Measuring character growth and its effect on student achievement

While academics are important, we believe in creating citizen scholars. Beyond test scores, we implement a robust culture & character program that encourages and rewards our High Five Habits of empathy, courage, perseverance, respect, and responsibility. Each child at Amana spends time in self-reflection on these character traits, and, together with their homeroom teacher or advisor, tracks their growth in each area throughout the year. This results in a Habits Report Card that they receive in addition to their academic report card.  We also understand that there is a direct correlation between academic achievement and character growth.  

The chart below shows students’ Habits of Scholarship (or High Five Habits) scores plotted along the X-axis, and their GPAs plotted along the Y-axis.  As you can see, generally, a higher Habits score correlates with a higher GPA.