The NAA Foundation, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, has developed High Five in an effort to address concerns about student achievement.
“The Nation’s Report Card,” a report released by the National Center for Education Statistics in August 2000, presented summary data from 30 years of trend assessment for 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds. The report showed no progress over the period. There were gaps between achievement of white students and students of color in all age groups.
“The Nation’s Report Card” data from 2004 revealed improvement for 9- and 13-year-olds, but no changes among 17-year-olds. The comparison between white students and those of color continued to cause concerns. While the gap between white and black students on reading scores narrowed in all three age groups, the gap between white and Hispanic students did not differ in the 13-year-old group.
High Five places special emphasis on schools with students who are majority-minority, low-income and/or primarily conversant in a language other than English. Further, it expands the reach of student newspapers, found most often in high schools, into middle schools.
High Five provides an integrated, three-unit curriculum that includes reading, writing, journalism, grammar, linguistics and visual literacy. All materials are age-appropriate for middle-school students. The curriculum uses the daily newspaper as a textbook and information source.
Each unit is designed to be used as a stand-alone piece. However, the power of the curriculum lies in interrelated concepts presented in the individual units.
Click each unit to download:
High Five Unit A
High Five Unit B
High Five Unit C