Supporting Student Success: Academic Guidance for Parents, Families, Caretakers, and Communities (Nineth through Twelfth Grade)

Supporting student learning is a shared effort between caregivers and educators. Many things can influence how students develop, learn, and perform in school. A strong support system can make a meaningful difference in their success. This guide provides ideas and questions to help strengthen the connection between home and school, helping students receive the support they need to thrive. To get the most from this resource, think about how the suggestions fit into your daily routines and conversations. These prompts can spark meaningful discussions with your child and their teachers.

About This Guide and the Colorado Academic Standards

This guide was developed by academic content specialists at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) with input from CDE’s Office of Family, Community, and School Partnerships, CDE’s Office of Migrant Education Programs, and other family and student advocacy groups. The Colorado Academic Standards and Essential Skills provide educators with a road map to help students find success in college, careers, and life. The essential skills, as outlined in Colorado law, include creativity, problem solving, social and cultural awareness, civic engagement, character and leadership, and the use of technology to gather, evaluate, and communicate information.

The best place to learn about what your child is learning is from your child’s teacher and school. The standards are written for professional educators and your child’s teacher can help you understand what the standards mean for your student. In Colorado, teachers and schools make decisions about the materials, methods, and courses used to help your student reach the goals described by the standards.

If you want to learn more about Colorado’s standards and access other guides, contact the content specialists in CDE’s Office of Standards and Instructional Support.

Arts

The visual and performing arts standards reflect the knowledge and creativity required to produce a work of art. Students are expected to study art in different forms, such as dance, theatre, music, and visual arts, and participate in each by creating, performing, and presenting art while responding to the art of others and making connections between works of art and the world around them.

Ways You Can Help Your Student at Home

Students in grades 9-12 engage with art daily through the media they consume, the music they listen to, and the creative interactions they share with friends and family. Supporting their growth as artists can be as simple as helping them see art in their everyday world, encouraging self-expression through music, visual, and performing arts and fostering discussions about the role of art in cultures and societies. Here are some suggestions for helping your student create, enjoy, and perform art:

• Explore cultural issues through dance, drama, music, and the visual arts.
• Identify ways that dance, drama, music, and the visual arts help us to understand history.
• Talk about jobs and careers related to visual and performing arts.
• Volunteer for arts events in your community.
• Support their artistic leadership inside and outside of school.
• Discuss ways that collaboration, critical thinking, and analysis are incorporated into dance, drama, music, and visual arts.
• Help students identify goals and find ways to continue their own artistic path in and beyond school.
• Encourage students to imagine how arts connect to the real world.
• Encourage their creative and artistic endeavors for self-reflection purposes beyond career pathways.
• Encourage deeper exploration and skill development in a chosen artistic medium and its techniques.

Tips for Successful Communication

You can help your student succeed by communicating openly with them and their teachers. Here are some suggestions.

Humanities

The standards in the humanities promote critical thinking, effective communication, and understanding diverse perspectives. The content areas of reading, writing, and communicating, social studies, and world languages are essential for developing skills like problem-solving, civic engagement, cultural awareness, preparing students for a successful future. Overall, these standards emphasize the importance of language, critical thinking, and cultural understanding for a well-rounded education.

Ways You Can Help Your Student at Home

Students in grades 9-12 explore critical thinking, communication, and different viewpoints through reading, writing, social studies, and world languages. Students build problem-solving skills and learn about different cultures, preparing them to be active in their communities and successful in their future careers. Here are some helpful strategies to support your student in the humanities:

• Choose how to introduce and compare ways the New Year (or another holiday) is celebrated around the world including the time of year, activities, foods, and more.
• Choose a social or global issue to research and summarize their learning with facts, resources, and ideas.
• Choose a historical film or song from a different culture or language, research its historical context, and reflect on how it represents that event and compares to similar works from your own culture.
• Research a current event in another country and create a news report or podcast discussing its significance, inviting friends or family to share their perspectives on how it compares to their own experiences or historical events.
• Encourage your student to ask questions and suggest thinking about where the answer might be found.
• Watch foreign language films or shows with subtitles in the same language to enhance listening skills and cultural understanding while following along with the storyline.
• Find opportunities, such as elections or televised political debates, to discuss views regarding political issues and how those views impact decision-making in the election process.

