Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning: A Comprehensive Overview
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL) stands as a unique public school of choice, deeply rooted in the principles of Expeditionary Learning and committed to fostering a vibrant learning community. This article delves into the multifaceted aspects of RMSEL, exploring its mission, background, educational approach, performance, and the factors that contribute to its distinctive character.
Mission and Core Values
At its heart, RMSEL's mission is to "empower students and staff to be learners, thinkers, citizens, and explorers engaged in and inspired by the real world." This mission is brought to life through a commitment to several core values:
- Interdisciplinary Learning: RMSEL emphasizes connecting different subjects to provide a more holistic and relevant educational experience.
- Collaborative Learning: Students are encouraged to work together, fostering teamwork and communication skills.
- Active Engagement: RMSEL prioritizes hands-on learning and real-world application of knowledge and skills.
- Deep Knowledge and Higher-Order Thinking: The school aims to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication skills.
- Service and Character: RMSEL places a strong emphasis on developing students' character and encouraging them to contribute to their communities.
For 25 years, RMSEL has embodied its motto: "We are crew, not passengers."
Historical Context and Founding Principles
RMSEL's origins are intertwined with the "break the mold" initiative of the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) in the early 1990s. Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound USA (ELOB) was selected as one of eleven groups to develop innovative designs for public education. The Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC) played a pivotal role in establishing RMSEL as one of the original ELOB demonstration sites.
Founded on the ideals of Outward Bound, RMSEL organizes its curriculum around multidisciplinary learning expeditions. Academic achievement and character development are placed together at the core of the curriculum.
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RMSEL was founded on the ideals of Outward Bound and organizes its curriculum around multidisciplinary learning expeditions. Academic achievement and character development are placed together at the core of the curriculum. Our standards-based K-12 portfolio assessment system makes explicit the criteria by which success can be measured and documents the accomplishment of high academic and character standards.
Expeditionary Learning: A Unique Educational Approach
Expeditionary Learning, the cornerstone of RMSEL's educational philosophy, combines the principles of Outward Bound with research-based best practices. This approach aims to promote both academic excellence and character development.
The Expeditionary Learning system is based on ten design principles. Those principles grew in large part out of the experience of Outward Bound. The design principles are abstract and aspirational. Nonetheless, they are worth reading, because so much of the Expeditionary Learning system is derived from them. Learning is an expedition into the unknown. Expeditions draw together personal experience and intellectual growth to promote self-discovery and the construction of knowledge. We believe that adults should guide students along this journey with care, compassion, and respect for their diverse learning styles, backgrounds, and needs. Given fundamental levels of health, safety and encouragement, all people can and want to learn. The design principles inform all aspects of the Expeditionary Learning system - from how furniture is arranged in the classrooms to how an Expeditionary Learning school is evaluated. The principles have been fleshed out and "brought down to earth" in a set of specific educational guidelines labelled "Core Practices." The Core Practices provide direction on how a school becomes an Expeditionary Learning School.
Gone are the ringing bells, rows of desks, and fill-in-the blank worksheets. For all or most of the day, students and teachers are engaged in challenging learning expeditions. Each day provides opportunities for quiet reflection - time for students to write in their journals, gather their thoughts, and reflect on what they have learned. Students work individually and in small groups.
Learning Expeditions: The Heart of the Curriculum
In Expeditionary Learning schools, students spend most of their time engaged in purposeful, rigorous "learning expeditions." These special expeditions are the core of the curriculum. Although learning expeditions often take students outside of school, unlike the familiar "field trip" or outing, these expeditions are in-depth studies of a single theme or topic. Our students are scientists, urban planners, historians, and activists, investigating community problems and collaborating with peers to develop creative, actionable solutions. The skills and knowledge that students learn are applied to real-world issues and problems, teaching students how to make positive changes in their communities.
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The Expeditionary Learning System
The Expeditionary Learning system affects standards, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and school organization.
"[Expeditionary Learning] brings the values that come from Outward Bound to a school - values of collaboration, of high expectations for everyone." - Tom Glennan, advisor for education policy at the RAND Corp. The Expeditionary Learning system holds, as Massachusetts educator Ron Berger says in A Culture of Quality: A Reflection on Practice (from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform's Occasional Paper Series, Number 1, September 1996, Brown University), that "the quality of a school lies in its culture."
Teachers as Key to Success
Teachers are the key to Expeditionary Learning's success. Instead of working in isolation behind closed classroom doors, teachers collaborate closely with colleagues, family and community members. This openness and collaboration ensures rich and high quality learning experiences for students, and significant professional growth and renewal for teachers.
Assessment and Accountability
RMSEL employs a standards-based K-12 portfolio assessment system that makes explicit the criteria by which success can be measured and documents the accomplishment of high academic and character standards.
Assessment is also embedded in an Expeditionary Learning school's curriculum and instruction. Expeditionary Learning nurtures a culture of continuous reflection, revision, and improvement. Expeditionary Learning schools make explicit the criteria they apply to judge student performance, and they expect students to work hard until they have achieved their best work. Expeditionary Learning schools try to avoid setting assessment apart as an isolated, dreaded event.
