At the Met we believe that education is everyone's business.  Learning opportunities are everywhere, not just inside classrooms.  Research tells us that we learn best when we're personally motivated when we have a passion for what we are doing, knowledge unfolds and evolves natually.  With this in mind, every student designs their own personal projects through which they do all their learning, academic and otherwise.  These projects are structured around what we call the "Five A's" which provide the essential structure for a successful project.  Metsters don't do cute little projects that will never see the light of day.

The Five A's

Authenticity

• Does the project emanate from a problem or question that has meaning to the student?
• Is it a problem or question that might actually be tackled by an adult at work or in the community?
• Do students create or produce something that has personal or social value, beyond the school setting?

Academic Rigor

• Does the project lead students to acquire and apply knowledge central to one or more learning goal area?
• Does it challenge students to use methods of inquiry central to one or more disciplines (e.g., to think like a scientist)?
• Do students develop higher order thinking skills (searching for evidence, taking different perspectives, etc.)?

Active Exploration

• Do students spend significant amounts of time doing field-based work?
• Does the project require students to engage in real inestigation, using a variety of methods, media, and sources?
• Are students expected to communicate what they are learning through presentations?
• Does the work require students to develop organizational and self-management skills?

Adult Connections

• Do students have opportunities to meet and observe adults with relevant expertise and experience?
• Does the work of adults become more visible to students?
• Do adults frome outside the classroom help students develop a sense of the real-world standards for this type of work?

Assessment Practices

• Do students have opportunities to revieq models of similar work products?
• Are there clear milestones or products at the completion of each distinct phase of the work, culminating in an exhibition, portfolio or presentation?
• Do students receive timely feedback on their works in progress and engage in periodic, structured self-assessment usingclear project criteria that they have helped to set?