Tips for Successful Communication

You can help your student succeed by communicating openly with them and their teachers. Here are some suggestions.

STEM

The standards for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) emphasize the importance of real-world applications, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Computer science focuses on computational thinking, systems, programming, and societal impact. People use mathematics to reason with numbers and shapes and their representations to make sense of their world. Science is a process that is used to address real world problems and make people’s lives better by applying authentic science and engineering practices.

Ways You Can Help Your Student at Home

Students in grades 9-12 deepen their understanding of complex scientific principles, computational thinking, and mathematical modeling. They analyze data, explore the impact of technology on society, and apply advanced concepts in mathematics and science through real-world applications. Students enhance their problem-solving skills and engage in discussions about various careers, examining how their studies relate to potential future pathways. Here are some strategies to help your student engage in STEM:

• Emphasize that math and science aren’t just subjects to be learned, but something that people do to make sense of the world and solve problems. A positive STEM identity—even for students whose primary interests lie elsewhere—is a healthy thing to have.
• It is okay if your student is studying STEM topics that you do not understand. Be positive! Research shows that negative parent attitudes (saying things like “I was never good at math” and “Why are you taking chemistry if you’re never going to use it?”) can result in your student adopting negative attitudes and having lower performance in school.
• Talk about how STEM skills, such as data analysis and computational thinking, are relevant to many different careers, and not just careers traditionally identified as STEM.
• Advise them to choose STEM courses and electives that are relevant to their interests and to their futures, whether that be a college major they intend to choose or a career path to follow after high school.
• Encourage your student’s interest in science, math, and technology by getting library books, watching TV shows, or visiting museums about these topics. Your school or community may have clubs, maker spaces, and/or mentors that can help foster a stronger interest in STEM.
• Talk about how the internet is not only a place to stay safe and protect your own personal information, but also a place to practice good global citizenship. Knowing about how algorithms work and how data is collected and used (or misused) can help your student maintain a healthy online presence and positively contribute to communities.
• Encourage research of citizen science programs and the potential opportunity to contribute to scientific research.
• Help them think about the science behind making video games and movies with your student, and how coding and graphics design skills help creators find solutions to problems.

Tips for Successful Communication

You can help your student succeed by communicating openly with them and their teachers. Here are some suggestions.

Wellness

The wellness standards promote holistic well-being by focusing on personal health, financial literacy, and physical education. The health standards emphasize emotional, social, and physical health, while personal financial literacy teaches students about money management and decision-making. Physical education promotes healthy lifestyles, physical literacy, and personal responsibility. Together, these standards help students develop essential skills for navigating today’s world and leading healthy, fulfilling lives.

Ways You Can Help Your Student at Home

Students in grades 9-12 discuss the importance of balanced nutrition and decision-making, while practicing consent, conflict resolution, and negotiation skills. They are encouraged to engage in physical activities and stress management while exploring lifelong fitness options. Students engage in financial planning through budgeting, saving, and job opportunities, while discussing post-high school goals and how education impacts future earnings. They also collaborate to improve health and wellness in the community. Here are some suggestions for helping your student learn to manage their wellness:

• Help your student plan how to save money for big purchases they want to make.
• Discuss the importance of eating a variety of foods and balanced nutrition.
• Identify factors influencing decisions and discuss a decision-making process.
• Create a plan for improving health and wellness in your family, neighborhood, or community.
• Identify situations where consent and refusal are important, and practice how to express both effectively.
• Discuss how to effectively manage conflict and use negotiation skills.
• Discuss situations when someone might be in danger of harming themselves or others and how to get help in your school or community.
• Encourage your child to take on a paying job, whether formal (like a cashier) or informal (such as mowing lawns), and to save at least 20% of their earnings in a savings account.
• Discuss budgeting decisions in your family and personal budgeting needs.
• Talk about goals after high school and the relationship among continuing education, job training, and future earning potential.
• Discuss the effect of stress and anxiety and explore steps to manage and control them.
• Research and participate in a variety of self-selected physical activities, considering the value of each as it relates to personal fitness goals.

Tips for Successful Communication

You can help your student succeed by communicating openly with them and their teachers. Here are some suggestions.