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Expeditionary Learning recognizes that effective assessment is impossible unless one has clearly defined standards. We require students to meet skill and content requirements identified in the Colorado State standards. Students, at the end of 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade, present their portfolios for evaluation by a panel of people who represent the RMSEL community, and then discuss their work in terms of effective communication, deep knowledge and higher order thinking. This demonstration of understanding is meant to further uncover student skill and knowledge. Students whose work is not judged by the passage panel and crew leaders as meeting passage requirements are not promoted until they demonstrate that they have completed the required work and attained the necessary knowledge and skills.
Creating a culture of reflection, critique, and revision pushes students to better performances. Expeditionary Learning believes the same is true of entire schools.
School Environment and Demographics
The school, housed in the former Ash Grove Elementary School building in southeast Denver, opened its doors to 215 students in grades K-9 on September 7, 1993.
Today, RMSEL enrolls 392 students in grades K-12, with an approximate mix of 193 students from Denver Public schools, 38 from Douglas County schools, 106 from Cherry Creek schools, 25 from Littleton Public schools and 30 from Aurora Public schools.
RMSEL serves a socio-economically diverse population comprising 25% students of color, which reflects the diversity of the five sponsoring districts. The student population is made up of 44% female students and 55% male students. The school enrolls 2% economically disadvantaged students. There are 26 equivalent full-time teachers. The student-teacher ratio is 15:1, which is the same as that of the district.
Academic Performance and Rankings
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning is ranked #10,689 in the National Rankings. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college.
At Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, 42% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 61% scored at or above that level for reading. Compared with the district, the school did about the same in math and about the same in reading, according to this metric. In Denver 1, 61% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 42% tested at or above that level for math. Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state. In Colorado, 42% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 31% tested at or above that level for math.
- Mathematics Proficiency: 42%
- Reading Proficiency: 61%
- Graduation Rate: 88% (somewhat below state median)
- Student/Teacher Ratio: 15:1
Enrollment and Admission
A public school of choice, RMSEL is a vital partnership of five Denver area school districts- Aurora, Cherry Creek, Denver, Douglas County, and Littleton - and a non-profit organization actively involved in the renewal of public education - the Public Education and Business Coalition. Expeditionary Learning captures the power of Outward Bound principles and research about best practices and combines them in the classroom to promote high academic achievement and character development.
Students entering Kindergarten through 11th grade and who are residents of the Aurora, Cherry Creek, Denver, Douglas County or Littleton school districts are invited to apply. Twenty-six kindergarten positions are available, and are split into two classes of thirteen students each. For fall enrollment, we anticipate 6th grade openings; typically, there will be a number of positions open in various other grades. We do not accept students entering the 12th grade. Positions in other grades become available when students currently attending the school elect not to return. Students of any grade are not accepted after October 1st for that school year.
Students applying for the 5th, 8th or 10th grades will be enrolled in the Fall contingent on a review of student's academic work, family's understanding of the portfolio process and willingness to take on the acceleration of portfolio development and completion.
Grounds for Denial of Admission
Subject to the school's responsibilities under the Exceptional Children's Educational Act and applicable federal, state and local laws, the following will constitute grounds for denial of admission to the school:
- Failure to meet age requirement.
- Having been expelled from any school district during the preceding twelve months.
- Having engaged in behavior in another school during the preceding twelve months that is detrimental to the welfare or safety of other students or of school personnel.
- An applicant who is not a resident of one of our five sponsoring districts, unless otherwise entitled to attend, is not eligible for the initial lottery.
- Failure to comply with the immunization provisions.
Success Stories and Recognition
Two independent research groups, the Academy for Educational Development and a team from the University of Colorado's Department of Education, have studied Expeditionary Learning programs. Both groups found dramatic increases in students' levels of engagement and motivation, as demonstrated by high attendance and low rates of disciplinary problems.
In our own city, the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning continues to thrive. In addition, the report of the accreditation visit by the North Central Association Visiting Resource Team in April 1997 concluded that the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning is well on its way to becoming a powerful example of educational practice for the state of Colorado and the nation. We were greatly impressed with the level of commitment, respect, and thought about learning that both students and teachers demonstrated during our visit. Nearly every student interviewed by the visiting team could articulate what they were learning and where they were going. . . . It is clear that RMSEL is a thoughtful, caring, and respectful community of educators!
King Middle School in Portland achieved dramatic gains on the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), surpassing the rate of change statewide. King students went from performing below the bottom of the range for demographically similar schools in six curriculum areas in 1995, to performing above the top of the range in all six areas one year later. King students averaged a 59-point increase in their scores, compared to a statewide average gain of only 15 points. In New York City, three-year longitudinal comparisons show significant increases on the Degrees of Reading Power Test in grades seven and eight at the School for the Physical City, placing the school 29th out of the city's 226 junior high schools in reading in 1996. In 1996, fifth-grade students at Clairemont Elementary School in Decatur scored at the 8.1 grade equivalent in math on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the 7.6 grade equivalent in reading after its third year of implementation. In Boston, the Rafael Hernandez School ranked 11th in math and 17th in reading out of the city's 76 elementary schools on the Stanford-9 test in the percentage of fifth graders reading above grade level. McKinley Elementary School's fourth graders improved their scores on Cincinnati's Fourth-Grade Proficiency Test by 26 percentage points in math, 23 in citizenship, and six in reading from 1995 to 1996. In all five areas tested, McKinley's fourth graders achieved a higher rate of proficiency than the district and state average.
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