Big Picture School

Bellevue Big Picture School is a secondary (6th-12th grade) school-of-choice. In partnership with the nationally recognized Big Picture Learning Network, five guiding principles provide the schools foundation and framework: personalization, adult-world connection, common intellectual mission, supportive partnerships, and shared leadership and responsibility. The school is uniquely structured to educate, support, and guide students from middle school through high school graduation, building bridges across the grades that lead to college success. Enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year has begun for 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th graders.

Quick Facts
Assessment
What is Big Picture Learning?

	2011-12	2012-13
Enrollment	123	223
African American	4%	4%
Asian	14%	20%
Hispanic	7%	7%
White	66%	63%
Multi-Ethnic	9%	6%

*based on October enrollment counts

Average District Expenditure per Pupil (State Data for 2010-11): $10,091.50
Budget (2012-13 school year): $78,626
Students that Speak a First Language other than English: 12.5%
Students that Qualify for Free/Reduced Lunches: 15.7%

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that students be assessed each year in reading and math, grades 3 through 8, plus once in high school. In Washington State, students in grades 3-8 now take the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) tests in May; and high school students take the High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE) in March and April. State tests are intended to assess whether students have sufficiently mastered a set of grade-level standards for a particular subject. In other words, “How many students have learned what they need to know – and can demonstrate that learning?” Scores for the MSP or HSPE are reported in 4 levels: “Exceeds Standard,” “Meets Standard,” “Below Standard,” and “Well Below Standard.”

Click here for more information about state testing
Click here for Big Picture's Improvement Plan

The Big Picture Learning design is a dynamic approach to learning, doing, and thinking that has been changing the lives of students, educators, and entire communities since 1995. The design components are based on three foundation principles:

first, learning must be based on the interests and goals of each student;
second, student’s curriculum must be relevant to the people and places that exist in the real world; and
finally, a student’s abilities must be authentically measured by the quality of her or his work.

How Big Picture Works

The Advisor works with a small group of students to find what motivates and interests each student.
The Mentor, a lawyer, engineer, merchant, etc., guides each student’s internship.
The Parent is actively enrolled as a resource to the BP community.
The Student (and peers) interact to reinforce each other’s passion for real work in the real world. The result is a self-teaching community of learners where no one feels left out, and each helps motivate the other.

Click here for more information on the Big Picture model