Kirkwood Christian Schools will prepare its graduates to:

1. Be Responsible

(Affective Continuum – Responsibility)

• The student is aware of behavior and commits to making good choices.
• The student is aware of the consequences for his/her actions.
• The student shows a high-level of responsibility in controlling one’s behavior.
• The student needs fewer and fewer reminders and increasingly sets self-imposed boundaries based on values and beliefs.
• The student works on the computer program and makes a commitment to take care of the equipment.
• The student is responsible entirely for their education.

2. Value themselves, others, and God

(Affective Continuum – Value Development)

• The student internalizes their behavior and choices. They are able to express their own reasoning for their behavior.
• The student understands the reason for every concept they are learning and can relate it to everyday life.
• The student is increasing their understanding of interpersonal relationships and increasingly values others as themselves.
• The student understands the importance of success and makes a commitment to prioritizing educational goals over play.

3. Be Goal Directed

(Affective Continuum – Goal Setting Behavior)

• The student sets realistic goals based on past performance and can therefore achieve it with a high level of success.
• The student is learning the relationship between investment of energy and work production, and uses that understanding in setting goals.
• The student has learned that when you reach a goal you have set for yourself there is an intrinsic sense of accomplishment and a reward.

4. Be an Active Learner

(Affective Continuum – Active Learning)

• The student is actively engaged in the learning process.
• The student can block out distractions in order to maximize learning.
• The student puts forth effort towards figuring out the world around them and solving problems or questions.
• The student takes ownership of his/her education.

5. Be Independent

(Affective Continuum – Independency)

• The student can work with little to no teacher validation.
• The student has no restrictions to moving on to new subjects.
• The student can block out distractions in order to maximize learning (concentration/retention).

6. Be aware of the relationship between effort and results

(Affective Continuum – Investment of Energy)

• The student is an active participant in their education.
• Recognition by teachers continues to help the student increase his/her investment of energy.
• The student continues to invest more energy with less effort due to their confidence in mastering concepts.
• The student is fully aware of the results of their success as it relates to their energy put forth into learning.

7. Have a positive, accurate self-awareness

(Affective Continuum – Self-Esteem)

• The student is able to recall the past experiences and feelings associated with that experience and evaluate them in a truthful light.
• Teacher and peer recognition are still important, however they no longer are a primary need or motive for students feeling good about themselves.
• The student’s self-value derives from feeling good about themselves due to achieving concept mastery, and therefore, being willing to do things necessary to put forth more effort into learning.

8. Be spiritually sensitive and aware

(Affective Continuum – Spiritual Development)

• The student continues to learn that there is a God that loves them and wants to build an ongoing relationship with them through prayer, worship, and devotional time.
• The student is aware of self and how decisions and behaviors have a corresponding feeling.
• The student grows in the understanding of God’s love and ministry of Jesus.
• The student makes good character choices like: loving others, doing acts of kindness, practicing self-control, and praying for others.
• The student is aware that faith is a commitment to action and that good works are an outcome of faith and a commitment to Jesus Christ.
• There is a growing awareness that good works are a manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit in one’s life.
• The student is increasingly growing in their love for others and in their ability to share God’s truth and grace to others.
• The student is aware of the difference between values and actions, what people say versus what they do, and hypocrisy.
• The student learns how faith helps them deal with the disappointments of life.  The student learns through faith and trust in the Lord that he/she can overcome any difficult situation, which in turn improves their faith and their commitment to Christ deepens.
• The student starts to realize that overcoming difficulties with the Lord’s help develops strength and depth of character.