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HIGH SCHOOL YOUNG EXPERT PROGRAM (BADGES)

The Young Expert Program (Badges) is a highly personalized learning model which invites students to deeply explore a chosen topic as they develop skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and other vital areas. The role of technology as a platform for practicing and applying these skills is paramount, as using technology effectively and productively is a requisite skill in the modern world.

The scope of all badge work must involve explicit interdisciplinary awareness resulting in a thorough, expert-level coverage of their topic and/or area of exploration. Students who demonstrate a disciplinary expertise through concentrated work in a field-related cluster of Interest Exploration (IE) and Professional/Personal Development (P/PD) badges may earn a formal honors credit and certification as a "young expert" in the field.

Developing young expertise is a key facet of the program. An expert is one who:

  • Has an authoritative knowledge of the subject
  • Can think deeply about the topic
  • Considers the source/facts
  • Can replicate experiments, make logical connections, and verify observations
  • Can analyze, evaluate, and synthesize data across multiple disciplines to create new ideas, theories, and inventions
  • Can provide well-informed recommendations related to the area of expertise

By way of example, a "Songwriting" badge is not earned in isolation or as a task in-and-of-itself, but in the context of fledgling expertise in music. While students may decide to change their badge to other topics, coaches should be mindful of the relationship between individual badge work and developing expertise in a subject area.