The CDS Result

CDS Alumna

Our start-to-finish premier preparation yields graduates who are highly sought after by area secondary schools. What makes a CDS student unique and coveted are the following characteristics:

strong fundamental and 21st century skills
self-advocacy
high level of executive function
well roundedness
the ability to pick up on and absorb ideas/concepts that are introduced

All of the feedback we receive from area secondary schools indicates that we are preparing CDS students well to go on to the schools of their choosing — and that they are not only quickly fitting into these schools but leading their new peers, too.

Our alumni report that they are significantly better prepared for the rigors of secondary school compared to their peers, and their academic and personal progress supports these self-assessments.

21st Century Skills

Sometimes called “social and emotional skills,” “noncognitive traits and habits,” or even “grit,” 21st century skills are the nonacademic but essential life skills not directly measured by standardized test scores or any traditional measure of achievement. At CDS, they include the following:

critical thinking
innovation
collaboration
communication
leadership
organization
time management
goal setting
self-advocacy
creativity

These are the skills that researchers consistently find are the “difference that makes a difference” in college and career readiness — and life in general. They are the essential qualities that separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st century from those who are not.