardians. Thesedocuments also help teachers at the nextgrade level to guide students as they engage inthe writing process.

Middle School teachers have found the WritingChallenge to be a very helpful instructionaltool. “The Writing Challenge AssessmentGuide provides teachers and students with ashared, precise vocabulary to discuss thewriting process,” explains Middle SchoolEnglish Department Chairperson. “It alsoenables students to evaluate their own writingand decreases the subjectivity of theevaluation. Instead of vague remarks such as ‘Ilike this piece,’ students and teachers can talkin terms of topic development, voice, etc.”Moreover, the Writing Challenge is a “usefulinstrument in the assessment of the writingprogram at the Middle School. If, for instance,

a grade level has consistently poor scores inany area, the teachers at that level canconcentrate their efforts on that area. Thus,both teachers and students can use the WritingChallenge as a means of self-evaluation.”

The Writing Challenge at the Middle Schoolalso provides students with a valuable bridgeto Upper School academic expectations. Asone 9th grade English teacher notes,“Incoming 9th grade students have anunderstanding of the elements necessary forstrong writing at the high school level. Theyhave benefited from a focus on clarity,structure and solid support of ideas, andhave learned to vary their sentence structureand adjust their writing style to the variedreading material. The Writing Challengerequires students to produce a polished andcomplete product in a short period of time.This process is akin to the Upper Schoolwriting environment.”

focus on critical-reading and literary-interpretation skills as foundations forgood analytical writing

write intensively: Instruction focuses onhoning students’ approaches to theanalytical essay and emphasizes originalityof thought. Students receive copiousfeedback from teachers on their progress;comments on papers reflect the criteriaestablished in the Upper School WritingChallenge Assessment Guide

refer to criteria for good writing and related feedback as a basis for self-assessment and for setting personalwriting goals

collaborate one-on-one with Englishdepartment faculty members to addressproblem areas.

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At The Upper School

read and analyze a short story that theyhave not previously read

plan an analytic response to the shortstory (with the aid of a list of possibletopics to use as a springboard)

draft an analytic essay that presents alogical, thoughtful and well developedresponse to the story

revise and polish their work.

A team of teachers from the EnglishDepartment assesses these formal WritingChallenge essays through double-blindscoring. Two teachers must agree on thescore for each criterion in the Upper SchoolWriting Challenge Assessment Guide. Afterstudents receive their Writing Challengescores, they have an individual conferencewith an English teacher, who reviews theiressays with them and elaborates on thediagnostic feedback that the Assessment Guideprovides. These conversations frequently

In preparing for the 11th grade Writing Challenge, students in the 9th through 11th grades:

In the fall of their junior year, students devote a full morning to writing the formal WritingChallenge essay. During this single-morning session, students:

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

28

extend to discussing where the WritingChallenge experience fits within the context ofthe student’s growth as a writer.

As a result, students write a letter to theirEnglish teacher that includes a thoughtfulreflection on their Writing Challengeexperience and the feedback they havereceived, often identifying where they havecome as writers, where they are now andwhere they see the potential for growth in thefuture. In addition, an English teacher writes anarrative describing the student as a writer,including a summary of the scores on theWriting Challenge and the conference with thestudent about his or her writing. Parents andguardians receive a copy of the student’sWriting Challenge essay, the scores marked ona copy of the Assessment Guide, and theteacher’s narrative about the child’s strengthsand challenges as a writer and possible nextsteps for improvement.

“The Writing Challenge enables teachers toteach; it empowers students to learn,” assertsthe Upper School English DepartmentChairperson. “The assessment is individual,non-competitive and thorough in its appraisal

of each student’s writing performance. Thegoal of identifying ‘growing edges’ for thewriter is achieved by scrutinizing what thestudent does in a controlled setting and thencollaborating with colleagues to prescriptivelysupport the student’s development.”

Thus, the Writing Challenge offers 11th gradestudents a unique opportunity to pause andreflect on their growth as writers mid-waythrough their high school careers—tocelebrate their writing strengths and identifytheir challenges and to guide progress inrefining their writing craft as they prepare forcollege. It also reaffirms for students that theirEnglish teachers, past and present, are willingto work one-on-one with them to help themspecifically address any “growing edges” intheir writing as they move through their finalyears at the Upper School. Teachersadditionally benefit from understanding wheretheir students stand as writers, bothindividually and collectively, when theyexamine the results of the Writing Challengefor trends. This analysis provides teacherswith a roadmap for addressing not onlyindividual challenges but also any weaknessescommon to many members of the class.

