What is RAM Prep????

Expectations for Success

10th – 12th Grade

 

Welcome to RAM Prep.  RAM Prep encompasses a three-year curriculum designed to address the Washington State graduation requirement of career education, a plan for continued education following high school graduation, and a culminating project that synthesizes the sum of the student’s learning.  Since this curriculum covers a three-year span, activities and lessons in each grade and trimester lay the foundation for work to be completed latter during your high school career.  The structure of RAM Prep empowers students to take responsibility for their learning.  Much of the instruction focuses on students as self-direct, life-long learners.  Especially at the 11th and 12th grade levels, students determine to a greater extent the level of their learning and their individual learning focus. 

In addition to the RAM Prep curriculum, this daily 30 minute class provides the opportunity for students to develop efficient life-long reading habits.  Reading is probably the single skill in which you will need to be proficient for success in your adult life.  This is also the time set aside for pep assemblies, class voting, class meetings, and other whole-school house keeping details.  In addition, all school clubs will meet generally the first and third Wednesdays of the month during this time.  We’ll be doing some activities later to help students decide where you fit into the West Valley High community.  There is truly something for everybody at WV.

 

The 4 P’s

Pathway:  Students at West Valley High School have identified a career pathway based on their personal interest.  Juniors continue to have the opportunity to further refine their career choices through the ASVAB assessment.  In addition, Career Scope has been added to the total career education curriculum to assist students in determining their aptitude for a specific career as well as help them identify basic skill deficiencies they will want to address if they realistically expect to follow their chosen goal.

Plan:  Every student is required to have on file a realistic, credible, well-thought out plan for continuing their education/training in the first year following high school graduation.  During RAM Prep, you are afforded multiple opportunities to determine what the best plan is for you:  4 year college or university, 2 year community or trade school, military, or work.  Each has its plusses and minuses.  The important thing is for students to determine what’s best for them. 

Portfolio:  This is the piece of information that you will be working on continually throughout your high school career.  Included in your portfolio are things such as a resume, a college application, scholarship applications, a personal statement, self-evaluations on best works in terms of meeting State and work-based skills, as well as a variety of other materials to help you define yourself as a self-directed learner and a developing productive adult member of society.

Project:  This is where all the pieces finally come together.  Over the three-year period, students have learned to be responsible for their learning and where they want to go after high school.  They have developed skills as a team member.  They have self-assessed their individual progress toward meeting Washington State learning objectives as well as Secretary’s Commission of Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS).  Seniors will select a project for which they take total responsibility.  This project is presented to a panel of community evaluators.  In the project, the student demonstrates their competency in research, writing, oral presentation they have developed over 12 years of schooling.  The focus of the project is determined by what the student has learned about himself/herself through the pathway, plan, and portfolio process.

SSR:  Silent Sustained Reading

As the name implies, this time is for silent reading.  It is not a study hall.  It is not time to catch a few ZZZ’s before third period.  It is not a time to write notes.  In SSR, we read.  Teachers read; students read.  There are a few guidelines for the type of reading materials that are appropriate for SSR.

  1. Novels, chapter books, or short story collections at an appropriate reading grade level.  Selections should be difficult enough to stretch your vocabulary and reading skills, but not so difficult that they frustrate you.
  2. Non-fiction selections.  Again, age and subject appropriate
  3. All reading materials must be appropriate for school reading.
  4. Magazines, periodicals, newspapers, comic books, textbooks, Cliff notes, homework, Internet articles, etc are not appropriate for SSR.  Your classroom teacher will need to provide you with an appropriate reading selection if you choose to come to class with unsuitable materials.
  5. Students are expected to present an oral book report to their RAM Prep group at least once a trimester.  This is part of your grade for this class.  There are specific oral presentation rubrics your teacher will use to evaluate your presentation.
  6. Once a senior has identified the focus of their senior project and had it approved by their RAM Prep instructor, they may read professional journals related to their project, with their teacher’s approval, during RAM Prep.

Grading:

Students have the opportunity to earn .17 of an elective credit each trimester.  The grading criteria are as follows:

 

      A = 90 – 100%

B = 80 – 89%

C = 70 – 79%

F = 0 – 69%

 

60% = performance on the RAM Prep curriculum for the specific grade level.

20% = SSR/book talks

20% = daily class participation/attendance

 

 

I acknowledge receipt of the expectations and grading criteria for RAM Prep.

 

___________________________   _______________________________

Student Signature                   Parent Signature

 

_________________                   ______________________

Date                                   Date

 

Original – Teacher file

Copy – Student portfolio

 

Note:  Students will not receive credit for RAM Prep until this notice has been signed and returned to the teacher.