Curriculum

FOCUS Learning Academy provides Pre-K thru 8th grade students with a rich curriculum including:

• English Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Science
• Social Studies
• Art
• Music
• Computer Skills
• Physical Education

FOCUS Learning Academy is committed to developing and strengthening student proficiency in all core subjects - English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science - plus Art, Music, Computer Skills, and Physical Education.

As part of curriculum development FOCUS Learning Academy works to provide a vertically aligned curriculum to prepare students as they progress from Pre-K thru 8th grade and beyond.

In this context it is important to note that there is a difference between curriculum and instruction. The curriculum is what students should know and be able to do.  Instruction is how the teacher delivers the lesson.  The State of Texas has provided the curriculum through the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).  While the TEKS are a great framework for the curriculum, they are not in a logical sequence, and they lack specificity.

FOCUS Learning Academy has contracted with the Region XIII Education Service Center in Austin to help in our curriculum alignment efforts.  Region XIII, together with 9 other service centers across Texas, has formed the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC).  TESCCC has employed content experts from across the state to create a comprehensive curriculum management system called CSCOPE which is built on the most current research-based practices in the field.

The CSCOPE curriculum is based directly on the TEKS and clearly identifies what must be taught and when teachers should teach it in grades K-12.  CSCOPE covers the four core subject areas of English Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science.  CSCOPE provides teachers a clear understanding of the specific knowledge and skills for his or her grade level and/or subject.  Together with direction from FOCUS Learning Academy's curriculum leadership team CSCOPE makes teachers at each grade level aware of their areas of responsibility in preparing students to be successful in the current grade and future grades as the students advance.  This aligned curriculum ensures equity, refocuses teacher planning time, and prevents gaps and unproductive repetitiveness in the learning.  In addition to alignment and specificity, CSCOPE contains exemplar lessons that demonstrate the depth, breadth, and rigor necessary for students to become successful learners throughout their school years.  Teachers have the opportunity to supplement, add and enhance the lessons with other high quality resources to allow students to master the student expectations included in the TEKS.  CSCOPE identifies what should be taught and why, but teachers still have control of how instruction is delivered to students in the classroom.

To support each student's development FOCUS Learning Academy provides each student and their family with a copy of the entire lesson notes for each child’s core subjects every six weeks.  These lessons provide each child with an improved opportunity to fully grasp the information being taught in each class.

At FOCUS Learning Academy we believe in developing a providing a curriculum which meets the highest standards provided by the State of Texas and we are committed to integrating our programs in a manner that unifies the efforts of our teachers with the needs of our students and their families.