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How Does the Writing ChallengeInform Teaching and Learning?Students’ Focus on WritingFrom Pre-K through 12th grade, thephilosophical unity of the Writing Challengeprogram emphasizes common standards forgood writing. The continuity of the WritingChallenge Assessment Guides ensuresconsistency in both expectations andassessment between grade levels andcampuses. These consistent standards have, inturn, helped to foster a consistent emphasis ongood writing skills across the curriculum.Moreover, the framework of the programencourages students to engage in writing as aprocess that requires honing throughout theirschool years and beyond.

The Writing Challenge Assessment Guidesprovide teachers, students and parents with acommon language to discuss the criteria forgood writing and the strengths and weaknessesin students’ work. Students use this language asthey apply the established criteria in self-assessments and thereby improve their abilitiesto analyze their own writing. Teachers also usethis language in helping students to understandhow they can adapt the Guides to addressdifferent writing genres. Through thedevelopment of such conscious, metacognitivethinking about writing, students can becometheir own best editors.

Identification of Writing Needs Teachers are able to use the results of theWriting Challenge to better understand their

students’ individual needs and to designwriting assignments and provide feedbackthat addresses the needs of students in theirclasses. Results of the formal assessment alsohelp to identify students whose writing doesnot meet expectations at the benchmarkgrade levels (3, 5, 7 and 11). These studentshave the opportunity to work individuallywith their teachers to foster specific skilldevelopment.

Curriculum Refinement The Writing Challenge serves as a basis forongoing faculty study, including the ColumbiaUniversity Reading and Writing ProjectSummer Institutes on the Writing Workshopapproach and others on writing processinstruction. Analyses of each class’s WritingChallenge performance and performancetrends over time also help the faculty to refinethe writing curriculum. As a result, both theWriting Challenge Program and the writingcurriculum are always changing to bestadvance the development of student writers.Teachers at all grade levels periodically refinethe Writing Challenge Guides in light of recentresearch findings and current emphases in theteaching of good writing. In addition, teachersregularly reassess the Writing Challenge to setnew goals for enhancing its efficacy. Overall,the ongoing evolution of the WritingChallenge Program makes it a powerful toolfor guiding students in their maturation asthoughtful and effective writers.

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

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Students confidently meet the writing challenges they encounter beyond MKA. On alumniquestionnaires, MKA graduates attending highly competitive colleges and universities consistentlyreport that they are well prepared to write papers and to exceed the expectations of theirprofessors, even in advanced-level courses. While many of their college peers are still dauntedby the writing process, MKA graduates are finding that they can write thoughtful analytic essayswith a real sense of craft and confidence. On a recent alumni survey, one graduate wrote, “Mostcollege students can’t write a decently prepared paper. MKA’s focus on writing was priceless.”What better measure could we have of our success?

The Success of the Writing Challenge

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An Example:

The Middle School Assessment Guide that appears next is an example of the Guides designedfor use with MKA students at all three campuses.

Understanding the Writing Challenge Assessment Guide:

The headings on the chart’s columns identify key criteria by which the quality of a student’sessay will be assessed, and the first row specifies the key components of each criterion.

Each subsequent row describes a different degree of quality for each of the key criteria –ranging from “highly effective” to “ineffective” writing. For instance, a student’s “topicdevelopment” would be considered “highly effective” if the explanations in the “topicdevelopment” column of the “highly effective” row describe the student’s writing.

This type of Assessment Guide (known as an analytic rubric) provides both teachers andstudents with the opportunity to look analytically at the quality and effectiveness of each ofthe 6 major components of the piece. For instance, a written piece could easily represent“highly effective” writing in two or three columns and be less effective in other areas. Sincethe Guide allows teachers and students to make these kinds of distinctions, it can be used ina truly diagnostic way to focus on the specific strengths and relative weaknesses in a givenwritten piece and to thereby determine possibilities for revision or for ongoing goal setting.

The Writing Challenge Assessment Guide

THE WRITING CHALLENGE

Topic Development Details/Support Organization

The degree to whichthe

writing

GenerallyEffective

SomewhatEffective

Ineffective

HighlyEffective

• establishes a purpose• maintains focus• provides ideas to

develop the topic• shows originality,

insight or imagination

• establishes a clearly defined purpose

• maintains focus throughout the piece

• provides relevant ideas that obviously further the topic

• shows significant originality, insight or imagination

• establishes an apparent purpose

• maintains focus through most of the piece

• provides ideas to further the topic

• shows some originality, insight or imagination

• conveys a vague purpose• demonstrates

inconsistent focus• provides ideas with

limited relevance to further the topic

• shows limited originality, insight or imagination

• does not establish an identifiable purpose

• does not have an identifiable focus

• lacks ideas that further the topic

• does not include originality, insight or imagination

• presents details that support the main topic of the piece

• includes details that support the topic sentences of each paragraph

• connects details to create a blended whole

• presents pertinent ideas that strongly support the main topic

• uses accurate and elaborated details to support the topic sentence of each paragraph

