The Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) will be a certification in addition to a high school diploma that offers evidence through performance based assessments that a set of academic and applied learning standards has been met.
Why Create A CIM?
Help students get great jobs by showing them they have attained a level of skills and knowledge endorsed by business.
Help students get into higher education by certifying that they have attained a level of skills and knowledge endorsed by colleges and universities.
Design Principles for the CIM
The National Center on Education and the Economy published a set of principles in 1994 that broadly defined the CIM. Middletown has a partnership with the NCEE.
The principles are:
Certifying what has been learned...not time in the seat
A high fixed standard for all
The same standards for all - both thinking and doing
In May 1996, the RI Skills Commission Consortium adopted the following set of Belief Statements derived from the NCEE principles:
We believe the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) represents a body of knowledge and skills presented in clear language, understandable by all, and accepted as important by students and their families, educators, employers, the social service community, and the community at large.
We believe the CIM will be a pathway to the future that will be recognized as a valid measure of high standards.
We believe the CIM is an important part of restructuring education from a time-based to a performance-based system.
We believe the CIM will be awarded when students have the required competencies as demonstrated by quality performances.
We believe the CIM will strengthen, not replace, the diploma at this time.
We believe the CIM must be supported by post-secondary institutions.
We believe partnerships between the schools and the business/industry community must exist to support the students' attainment of a CIM.
We believe all students must have access to quality programs that lead to the attainment of the CIM.
Why the CIM for Middletown?
Simply put, the Middletown Public Schools have implemented a Certificate of Initial Mastery because when awarded, it would indicate that our students have consistently achieved high standards of learning and performance relevant to the 21st Century work world. Please consider working in partnership with us by endorsing the CIM. For more information please contact our CIM Coordinator at:
Address:
26 Oliphant Lane · Middletown, RI · 02842
