2021 Quest Forward Course of Study

Intended to serve as an authoritative reference for all things Quest Forward Learning, the 2021 Course of Study book provides educators, parents, and students insight into the thinking that underlies the Quest Forward Learning curriculum and course of study.

For those who have been eager to dig deeper into Quest Forward Learning, its foundational principles, its skills-forward design, and how these come together to constitute a secondary school academic program, they can find the answers in great detail.

This is not a book intended to be read in one sitting as much as it is a reference document that can be returned to again and again to find answers to questions and to understand the whys and wherefores of the program.

The organization of the book is as follows:

• Quest Forward Learning Principles: the five principles that serve as the starting point from which Quest Forward Learning follows
• Skills-Forward Design: the approach to curriculum design that informs skills forward and that places emphasis on learning how to do things rather than just learning about things
• Quests and Journeys: the organizational principles of Quest Forward Learning curriculum that keep skills in focus while taking a project-based approach routed in engaged, relevant learning
• The Phases: the characteristics and objectives of the Foundation Phase, the Exploration Phase, and the Transition Phase and how the arc of the phases shapes a student’s progression through secondary education
• Student Growth and Assessment: how we expect to see students grow in the skills and competencies as they progress through the curriculum and the comprehensive formative approach we take to assessing both work product and work process
• Catalog of Courses: the details of how we assembled quests and journeys into courses across the different phases of the curriculum
• The Learning-Skills Framework: detailed examination of how the 12 foundational learning skills are organized across core subjects in each of the phases and what constitutes evidence of proficiency for each skill in each subject in each phase.

The book itself eschews the jargon typically found in education writing, and endeavors to be accessible to all readers while still providing enough substance to answer any questions educators, parents, or students may have about Quest Forward Learning.

I encourage all to explore its pages and promise that you will find the experience rewarding. Read or download the book here.