Insight graduates are life-long learners who know themselves, know how to ask and research complex questions, and know how to find support and guidance when needed.
Insight Academics at a glance
Each year, Insight selects an interdisciplinary theme that frames the course offerings and big questions the community aims to explore. Academic courses in each discipline invite students to delve deeply into subject matter, emphasizing depth over breadth, while teaching students to use discipline-specific tools and frameworks. The courses are timed and planned to speak to each other in dynamic ways, often via the interdisciplinary theme. While a typical student’s schedule includes 4 core classes per semester, the most common question at registration time is…“How can I take all of the classes?”
Vision
At Insight, we believe that authentic learning requires:
Well-designed courses that provide foundational knowledge,
Opportunities to make choices and take personal responsibility for one’s education,
Social and emotional skills training and practice, and
A supportive community of peers and adults
such that students graduate competent, confident, and connected, ready to make a difference in a complex world.
A hallmark of Insight is its three-phase model of scholarship. This model assures that all Insight graduates build a solid academic foundation with the skills needed for lifelong learning. For students who wish to keep going, it also provides ample opportunity for identifying and pursuing one’s interests, be they academic, creative, technical, or some combination.
Three phases of scholarship: Conduct, Focus, and Insight
Conduct
All entering students begin in the Conduct phase. In this phase, which usually lasts 1-2 years, students learn how to
Learn through and contribute to seminar classes
Initiate and maintain good communication with instructors and advisors
Conduct research in an academic library
Write formal academic papers
Apply mathematical analysis to real-life scenarios
Respect and uphold Insight’s Community Standard
Focus
Students who meet the requirements of Conduct move to Focus, which usually takes 1-2 years. In Focus, interdisciplinary learning and student-led interests are prioritized.
In this phase, students
Are granted more independence, with fewer required study-hall hours
Use academic courses as a springboard from which to explore their interests (similar to developing a college major, or Focus)
Take courses and pursue projects that address interdisciplinary themes, including Civics and Economics, Gender Studies, Intersectional Analysis, Conceptual and Applied Math, and Ecology.
Produce work of increasing rigor and depth
Expand their leadership role in the school community
Create a formal presentation for the annual Academic Fair
Insight
After demonstrating their capacity for advanced learning, students may pass from Focus into Insight, usually during the final year of high school. In this phase, students
Undertake an independent semester or year-long interdisciplinary project
Engage a committee of teachers and community experts to advise and evaluate their project
Act as teaching assistants, supplementing the experiences of their peers
Make an enduring contribution to the Insight community
Students’ daily work centers around seminar courses, which include students of all ages and phases. Insight students typically take 4 academic courses per semester.
College-Style Seminars…in high school
Insight introduces college-like learning, which is typically richer than high school coursework, at developmental and practical levels appropriate for teens. Each year, courses across the curriculum are connected through an interdisciplinary theme. In 2021-22, the theme was Healing. In 2022-23 the theme is Culture.
Instead of using class time for busy-work, our seminar-style classes emphasize group discussions, deeper thinking, problem-solving, and further learning. Insight graduates are resourceful, insightful, and well-prepared for college. Students who decide not to go to college, or who postpone their post-secondary education, will have already had a rich, college-like experience during high school, which serves as a foundation for becoming life-long learners.
Assessment
Effective teaching and learning involves ongoing assessment and feedback.
Insight uses a variety of authentic assessments, ranging from traditional papers and presentations to creative projects, fieldwork, and student teaching. The results of our assessments are not presented as letter grades. What does a B- mean, anyway? How does one use it? At Insight, feedback is provided primarily through written narratives, often complemented by verbal feedback, such that students get detailed information on their growth, mastery, and areas for improvement. Students practice written self-evaluation each quarter and receive written evaluations from course instructors and advisors at the middle and end of each semester.
Mid-semester evaluations are shorter narratives and comments from teachers and advisors, meant to help students finish the semester strong.
End-of-semester evaluations give comprehensive feedback on
How well the student met the objectives of each course
Progress of the student through Insight’s three-phase model (Conduct, Focus, and Insight)
Goals or skills for the student to work on as they continue growing as a life-long learner
Detailed descriptions of student work, useful for college and job applications
Academic Advising
In twice-monthly, one-on-one advising, all students are supported in their efforts to
Choose courses that appeal to them
Fulfill graduation and phase requirements
Develop academic and organizational skills
Draw connections across their coursework
Identify community mentors in addition to Insight faculty
Insight is, in many ways, a micro-college experience - offered at developmental and practical levels appropriate for teens.
Graduating from Insight
Insight graduates are life-long learners who know themselves, know how to ask and research complex questions, and know how to find support and guidance when needed.
At Insight, coursework is just the beginning. We expect students to use the flexibility of the Insight model to develop and pursue their creative, academic, and service interests through coursework and community engagement. Through advising, students receive guidance and support for plotting their own unique path. This is all captured in a Mastery Transcript, largely developed by the student, through Insight’s participation in the Mastery Transcript Consortium.
Upcoming Info Sessions
Ready to Apply?
Questions? Comments?
