Academics
MAPS® - My Action Plan for Success
MAPS® (My Action Plan for Success) is our trademarked methodology of helping students understand how they work and learn best, how to identify and build on their strengths, and how to develop personal strategies for reaching goals.
MAPS® plans are working documents developed by each student with feedback and support from his or her advisor, teachers, coaches, and parents. The document encompasses several areas, including student self-assessments of strengths and weaknesses, learning preferences, and goal setting with action steps for success.
Students' main partner on their MAPS® journey is their advisor. One of the advisor’s key roles is to guide the student to discover, understand, and make decisions regarding his or her learning and development opportunities in the curriculum and community. Students meet with their advisor 2-3 times per week. Each advisory period has an assigned topic or curriculum organized by the Coordinator of the MAPS® Program that the advisor follows, ensuring that all students receive the same information and guidance in a more personal manner and environment.
Students' main partner on their MAPS® journey is their advisor. One of the advisor’s key roles is to guide the student to discover, understand, and make decisions regarding his or her learning and development opportunities in the curriculum and community. Students meet with their advisor 2-3 times per week. Each advisory period has an assigned topic or curriculum organized by the Coordinator of the MAPS® Program that the advisor follows, ensuring that all students receive the same information and guidance in a more personal manner and environment.
Discover Your Strengths
Through MAPS®, students engage in numerous strengthsfinder activities on campus that all ultimately help them identify their strengths as an individual and as a member of a group or community. Some of these activities include:
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Creating a portfolio that will follow the student throughout all of their years at VA
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Taking a Strengthsfinder survey
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Writing exercises where students define, in their own words, their different strengths
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Completing our campus low ropes course elements through teamwork
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Lost on the Moon exercise
Through the MAPS® Process, Each Student Will:
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Self-Assess
His or her learning style, strengths, and improvement areas -
Determine
Opportunities for growth -
Plan
Learning and development goals, strategies, actions, and performance metrics -
Reflect
On experiences, success stories, and challenges -
Adjust
Learning and development strategies to improve and reach new goals
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Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
