The BASIS Curriculum

Teaching to Learn

Grades 1–3

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The Primary Years curriculum emphasizes the connection between students’ seemingly discreet subjects of humanities, math & science, engineering, performing arts, music, Mandarin, fine art, and physical education. Students even have a dedicated weekly 85-minute period called “Connections,” a scenario-based, hands-on learning experience designed to fuel creativity, ingenuity, and social skills like team work and patience.

Starting in grade 1, students move from class to class and have two teachers present for nearly all subjects. A different Subject Expert Teacher (SET) specializing in a particular discipline leads instruction of content for each subject. The students’ Learning Expert Teacher (LET) guides them to each class, focuses on effective pedagogy, and co-teaches with each SET. Because the LET remains with the same element of students throughout the school day, they are always there to aid in the scholastic and social development of students, and lead progress monitoring, parent communication, and delivery of enrichment or support.

LETs and SETs facilitate a rapid transition from a focus on foundational skills and knowledge to independent thinking, active learning, and application of knowledge by emphasizing connections between disciplines and reiteration of key concepts throughout the curriculum.

From Concrete to Abstract Thinking

Grades 4–5

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Students are taught exclusively* by Subject Expert Teachers (SETs), many of whom hold advanced degrees. Student support takes on a variety of forms, from student hours and one-on-one support with Deans to the independence cultivated in the Primary Years that inspires in students a greater sense of responsibility for their education.

The grade 4 curriculum differs from the Primary Program in the following: the spiraled curriculum features classes that are 50 minutes long, with humanities breaking into English and history, and math & science also taught separately. In grade 5, Academic Enrichment is introduced, offering students time during the day to approach teachers with questions and work independently on homework. In addition to core disciplines, coursework includes classics, two science classes, and Latin.

Together, the Bridge Years transport students from their foundational years to an intermediate program focused on mastering basics necessary for an advanced curriculum. Students prepare for the cadence, rhythm, and challenge of the curriculum to come. Instruction focuses on attaching abstract thinking to concrete thinking: students transition from reading comprehension to interpretation, from data collection to data analysis, and from mathematical calculation to mathematical reasoning.

*There is an LET in grade 4 at our campus. However, the LET in grade 4 is not present with students in every class and is particularly focused on building independence and self-reliance as students prepare for grades 5 and up.

Knowledge as a Tool

Grades 6–8

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In the Intermediate Years, students complete a rigorous schedule in all core disciplines, including three separate, concurrent science classes (physics, chemistry, and biology), economics, foreign language, and a course in logic. Students can choose an elective beginning in grade 6 and a foreign language option in grades 7 and above. The spiral of the curriculum is essential and highly apparent in these grades, particularly regarding the revisiting of concepts in the sciences in greater depth with each passing year, as students prepare for entry into Honors or Advanced Placement® (AP) level coursework starting in grade 9.

Subject Expert Teachers (SETs) partner with Deans and Directors of Student Affairs to ensure students are set up for success in coursework not typically seen at the middle school level. Students take advantage of student hours and witness the impact of being prepared and developing good study skills for their education. While self-advocacy and executive functioning skills are emphasized in all grades throughout the BASIS Curriculum, they are of particular focus in the Intermediate Years to prepare students for study in one of the most advanced high school programs in the country.

Upon seeing knowledge as a tool, students learn that amassing skills and facts is a step toward the more creative thinking required of the college-level coursework they will tackle in high school.

Thinking for Problem-Solving

Grades 9–12

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The world-renowned BASIS Curriculum in the High School Years is unmatched in breadth and depth: we offer students unprecedented exposure to high-level content and the creative, critical thinking opportunities typically reserved for university-level studies. Under the guidance of passionate Subject Expert Teachers who are deeply invested in their success, students gain the best possible preparation for college and hone skills and habits that stay with them long after graduation.

In core disciplines, Honors is the minimum level offered, with a large percentage of courses taken at the Advanced Placement® (AP® ) level. Many schools reserve AP® courses for their top performers’ final years in school, but we require AP® coursework—six AP® exams and seven AP® courses—of all students and make them available starting in grade 9. Students further develop their ability to think and work independently in post-AP® courses and independent research projects. They also participate in a year-long, daily college counseling seminar in their senior year designed to help them find the right school and prepare their applications.

The senior year culminates in a three-month, off-site Senior Project, proposed and constructed by students under the guidance of an internal faculty adviser and an external professional specialist in the field of the student’s choosing. Students apply their academic content knowledge in a professional or research setting and demonstrate individual accountability and a facility with problem solving. BASIS Curriculum graduates leave our program prepared to be leaders in college and beyond.