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This is at the heart of all good education, where the teacher asks students to think and engages them in encouraging dialogues, constantly checking for understanding and growth.
-William Glasser
Whether you have recently chosen Laurel Springs curriculum for the first time, or you have been doing this for many years, it can always be helpful to review the different options. That is what we’re going to do here. Remember, if your chosen option begins to feel as though it’s not quite right for your child any longer, you may always try something different.
Curriculum at Laurel Springs
Curriculum at Laurel Springs is rich, complex, and varied. Our many courses address state standards, learning styles, and our learning goals. They are fueled by the latest research in instructional theory. Below is a brief overview of our formats. The characteristics within the main curriculum types change as grade levels progress. You’re encouraged to explore these further with your Enrollment Advisor, our Curriculum Department, as well as on both our main website and our Family Center websites.
Online Curriculum
Our web-based online courses combine the dynamic inter-activity of the web with online and off-line assignments and regular tests, to enable students to learn each subject easily and enjoyably. Courses include a complete explanation of the subject, full-color photos and graphics, plus numerous links to websites that expand upon the subject. Our online curriculum provides ample opportunities for students to complete exercises and projects away from the computer, so they don't have to spend hours a day online.
Online, web-based curricula are available to students in 5th through 12th grades.
Text-based Curriculum
Our High School textbook curriculum addresses academic subjects with care and an emphasis on critical thinking skills. With text-based courses in the core subject areas of English, science, math, social studies, foreign language, and fine arts or elective subjects, students can prepare for college, complete honors-level work, or make up courses missed due to extenuating circumstances. All Laurel Springs textbooks are carefully chosen, based upon the quality of their academic content, their visual appeal, and their suitability for a wide range of learning styles.
Our Middle School textbook curriculum addresses the reading and writing processes with care and sensitivity to the tremendous love of learning inherent in each child. Text-based curricula use books that have been carefully selected for their interest and appeal. This curriculum can be used in a variety of ways, and you can even mix grade levels. We acknowledge that every child learns at a different rate, so we offer you curricula that can be adapted to your child’s needs and preferences.
Text-based courses are available for students in 4th through 12th grades, for special needs, honors, and college preparatory levels.
Project-based Curriculum
If you feel right at home at the craft or hobby store and can't remember what the top of your kitchen table looks like, you'll probably be right at home with our Project-Based curriculum. Of course, it helps if you also enjoy curling up with a good novel, since it's a literature-based, interdisciplinary program. The project-based curriculum allows students to see the big picture and appeals to a child's desire to learn. It allows a child to be whole—to learn in a holistic manner, to learn according to his learning style, to see the world as integrated rather than segmented, and to be a lifelong learner. Your child will continue to seek and find connections and details that tend to escape most people.
Project-based courses are available for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
What's the difference?
Well, first of all, the content is different depending upon the format. Online courses take advantage of the best resources available online; project-based courses are thematic, using great novels to tie the subjects together; and text books have that familiar organization that follows right along with the standards. All LSS curricula follow the standards, but textbooks usually highlight them prominently.
Choosing your curriculum is the first of many choices that will build a great educational experience for your child. When and where studying is done, how interests and talents are folded into the process, and how much you communicate with your teacher are other important choices that belong to you and your child. It's the choices we make that color our lives.
Assessment at Laurel Springs
Student Assessment is a vital part of the Laurel Springs educational process. In order for students to manifest their talents and gifts, they need to learn to feel loved and appreciated for who they are. The Laurel Springs philosophy of education, Learning Style Profile, Standardized Testing, Skills Surveys, consultations, and customization provide a transformative power for students. These assessments and services give parents and teachers a road map to support academic needs, talents, interests, learning personality, and dreams for every student's future. In this light, we have developed a student-centered approach to assessment that helps us better understand each child and measure the effectiveness of our courses.
Assessments and services you may encounter within LSS…
Acuity
Acuity is a robust assessment system that allows Laurel Springs to design placements, diagnostic tutorials, and capstones, all based on California State Standards. There will be a link to the Acuity website sent to your child's and your Aurora homeroom.
- You will be sent a link to Acuity in the Aurora message center and also to your emaill address given when you enroll.
- Click on the link and use the standardized password.
- Your child will be prompted to change this to a personal password (we recommend using the same password as you do for Aurora).
- Your child will then be directed to his or her Acuity home page. There will be 3 options: Tests, Homework, and Reports.
- The Tests option will take your child to the Language Arts or Math tests that have been assigned.
- Once a test has been taken, you and your child will see an instant percentage score.
- Your teacher (or the assessment department) will be able to send you the full report.
Student Practice Tests
These are small quizzes given so that students can self-assess whether or not they remembered what they just read about. This can be an effective learning tool and is not used for teacher evaluation or grading.
Quizzes
These quizzes help the teacher make sure the student isn’t missing any key information or making errors that will delay progress in math or science. These are used by the teacher for evaluation and grading.
Milestones
These address the bigger picture, and involve critical thinking, or creative projects designed to deepen and integrate student learning. They demonstrate whether a student has achieved the important learning milestones for a course. Milestones address overall student understanding and performance. They constitute an important part of a student’s grade.
Diagnostic Tutorials
These are tests of the previous year's standards, designed to warm up students for the coming year by reviewing what they learned before, as well as to give teachers an idea of a student's skill level in relation to California standards. These are delivered via our Acuity system.
National Norm-Referenced Standardized Assessment
The National Norm-Referenced Standardized Assessment is a standardized assessment for Laurel Springs’ students in 4th through 11th grade. It provides valuable information about your child’s educational progress in Reading/Language Arts, Spelling, and Mathematics. Results of these tests do not affect students’ grades.
Testing is not a measure of intelligence or student effort. Some students test well with relatively no effort, while others are brilliant, but you would never know it from their test scores. Tests are, however, valuable to the school to determine how well we are teaching to the standards, and to see areas of growth for both individual students and the school. Also, many students appreciate practicing in a non-high stakes distance learning environment. Test scores, when evaluated with a student's Learning Style in mind, can give an excellent snapshot of student progress and development over time, and help us develop personalized learning goals and strategies for every student.
Assessments you may encounter in addition to those offered by LSS…
The PSAT, SAT, and ACT
These are high-stakes tests that colleges use to evaluate students. They are meant to indicate how well the student does at thinking, logic, problem solving, writing, and, well, taking tests. This can be very important to some universities, especially those featuring a competitive student environment, where testing is the main grading component. Laurel Springs now features the Student Edge program from Petersons to help students score higher on these tests. It is not recommended for students to take these tests without preparation, as it can harm the chances of getting into their university of choice.
Please remember…
The Laurel Springs School Code is O52256
If your child is about to take a state exam, PSAT, SAT, or ACT tests, please remember to use the school code to identify him or her as an LSS student.
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