At Saint Joseph Academy, the design of curriculum, and the instruction, assessment and grading of students are related in a specific and cyclical way.

Outcomes- The starting point of all our endeavors is a clear and agreed-upon set of outcomes.  Outcomes are statements of what students are able to do as a result of our efforts.

Three Levels of Outcomes- Graduation Outcomes state what students are able to do after completing the course of studies offered at Saint Joseph Academy. Departmental Outcomes specify what students are able to do as a result of a program in a specific discipline, for example, as a result of a three-year sequence of required science courses.  Course Outcomes enumerate what students are able to do at the end of each quarter in a given course.  Course Outcomes, Departmental Outcomes, and Graduation Outcomes must be aligned.

Challenging and Realistic- Outcomes at each level should be both challenging and realistic.  Of course, most outcomes will explicitly or implicitly expect students to “know” and “comprehend.”  But as a college-preparatory institution, many other outcomes must also expect students to utilize higher-level cognitive skills: to “apply,” “analyze,” “synthesize,” and “evaluate.”  Where appropriate, outcomes will entail students’ multiple intelligences, including social, emotional, and creative intelligences.

Course Outcomes- Course Outcomes guide each teacher’s activities with respect to the course(s) he/she is teaching.  Course Outcomes are designed and revised at the department level, with the approval of the administration.  All sections of a particular course, regardless of who teaches the various sections, adhere to the same set of outcomes.

Assessment- Outcomes define what students will be expected to do as a result of instruction.  The second step in curriculum design is to decide how student performance of these outcomes will be observed and measured.  Authentic assessment requires that students demonstrate their level of performance in each and every course outcome.  Likewise, authentic assessment avoids the measurement of student behaviors extraneous to the course outcomes.

Assessment tools include, but are not limited to tests, quizzes, projects, homework assignments, demonstrations, oral presentations, essays, research papers, performances, specific accomplishments, class participation.

Alternative Assessments.  It is appropriate, when feasible, to allow students more than one kind of opportunity to assess an outcome or outcomes. One student might demonstrate course outcomes as thoroughly in a project as another student might in a written examination.  Alternative assessments can be particularly helpful when the class includes students with learning differences.  When alternative assessments are employed, care must be taken to ensure that the alternative assessment is an equivalent assessment.