Beyond School-As-Test-Prep
The Independent Curriculum Group is an organization of schools that has declared its independence from standardized tests that dictate curriculum. We are part of a growing movement of nationally recognized college preparatory schools that have either dropped or de-emphasized test-driven programs that hinder authentic learning.
"The schools within the Independent Curriculum Group are places where the curriculum is seen as more innovative and risk-taking and the students there often have the intellectual vitality that we seek. The absence of AP courses at these schools doesn't hinder their chances for admission to highly selective colleges and universities in any way."
Shawn L. Abbott
Director of Admissions
Stanford University
Students retain more knowledge, probe more deeply, and have more motivation when learning is not subordinated to test preparation. Students who graduate from ICG schools attend the nation’s best colleges and excel by every measure of academic achievement, including standardized tests. But each school’s curriculum reflects the passions of its faculty and students.
Read the profiles of Our Schools, which describe each with primary emphasis on its program in grades 11 and 12.
We have created an area especially for Parents to answer questions they may have.
Our section for Educators tells more about the movement toward curricular independence and includes a variety of helpful documents and articles from the national media.
Anyone interested in further information should Contact Us. We want to hear from students, parents, and fellow educators. We are particularly interested in contact from like-minded colleagues in the public sector, with whom we look forward to working in partnership.
Contemporary brain science has revealed why student-centered education is much more meaningful than test-centered education. Educators everywhere recognize the unfortunate consequences of our national over-emphasis on teaching to the tests, and public awareness of the problem continues to increase. At the Independent Curriculum Group, we look forward to a better tomorrow for students in all our nation’s schools.
“My friends at other schools have a ton of work but it doesn’t seem that meaningful. At Friends School, the focus is on each student getting a real education. If you choose to work for your own education, you get so much out of it.”
A Student at Carolina Friends School
UC Officials To Speak At Conference in San Francisco
Representatives of the University of California’s Office of the President, as well as its office of undergraduate admissions, will speak at ICG’s conference in San Francisco on Saturday, October 24 at the Urban School of San Francisco. Among them will be Don Daves-Rougeaux, Coordinator of High School Articulation, who oversees certification of courses to meet UC’s A-G subject requirements, as well as certification of honors courses. Also attending will be Miya Hayes, Assistant Director of UC - Berkeley’s Office of School/University Partnerships. The San Francisco conference will offer an important opportunity for dialogue with UC about new directions in curriculum. In part because of input from high school educators, UC will soon certify project-based courses that do not fit into traditional subject matter categories. Please join us for a lively discussion!
SCARSDALE PRINCIPAL TO KEYNOTE CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK CITY
John Klemme, Principal of Scarsdale High School, will be the luncheon speaker at the ICG’s conference in New York City on Friday, January 15, 2010 at Fieldston School. Scarsdale is entering its third and final year of phasing out College Board Advanced Placement courses and replacing them with home grown Advanced Topics courses. As John told the New York Times, “We have the luxury of being able to move beyond A.P. If people called it a gold curriculum in the past, I refer to this version as the platinum curriculum.“ Many readers will have seen the press coverage, but I encourage you to consult our Educators area for internal documents (which John has generously provided) that give a fuller picture of Scarsdale’s work on the AP to AT transition.