Benchmarks
5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Benchmarks are a set of specific skills that each student must master. Students who fail to meet benchmarks will either be retained or placed on Individual Education Plans as determined by the faculty. Academic benchmark exams are administered every school year in early April. Social and behavioral benchmarks are assessed through teacher observation and internal documentation of daily behavior. The following are the benchmarks for each grade.
5th grade: Self-Awareness
Demonstrate developing senses of self-worth, self-respect, self-discipline
Show respect for one's own and others' property
Take responsibility for one's own actions
Demonstrate listening skills - eyes, ears, mind on speaker
Develop organizational skills as reflected by state of notebook, cubby, workspace
Develop and use legible handwriting in 90% of work
Practice touch-typing
Write complete sentences
Be familiar with the eight parts of speech
Retell a story or process in chronological order
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Master a set of grade level vocabulary words
Master place value concepts
Demonstrate mastery of basic math facts
Demonstrate instant recall of times tables through twelve
Achieve math progress as measured by STAR Assessment
Master multiple digit addition, subtraction and multiplication
Solve one-step word problems
Record an observation for use with scientific method and inquiry
Discuss concept of scientific method and inquiry
Identify major features of the ocean floor and ocean life
Identify the major bodies of our solar system
Master 20 basic science vocabulary terms
Acquire basic map skills
Identify continents, oceans, and major world features
Differentiate between city, state, country, and continent
Master 30 basic social studies terms
Label 35 states and their capitals on an outline map of the U.S.
Identify basic facts about U.S. regions
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6th Grade: Stewardship
Care independently for personal and others' property
Demonstrate empathy
Respond constructively to the consequences of one's actions
Take responsibility for learning by asking questions for clarification
Produce timely homework reflecting best effort
Participate effectively in class discussions and activities
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Read with fluency and intonation
Identify main idea of a paragraph
Distinguish between fact and opinion
Answer independently reading comprehension questions based on non-fiction text
Outline, summarize, or take notes on two assigned pages of non-fiction text
Write 5-8 sentence paragraph from an outline
Label the eight parts of speech
Master place value
Master long division
Master all decimal operations
Identify basic fractions
Solve 2 step word problems
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Assessment
Create a hypothesis for use with scientific method and inquiry
Define scientific method
Demonstrate understanding of the functions of the cell
Explain the formations of Earth's features
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Master 30 assigned social studies terms
Apply more advanced map skills - latitude, longitude, plot points
Describe development of ancient civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome
Back to Top
7th Grade: Enterprise
Show understanding of the value of money, and the work required to earn it
Develop a strong understanding of the elements of sustaining community
Demonstrate readiness to lead by example throughout school day
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Define literary terms: plot, character, setting, conflict, climax, and resolution
Skim and paraphrase text
Write a 4-paragraph report with a bibliography
Identify cause and effect
Demonstrate mastery of operations involving fraction and percents
Solve 2-step problems involving fractions, decimals and/or percents
Identify basic geometric shapes
Solve problems by applying basic geometric formulas
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Math Assessment
Identify scientific categories of classification
Explain the steps of scientific method
List and explain the five kingdoms
Label and explain the different systems of the human body
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Understand basics of imperial and colonial systems
Identify 50 African countries
Learn impacts of major events in early American history
Explain founding of the United States
Master 40 assigned social studies terms
Back to Top
8th Grade: Leadership
Participate in community service projects
Promote and maintain community spirit
Meet all-school public speaking requirement
Engage in literary analysis using literary terms
Discuss character development and motivation in fiction
Recognize importance of historical setting
Evaluate and present strength of an argument
Write 5-paragraph essay
Determine point of view and audience
Write reports using parenthetical references
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Demonstrate mastery of integer rules
Demonstrate ability to solve integers operations
Problem solve using multiple steps and concepts
Use geometric formulas to find area and circumference
Solve one-step equations with variables
Solve proportions
Demonstrate ability to calculate probability
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Math Assessment
Apply scientific method independently in experiments
Label the parts of an atom and its bonding abilities
Describe the states, phases, and changes of matter
Explain how electricity and magnetism work
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Label the countries of the Americas and Europe
Label the 50 states and capitals
Read multiple pages of textbook, self-checking for understanding
Describe United States federal system of government
Explain federal system workings in current events
Describe trends of exploitation, protest, and reform in U.S. history
Back to Top
5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Benchmarks are a set of specific skills that each student must master. Students who fail to meet benchmarks will either be retained or placed on Individual Education Plans as determined by the faculty. Academic benchmark exams are administered every school year in early April. Social and behavioral benchmarks are assessed through teacher observation and internal documentation of daily behavior. The following are the benchmarks for each grade.
