Zionsville Community High

School v 1.2
Moving forward with Excellence
 What if…
…we recognize, respect, and capitalize
upon the fact that Zionsville Community
High School is filled with bright, articulate,
worldly, young people who can be
compelled to the highest levels of
engagement in learning by answering
THEIR OWN questions?
 What if…
…as leaders focused foremost on learning,
we realized that these student questions
could be used as the basis for rigorous
academic work in multiple for-credit
courses studied seamlessly (as work is
done in real life—with no silos—just
appropriate academic content, challenges,
and supports)?
 Did you know?
Adolescents learn better when they…
 Encounter learning that is appropriate to their
developmental levels and is presented in multiple
ways and in an enjoyable and interesting manner.
 Are intellectually intrigued by tasks that are
authentic and perceived as challenging, novel, and
relevant to their own lives.
 Are provided opportunities to develop and use
strategic thinking skills, such as reasoning and
problem solving.
 Are in a safe, supportive environment where value
is given to personal ideas and negative emotions,
such as fear of punishment and embarrassment are
minimized.
Beamon, 2001
 What if…
… the essential elements of great academic
experiences were based in an open,
collaborative, technology-rich setting
where students and adults shared in the
creation of learning that is good for
college, life, and work in a real world that
is increasingly flat?
 We could…
…start one of the most meaningful—and
therefore—powerful learning experiences
ever seen in ZCS.

The Multidisciplinary
Inquiry Center
(MIC)
 The MIC is a place where …
 Student questions and interests are the
springboard to academic pursuit
 Student questions and interests fuel the
engine of engaging experiences facilitated
by a multidisciplinary team of teachers
 Student Work
 Students choose a personal or partnership
inquiry for sustained focus and academic
pursuit
 Projects are purposefully dynamic to include
some problem identification/solving and
some opportunity for exploration and
potential for novel products or experiences
 Course content and standards are wrapped
around this pursuit so that credit is effectively
earned through highly engaging experiences
 About student work
 Some possibilities--
 How can viable and sustainable domestic
water sources reach Sub-Saharan Africa?
(Environmental science, geography,
international studies)
 How might the current generation of digital
natives change the world of work?
(Engineering, sociology, language,
communications, media arts, psychology,
government, technology…)
 What is the utility of aesthetics as an
enhancement to longevity? (economics,
visual and performing arts, sociology,
psychology, biology, entrepreneurship)
 Student Work (continued)
 College level research that includes primary
source and peer reviewed journals
 Students also access resources via
technologies and human interactions on-site
and through off-site experiences whenever
necessary and appropriate
 Student work products vary based on the
areas of study, student interest and ability
 All final work products/presentations would
involve a juried “defense” phase
 College Credit
 Students will have the opportunity to gain
college credit in an introductory
information technology course. --
Currently in discussions with Butler
University.
 Teacher work
 Primary teacher roles
1. Guide, resource, creator and conductor of
academic explorations for a group of
students -- ideally this teacher’s content area
would be a primary content area of study for
these students
2. Generalist with high level content specialty:
Instructor of record for any student seeking
credit in the teacher’s content area -- teacher
ensures that student work meets all of the
course standards required to award credit
3. Facilitator and juror: Aids in every way
possible to foster student growth/success—
and helps the student prove these in
authentic, measurable ways
 Teacher work detail…
 Director of Studies
 Help students construct research questions/areas
with sufficient sophistication to warrant inclusion
of multiple disciplines
 Meet regularly with each student to monitor
progress and assess/assist with student needs
 Establish benchmarks, rubrics, and practice juries
to build students’ confidence as students move
toward culminating exhibition/defense
 Advocate for student needs
 Teacher Work detail…
 Instructor of Record
 Ensures that content standards are met through
primary and secondary academic experiences
 Establishes understanding with each student
about work products, timelines, for-credit course
obligations, and success benchmarks
 Presents at least one weekly “expert seminar” in a
topic/content niche designed to assist wide array
of students working on various projects
 Available as guide and resource for students at all
times during AM or PM MIC block
 Administrative leadership
 Vision-keeping, communication and
development
 Resource procurement and logistics
 Meets regularly with staff and students
regarding student progress and resource or
programmatic/staff needs
 Strives to facilitate partnerships for
established and emerging needs
 Fosters volunteer supports
 Governance reporting, accountability, and
related administrative tasks
 Student leadership

 Service to community
 Service to MIC mission
 Oversight of commons area and
decision-making about facility/services
 Special projects and social interactions
 Parent leadership
 Assist with partnership and resource
procurement
 Internship coordination
 Program evaluation and development
(survey and assessment)
 R&D
 Special docents and expert seminars
 Special transportation
 Monetary support
 Volunteer efforts
 Advocacy efforts
 Students for MIC start-up
 Juniors and Seniors
 On track for graduation with credit earnings
and available elective space in schedule
 Passed GQE
 Deeply passionate about topic/area of study
 Good citizen, self-motivated, self-regulating
and not a supervision issue
 Has wireless laptop or is willing to work a
partnership to get one
 Schedule
 Two sessions daily – 3 hours AM and 3
hours PM
 Time is used as resource to facilitate
student academic pursuits
 Teacher, administrative leader, parent,
and other volunteer-led seminars would be
advertised in advanced
 Setting
 Classroom spaces available for seminars,
labs, discussions, and group work
 Large, open space for accessing resources,
collaborations, commons activities
 The large setting could be set for individual
as well as group work and could be used for
large group presentations/special events,
seminars, and juried exhibitions
 Most staff time would be spent in this large
space, though other space (office, research,
individual or small group spaces for
teaching/counseling) are available as needed
 Physical Space
 The location of the MIC will be dependent
upon enrollment
 For the minimum enrollment (90) programs
could be fit in at the Freshmen Center and
ESC
 For the maximum enrollment (200) the MIC
could be housed at the Boone Meadow
campus
 A new delivery model?
 Not really
 Never taken to scale at core
 “Ambitious teaching.” (Elmore)
 Adds significant engagement value
 Engagement supercharges learning
 The right thing to do to address
academic concerns facing the district;
complacency, engagement, and
maximizing potential
 Investments at Start-Up
 Full time administrative position as vision and
logistics leader and communicator (1 FTE)
 Full time administrative assistant from
somewhere in the current staffing (no cost)
 Allocation of needed staff in pilot for two years of
service (so as to not leave juniors without
completion, if disbanded)
 Use of, and potential modifications to existing
facility(ies)
 Media-focused library, equipment, and software
 Teacher training over the summer
 Student engagement survey and follow-up
analysis
 Profit expectations
 Higher student engagement at end of high school
career than prior classes
 Higher level of preparedness for university than
without this experience
 Positive community sentiments about this as a value
add to offerings
 Success in cracking the delivery model status quo
wall bodes well for the future of ZCS in many ways
 Students have improved learning experiences that stay with
them longer because of higher engagement/authenticity
 Continuous improvement and innovation
 Success here points to ways to reconstitute the HS
experience without adding a second high school right now
 Program evaluation
 Student outcomes (teacher, parent, and
student survey data)
 Project completion ratios (goal
attainment data)
 Credits earned (HS and college) per
student participant
 Value add assessment (student
engagement measures, and teacher-
administrative reporting)
 Anticipated Next Steps
 Request from Board permission to move
forward with preliminary steps
 Hold parent and student meetings and
begin application process
 Request from Board approval to launch
 Identify participating staff
 Adjust participating student’s schedules
 Summer teacher training