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The Learning Goals

Big Picture Schools hold very high standards for students. We have designed our educational program from the end-goal backwards – meaning, we have a clear vision of our graduates' skills, knowledge and personal qualities that will help lead them to success and fulfillment. However, we also know that to truly educate one student at a time, our goals for their learning must be flexible enough to accommodate the diversity of student needs and personal aspirations. Our assessment system then is based around two sets of goals, five school-wide Learning Goals, and each student’s own personal goals. Woven throughout all of the goals is our commitment that learning be real and meaningful, and that each student should become a life-long learner.

The five school-wide Learning Goals are based on our belief that high school graduates must know how to reason, problem-solve and be cooperative members of the community. At Big Picture Schools, there is no canon of information that all students must know. In a world where information doubles every few years, we believe that the most important thing a student needs to know is how to learn.

Big Picture School advisors look at the big picture of each student’s learning and challenge the student to do academically rigorous project work that incorporates the Learning Goals and is focused around his or her personal interests and passions. Older students assist younger students in understanding and addressing the Learning Goals and are valued as role models of self-directed learning and goal achievement. Most importantly, Learning Through Internship projects provide students with the opportunity to address the Learning Goals in the real world.

Big Picture Learning Goals are tools for problem solving. The Learning Goals are a framework for looking at the real-world knowledge and abilities necessary to being a successful, well-rounded person. They are not content-oriented curricula, nor are they completely distinct categories. Each goal focuses on an aspect of reasoning or community behavior. Students’ project work will often incorporate many overlapping elements of the Learning Goals.