Mastery Experience

The Mastery Experience (ME) is a one-credit required learning opportunity students earn by engaging in the exploration of a topic that is personally meaningful.

Students can earn the ME credit through one of three pathways:

1. Qualifying Mastery Experience Courses

WHPS will designate courses that include natural opportunities for individual project based learning experiences as Qualifying ME courses.

Qualifying Mastery Experience courses

All students seeking to earn the ME credit will do the following four things:

submit the “Proposal to Complete the Mastery Experience Credit”
complete and submit the ME project
maintain and submit a process journal outlining the students journey to complete the process
maintain and submit a reflection element through which the students document their growth in relation to the Vision of the Graduate.

Some of the ME qualifying courses also offer opportunities for students to earn an industry or community recognized badge or credential.

Examples:

Seal of Biliteracy (World Language courses Level V and above)
Global Seal of Biliteracy (World Language courses Level V and above)
Emergency Medical Response Certificate (Emergency Medical Response)
Briggs and Stratton (Automotive II)
ServSafe (Careers in Foods )
W!SEFinancial (Advanced Finance and Investments)

2. ME Seminar Course Syllabus

3. Student Teacher Assistant Program

The purpose of the Student Teacher Assistant (STA) Program is to provide students an opportunity to experience a leadership role within the classroom while giving back to the West Hartford community. WHPS provides students an opportunity to realize their full potential, be active learners, classroom leaders, and self-aware and reflective through participation in the STA Program. A large part of the elements above are identifying, evaluating, and challenging oneself through goal setting. Goals and objectives are identified at the start of the STA experience, are monitored and re-evaluated throughout, and become a life-long skill to enhance our global community.

Students will demonstrate their progress towards the goals and expectations identified with the Cooperating Teacher at the start of their STA experience.

When do students complete the ME credit?

Students complete the ME credit during their sophomore, junior, or first semester senior year.

What do students try to “master”?

Students demonstrate mastery of the West Hartford Public School’s Vision of the Graduate. This vision outlines four attitudes and disposition and four academic skills students should master by the time they graduate. To demonstrate mastery, students engage in a meaningful independent learning experience, document their process, and reflect on the elements in the Vision of the Graduate.

What is the Vision of the Graduate?

The Vision of the Graduate articulates the community’s and school district’s aspirations for each student. By outlining the specific attitudes, dispositions and skills, the Vision of the Graduate identifies desired outcomes for students who graduate from the West Hartford Public Schools.

How will students learn about the ME credit?

During the student’s freshman year, school staff will explain the program during Freshman Seminar, Community, grade level meetings, and course selection meetings. Print and electronic publications detailing the program are available to students and parents.

ME Seminar Course Syllabus

If you have any questions, please contact your school counselor.

The addition of a ME credit is a part of the State of Connecticut’s new high school graduation requirements. This law, Public Act 17-20, “An Act Concerning Revisions to the High School Graduation Requirements” applies to students in the class of 2023 and thereafter.