Tommy is 12 years old. He lives with his grandmother because his father is incarcerated and his mother passed away from a drug overdose. Tommy is starting to defy his grandmother's orders. He is skipping school and hanging out with an older group of teenagers in his neighborhood. Tommy lives with his grandmother in poverty. Tommy is potentially having a difficult time in school because he is being judged by , which are the standards by which his teachers are evaluating his performance in school.