High School Academics

The International Baccalaureate
The Khabele School is a candidate school* for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. We are pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that The Khabele School believes is important for our students. Read more about Khabele & International Baccalaureate here.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

Approach

At the Khabele High School, we intend that all students demonstrate the “5 Attributes of Success” upon graduation. These 5 attributes are the Khabele School’s mission “on the ground.” They were distinguished by envisioning the capacities of graduates who embody the school’s mission. Our curriculum, hiring policies, teacher training, parent education, student services, and programming are based on the development of these 5 attributes in our students:  Well-Being; Environmental/Cultural Awareness; Self-Generating Learner; Self Expression; Leadership.

Advisory

Foundational to our academic structure is our advisory curriculum. Much more than a home room, a Khabele advisory creates a small scale support structure for academic and personal success.  The advisor serves as a first point of communication between a child’s teachers and their parents. Advisors deliver a school-designed character development curriculum that has our students write mission statements, set goals, and conduct holistic self-evaluations. Each semester, the student’s advisor oversees planning and implementation of a weeklong independent project.  Through advisory all school members are joined by community dialogs and shared activities.  Furthermore, through advisory and its community service project called the “One-for-One Program” students take part in community service that connects them to the world at large.

By the Numbers

MS/HS Profile

AP Exams
82% of our AP exams scored 3 or higher.
See our full score report here (click to enlarge):

SAT Scores
Reading Average: 634
Math Average: 634
Writing Average: 610
Composite Average: 1,878
National Composite Average: 1,509

College Matriculation
100% of our graduates are accepted to at least one of their top choice colleges, with 95% of them matriculating.

Graduation Plan

For detailed course descriptions, please download the 2012-2013 Course Catalog & Student Handbook

• Core Academics—4 years of English, Social Studies, Science, and Math are required. Below is the basic sequence. Individual students’ schedules may be adjusted based on transfer credit and academic goals.

• The Arts: 4 years of study in the arts are required. Choices include: Drama, Theater Productions, Jazz Band (several levels), Music Theory, AP Music Theory, Visual Art, AP Art, Photography, Advanced Photography, Film, Dance, Dance Performance Ensemble, and Yearbook design.
• Foreign Language: 3 years of HS study are required in Foreign Language. Students can choose from Spanish or French.
• Physical Education: 100 hours per year.
• Public Speaking: one semester.
• Health and Financial Literacy: one semester.
• College Planning: Spring of Junior Year and Fall of Senior Year.

In addition, students must make sincere effort in advisory and with each project week. We also expect, by graduation, each student to have completed some foreign immersion trip—either with our school or outside of the school.

What does class look like?

Between classes there is the normal hustle and bustle of adolescent life, students laughing, gathering their materials and talking to their friends as they head to class.   Then there is a silence that passes over the school. Each class at Khabele starts exactly on time, doors close and students and teachers take a few minutes to do a simple centering practice. For a moment, we are still and take stock of our day, our mind and our body.  Class begins with intention.  Across the school some students will be taking pop quizzes, some will be engaged in silent reading, some will be setting up labs, or typing up papers. Many will be in discussions, some listening to lectures, or doing group projects while others are rehearsing, creating art, or doing self-directed studies.  There is no formula for lesson delivery and each teacher has the autonomy to respond to his or her class as necessary. At the end of class, however, every class resumes to a united structure.  We debrief every class, taking an opportunity to observe and communicate what worked, or what could be improved in our own process, the classroom environment or in the lesson itself. Class dismissed.

Assessment 

Assessment at Khabele happens in many ways. Most teachers in the Middle School value a students’ participation, their homework, projects and tests as part of their class grade.  Assignments are recorded by the teacher and available to parents and student via Powerschool.  Students write a weekly update to their advisor, and cc their parents, to summarize their academic progress, grades and plans.  This ongoing dialogue gives the student consistent opportunities for advisor feedback, as well as self-evaluation.  Teachers provide formal comments at mid-semester and report cards are sent out at the end of each semester.  To give a holistic perspective on a student’s academic and character progress, the advisor submits a comprehensive narrative evaluation as well.

Additional Support

If a student needs or desires additional help from a teacher, they can seek the teacher after school for office hours.  In addition, they can go to the math lab or writing lab to work with a team of teachers on weak skills or prepare for an upcoming assignment that might be challenging.  In some cases, teachers will require students to come to office hours in order to get such support in they have concerns for their long term success.  While we don’t offer special services for students with learning disabilities, we find that our office hours structure usually provides the help that a motivated student needs to overcome many lingering skill gaps.

Advanced Studies

There are many options for those students that want to do more advanced work.

9^th and 10^th grade:  We offer interdisciplinary honors seminars in 9^th and 10^th grade humanities classes that supplement their normal classes with advanced work.  Students have a great deal of leadership in deciding the focus of this seminar. As we write this, the current the 9^th grade World Studies Honor Seminar has elected to read War and Peace.  We also offer advanced Science honors seminar through Rutgers University doing DNA analysis.

11^th and 12^th grade:  Students at this level have many options to pursue rigorous study. We offer a large variety of AP courses, specifically chosen so that students can succeed on the AP exam, and earn college credit, AND have a Khabele class that values depth of inquiry.  Students may also enroll in dual credit classes in ACC, located only two blocks from campus. Students that show initiative and consistently excellent results are invited to create their own courses, and indeed even create their own graduation plan if their interests are specialized.