Curriculum
Washington Square Academy’s curriculum includes explicit instruction not only in the academic content but also in the skills students need to effectively access, understand, retain, and build upon that content.
We are committed to providing students with a high level of rigor and enrichment opportunities. For this reason, while the content we teach may be aligned with the Massachusetts State Frameworks for Grades 4 – 8 in some areas, in other areas we may align more closely with high-school-level state frameworks as well as with frameworks established by other educational bodies, state and national (e.g. the Next Generation Science Standards). Above all, our goal is to be independent from any external educational body in order to maintain a steady focus on the individual needs of our students.
Some of the skills taught at WSA are those traditionally associated with academic achievement (reading; writing; critical thinking; data analysis; computation; research; and vocabulary acquisition) and with effective methods of study (note-taking; time-management; question formulation; summarizing; goal-setting; organization; and memorization). Other skills taught at WSA are less traditional but are increasingly recognized as essential for the success of students not just as academics but also as human beings. These include social-emotional awareness and self-advocacy; self-confidence; growth mindset; peer collaboration; speaking; listening; intellectual risk-taking; respect for self and others; presentation; and self-regulation. WSA students acquire these skills in the classroom as well as in the broader WSA community. We work hard to ensure that every student on our campus feels welcome, accepted, heard, and understood. Students are given a voice in the running of the school; with that privilege comes the expectation that students assume responsibility for themselves, for their peers, and even for the tidiness and cleanliness of the building.
Our students are assessed regularly on their progress toward achieving mastery of content and skills. Assessment formats vary, ranging from more traditional ones such as tests, quizzes, exams, essays, and oral presentations to less traditional ones such as projects that may require students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems and endeavors–local, national, and global!
We encourage you to explore a conceptual overview of our curriculum by clicking on the links below. As always, please contact us with any questions.