Curriculum
PK - KINDERGARTEN:
Readiness skills are the beginning of Alexandria Country Day School’s instructional program for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten which is designed to meet the needs of this age child through individually designed activities within the group setting. Experiences to provide for the whole child are offered in the classroom and in the community. Opportunities for the development of socialization skills are planned as the child interacts within a creative environment. Enthusiasm for learning is developed within the guidelines of age-appropriate structure. The kindergarten program is designed to assure a natural progression from kindergarten to first grade by providing the kinds of readiness and socialization skills necessary for a successful school beginning. The curriculum meets the needs of the total child through experiences in language arts, math, social living, computer awareness, fine arts, and physical education. Accelerated Reader and an outstanding library program add to this well-rounded curriculum.
GRADES 1 - 8:
The instructional program consists of language arts, (reading, English, spelling, writing, Accelerated Reading, etymology) mathematics, science, social studies, computer literacy, fine arts, physical education, and a foreign language. Mastery of essential skills, knowledge of subjects, and critical thinking are attained through multi-year sequential study, emphasizing the linking of both academic and applied knowledge throughout the curriculum.
All students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities which add a very important dimension to a child’s education.
Highly qualified teachers in specialized fields make possible the offering of high school credits in Algebra, physical science, foreign language, and computer literacy.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
At Alexandria Country Day, students in all grades participate in physical education for 30-50 minutes a day. The program includes Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. Physical education courses emphasize general physical fitness, improvement of fine, and gross motor skills, team work, sportsmanship and fun.
CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT
Students in all grades participate in many different curriculum enrichment programs each week. Students in grades PK-4 attend art, computers, library, music, and Spanish at least once per week for 30 minutes, while students in grades 5-8 attend these programs for 50 minutes a day, 12 weeks out of the year. Many of the students' art work has been displayed in local art galleries, hospitals, and businesses in the area. The computer and Spanish program culminate by giving eighth graders the opportunity to earn high school credit for computers and Spanish I.
Standardized Testing
PK-2:
Students in Pre-kindergarten through second grade take the Computer Delivered Dynamic Assessment in language arts and mathematics (CPAA). CPAA offers a scaffolding approach and the test was developed by ERB and Columbia University. The students are given the test three times per year: October, January, April or May. The test gives specific information on the student's progress, promotes adjustment within the school year, and helps students and evaluates our curriculum.
GRADES 3-8:
Students in grades third through eighth participate in the CTP4 Testing Program. The CTP4 is a challenging test designed to distinguish learning among students at the highest level. It includes a battery of tests in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. It also contains verbal and quantitative reasoning tests as well as achievement tests. The test was developed for ERB by ETS which also develops the SAT test and Advanced Placement tests. The test identifies the strengths and weaknesses before the school year ends, allows ACDS to make needed adjustments to the curriculum, and allows Country Day to compare achievements with national private schools who maintain the highest academic standards.
Technology
In our efforts to prepare students for the Information Age, the building of a Media Center was completed in 2003. This state-of-the-art center houses a library, computer lab, and an interactive classroom. As technology has played an important role in transforming our every day lives, so has it impacted our schools. We recognize that technology should not be valued for what it is, but rather for what it can do for education through its capabilities to: individualize learning, provide teachers with new tools to improve instruction, expand access to the best learning opportunities and resources, and to empower parents and teachers with data on daily curriculumexpectations and student performance.
Our challenge is to engage students in becoming truly information literate which means being able to identify, access, evaluate, and use the best resources available.