Staff at Patrick Henry believe, “students learn best when they are engaged, valued and challenged.” To accomplish this a strong set of systems and protocols governs life every day at school. Teachers work collaboratively in teacher teams to develop and refine curriculum using school-wide curriculum templates and protocols including a Curriculum Map Template, Guide for Creating and Enhancing Curriculum, Scope and Sequence Template, Lesson Plan Template and Exemplars and Expectations Checklist for Every Lesson. All units of study are based on state standards and the results of both formal and informal assessment of student work. Teachers discuss effective teaching strategies at their grade level team meetings and monitor individual student progress using specific protocols and formative assessments. All lessons include teaching points, essential questions and connections to previous learning. Student work is graded with rubrics and actionable teacher feedback and next steps are provided across all disciplines. And, following interim assessments, teachers organize student data to determine patterns and trends and work collaboratively to discuss appropriate instructional initiatives and/or interventions to address individual student needs.