• makes clear and important connections between supporting details

• presents ideas that sufficiently support the main topic

• uses accurate and somewhat elaborated details to support the topic sentence of each paragraph

• makes reasonable connections between supporting details

• presents ideas that provide some support for the main topic

• uses mostly accurate but insufficiently elaborated details to support the topic sentence of each paragraph

• makes weak or superficial connections between supporting details

• presents ideas that do not provide support to the main topic

• uses inaccurate or too few details to support the topic sentence of each paragraph

• makes no identifiable connections between supporting details

• shows evidence of formal structure(e.g., introduction and conclusion and supporting paragraphs)

• creates coherence• presents a logical sequence

of ideas • uses appropriate

paragraph structure• contains smooth transitions

between ideas

• includes carefully structured introduction, conclusion and supporting paragraphs

• achieves coherence• presents a clearly logical

progression of ideas• develops strong internal

organization within paragraphs, including effective topic sentences

• includes clear, smooth transitions between ideas

• includes somewhat structuredintroduction, conclusion and supporting paragraphs

• creates coherence with only minor lapses

• presents ideas that progress logically with only minor lapses

• develops paragraphs with topic sentences and some internal organization

• includes identifiable transitions between ideas

• includes poorly structured introduction, conclusion and supporting paragraphs

• exhibits limited coherence • presents ideas in an inconsistently

logical sequence• uses paragraphs with weak or

missing topic sentences and rudimentary internal organization

• includes weak transitions between ideas

• does not include introduction, conclusion & supporting paragraphs

• does not have coherence• presents confusing thought

patterns, which may be impossible to follow

• uses randomly arranged sentences with no unity of thought or paragraphing

• does not provide transitions between ideas

Writer’s Style/Voice Word Choice Grammar/Mechanics

• reflects personal expression through a developed voice

• uses a tone appropriate to the audience

• includes a variety of sentence patterns

• contains smooth, effective and correct sentence structure

• uses a distinct and natural voice that enhances personal expression

• uses a consistent tone that is particularly well suited for the intended audience

• uses a variety of sentence patterns• achieves smooth, flowing and

uniformly correct sentence structure

• uses a voice that shows some personal expression

• uses a consistent tone that takes audience into consideration

• shows some evidence of varying sentence patterns

• achieves somewhat smooth and generally correct sentence structure

• uses a somewhat flat voice with little personal expression

• uses an inconsistent tone or one that is sometimes mismatched to the audience

• uses sentences that vary only in length

• uses occasionally awkward or incorrect sentence structure

• uses no discernable personal voice with no evidence of personal investment

• does not account for tone or match it appropriately to the audience

• uses sentences that do not vary in length or structure

• uses frequently awkward or incorrect sentence structure

• includes correct and effective vocabulary

• provides evidence of risk taking for the purpose of enriching language

• uses dynamic verbs and precise nouns (instead of overusing adverbs and adjectives)

• uses precise, rich vocabulary

• takes risks with vocabulary and uses advanced vocabulary correctly

• uses many dynamic verbs and precise nouns that do not require modification

• uses generally effective vocabulary

• takes some risks with vocabulary, but makes some mistakes in word choice

• uses some dynamic verbs and precise nouns that do not require modification

• uses simplistic vocabulary with limited word choice

• makes an attempt to use better vocabulary, but makes many mistakes in word choice that interfere with meaning

• uses verbs and nouns with many modifiers

• uses weak or inadequate vocabulary

• shows no evidence of risk taking in vocabulary use and often uses vocabulary that interferes with meaning

• uses weak verbs and nouns with insufficient modifiers

• exhibits correct usage (e.g., tense formation, agreement and consistency, correct usage of parts of speech, etc.)

• exhibits correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization and other mechanics

• few, if any, grammatical or mechanical errors relative to the length and complexity of the piece

• some grammatical and mechanical errors, which do not interfere with the intended meaning or detract from the effect of the piece

• multiple grammatical and mechanical errors and/or patterns of errors, which do not significantly interfere with intended meaning, but do detract somewhat from the effect of the piece

• frequent grammatical and mechanical errors that interfere with intended meaning and significantly detract from the effect of the piece

Montclair Kimberley Academy

201 Valley Road, Montclair NJ 07042

973-746-9800 • mka.org