5th grade: Self-Awareness
Demonstrate developing senses of self-worth, self-respect, self-discipline
Show respect for one's own and others' property
Take responsibility for one's own actions
Demonstrate listening skills - eyes, ears, mind on speaker
Develop organizational skills as reflected by state of notebook, cubby, workspace
Develop and use legible handwriting in 90% of work
Practice touch-typing
Write complete sentences
Be familiar with the eight parts of speech
Retell a story or process in chronological order
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Master a set of grade level vocabulary words
Master place value concepts
Demonstrate mastery of basic math facts
Demonstrate instant recall of times tables through twelve
Achieve math progress as measured by STAR Assessment
Master multiple digit addition, subtraction and multiplication
Solve one-step word problems
Record an observation for use with scientific method and inquiry
Discuss concept of scientific method and inquiry
Identify major features of the ocean floor and ocean life
Identify the major bodies of our solar system
Master 20 basic science vocabulary terms
Acquire basic map skills
Identify continents, oceans, and major world features
Differentiate between city, state, country, and continent
Master 30 basic social studies terms
Label 35 states and their capitals on an outline map of the U.S.
Identify basic facts about U.S. regions
Back to Top
6th Grade: Stewardship
Care independently for personal and others' property
Demonstrate empathy
Respond constructively to the consequences of one's actions
Take responsibility for learning by asking questions for clarification
Produce timely homework reflecting best effort
Participate effectively in class discussions and activities
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Read with fluency and intonation
Identify main idea of a paragraph
Distinguish between fact and opinion
Answer independently reading comprehension questions based on non-fiction text
Outline, summarize, or take notes on two assigned pages of non-fiction text
Write 5-8 sentence paragraph from an outline
Label the eight parts of speech
Master place value
Master long division
Master all decimal operations
Identify basic fractions
Solve 2 step word problems
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Assessment
Create a hypothesis for use with scientific method and inquiry
Define scientific method
Demonstrate understanding of the functions of the cell
Explain the formations of Earth's features
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Master 30 assigned social studies terms
Apply more advanced map skills - latitude, longitude, plot points
Describe development of ancient civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome
Back to Top
7th Grade: Enterprise
Show understanding of the value of money, and the work required to earn it
Develop a strong understanding of the elements of sustaining community
Demonstrate readiness to lead by example throughout school day
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Define literary terms: plot, character, setting, conflict, climax, and resolution
Skim and paraphrase text
Write a 4-paragraph report with a bibliography
Identify cause and effect
Demonstrate mastery of operations involving fraction and percents
Solve 2-step problems involving fractions, decimals and/or percents
Identify basic geometric shapes
Solve problems by applying basic geometric formulas
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Math Assessment
Identify scientific categories of classification
Explain the steps of scientific method
List and explain the five kingdoms
Label and explain the different systems of the human body
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Understand basics of imperial and colonial systems
Identify 50 African countries
Learn impacts of major events in early American history
Explain founding of the United States
Master 40 assigned social studies terms
Back to Top
8th Grade: Leadership
Participate in community service projects
Promote and maintain community spirit
Meet all-school public speaking requirement
Engage in literary analysis using literary terms
Discuss character development and motivation in fiction
Recognize importance of historical setting
Evaluate and present strength of an argument
Write 5-paragraph essay
Determine point of view and audience
Write reports using parenthetical references
Achieve one full year of reading progress based on fall assessment
Demonstrate mastery of integer rules
Demonstrate ability to solve integers operations
Problem solve using multiple steps and concepts
Use geometric formulas to find area and circumference
Solve one-step equations with variables
Solve proportions
Demonstrate ability to calculate probability
Achieve progress as measured by STAR Math Assessment
Apply scientific method independently in experiments
Label the parts of an atom and its bonding abilities
Describe the states, phases, and changes of matter
Explain how electricity and magnetism work
Master 25 basic science vocabulary terms
Label the countries of the Americas and Europe
Label the 50 states and capitals
Read multiple pages of textbook, self-checking for understanding
Describe United States federal system of government
Explain federal system workings in current events
Describe trends of exploitation, protest, and reform in U.S. history
Back to Top
