The SGMS continues to be committed to advancing the intellectual and social skills of the students during their enrollment.  High academic and social standards are continually maintained for all students and validated by rigorous and varied assessment methods as recommended by the New Mexico State Board of Education’s “Strategic Plan for Education in New Mexico ” published in August of 1999.  Instruction continues to consist of a combination of individualized learning, group work, thematic and integrated learning projects delivered by a highly qualified and certified staff able to weave disciplinary strands together in the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Building upon a strong curriculum aligned with the content standards, the School has established the following goals, objectives and student performance standards:

• Students demonstrate effective reading, writing, and communication skills for each grade level:
• Students demonstrate the ability to access, evaluate, synthesize, and present information using a variety of methods, with an emphasis on computer skills as tools for learning and information processing;
• Students demonstrate the ability to apply mathematic and science concepts in an applied manner;

• Students demonstrate grasp of social studies, current events and historical content relevant to their lives;
• Students apply critical thinking skills and problem solving techniques to increase their ability to learn and obtain knowledge;
• Students demonstrate mastery of academic and workplace competencies to prepare them for their introduction as valued members of society;
• Students demonstrate proficiency in a second language to assist in communicating effectively in a diversely populated community; and
• Students demonstrate understanding of life-long learning and work ethics as essential elements in transitioning to economic self-sufficiency;

 Several essential components will constitute the school’s model for program delivery:

• A strong curriculum and assessment system that, at a minimum, meets with statewide performance standards;
• Integration of existing and emerging technologies into instruction and the development of work place readiness skills;
• Instructors who meet the individual needs of students;
• Empowerment of parents to be directly involved in the education and development of their children; and
• Expansive engagement of business partners, institutions of higher education, private sector agencies, and the community at large.

The goal of the School’s academic program is to promote students who are excellent writers, readers and problem solvers, who are conversant in a second language, knowledgeable about our society and other cultures, history and current events, and who are comfortable using technology as a tool for learning.  The core curriculum of Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Spanish will anchor the academic program.  The academic disciplines will be woven together in an integrated fashion in a way that is coherent and connects the disciplines, whereby all materials may be meaningful to the individual student.

The School is committed to providing each student with the opportunity to investigate areas of interest enhanced with the use of technology, in order to offer each child a broad range of possible academic opportunities.  Technology will be woven into the fabric of instruction at the school so that every student will be familiar with the use of technology in the pursuit of knowledge.

The curriculum in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades comprising the School will be based on standards of good middle school practice as stated by national and state standards in each discipline.  The School will continue to satisfy all of the curriculum requirements mandated by the New Mexico Department of Education.  The core academic program will progressively emphasize strong skill development in reading, writing, mathematics, problem solving, problem finding, social studies and language acquisition.  In addition to the implemented technology curriculum, the School will utilize various quality programs such as Connected Mathematics and Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader curriculum. The Governing Council of the School may continue to modify curricula based on the success of each program as the charter matures in conjunction with the recommendations of the Principal and staff through constant monitoring of student progress or the addition of emerging technologies or professional development opportunities.  The core content areas will continue to be pursued in a number of ways to achieve these competencies including readings, lectures, applied and experiential learning opportunities and group projects where students will learn to work together in teams to accomplish a project deliverable rather than a traditional paper-pen testing situation.  The concept of a team will be encouraged as it reflects the modern day workplace and is the frequent strategy of businesses and governments today.

The School's entire pedagogical approach and curriculum are designed to improve academic achievement as well as build student character within our student body. The School’s multi-disciplined, project-oriented approach improves student's self-confidence, stimulates interest in academic subjects, focuses attention on reading, writing, and cannot fail to ensure high academic achievement. The School's curriculum continues to be developed to meet all the benchmarks prescribed by the school’s goals and New Mexico Public Education Department content standards and benchmarks.

Traditional and state accepted testing measures (e.g. New Mexico Writing Assessment, Terra Nova and New Mexico Criterion Referenced Test) will continue to be administered for reporting purposes to the Roswell Independent School District and the New Mexico Public Education Department for review.  However, substantial evidence in authentic testing and assessment measures will also be conducted to elicit an evaluation metric to determine that learning has occurred with the delivery of instruction at the School based on the multitude of facets of professional practice exhibited by the staff and administration.

The completion of student’s resource management items like portfolios or proposed Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs), the completion of projects and evaluation-based, self awareness curricula will be other metrics used to determine progress by the individual students of the school.  Other metrics used in determining the progress of achieving the aforementioned goals of the school include:

• Following the statewide indicators of Student achievement, Attendance, Dropout, Safety, and Parent Community Involvement, which are all factors of the Accreditation Matrix authorized by the New Mexico Public Education Department.
• Providing relevant assessment measures for students, recognition of overall school achievement by staff, volunteers, and Governing Council.