Saint Clare School Academics

The curriculum of St. Clare School is driven by the standards of the state of California and the Diocese of San Jose. These standards contain guidelines for each curricular subject, including topics of study, skills and other learning opportunities. For specific information about state standards, please see our Common Core Standards page.

Our faculty and staff are caring, compassionate, qualified, and willing to share their many talents with students and the community at large.

    • Teachers at St. Clare School participate in ongoing professional development for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), reading and literacy, including the science of reading, and the Eureka Math2 program. 

    • K-5 students participate in weekly science lessons aligned to the NGSS

    • Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 engage in hands-on weekly science labs developing communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills

    • Amplify and Mystery Science are the primary NGSS resources that support communication skills, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration

    • Teachers integrate Catholic identity into all aspects of the science curriculum

    • Middle school students visit the Maker Lab at Santa Clara University

    • Students have access to 1:1 iPads

    • Technology is integrated into all facets of the curriculum

    • Diverse needs of all students are addressed

  • All grades use the MyWorld curriculum for Social Studies.

    Elementary grades focus on California history with MyWorld California.

    Middle school grades use MyWorld Interactive to study world and U.S. history.

  • Religion instruction at St. Clare School is in alignment with the Religion Outcomes of the Diocese of San Jose. St. Clare students are taught to understand that religion is a way of life and not just a subject. The Student Learning Expectations (SLE's) of Habits of the Mind, Habits of the Heart, and Habits of the Spirit are incorporated across the curriculum into all subject areas.

    Living out the practices of our Catholic faith and Christian service is evident in the life of the school community. We start each day with scripture reflection, prayer, and the affirmation of students’ Silver Box/Habits of the Mind, Heart, and Spirit behaviors. Moral decision making is a significant component in the Religion Program at St. Clare School. Students at all levels support our wider community through our participation in many outreach activities.

    Using a balanced approach, Alive in Christ provides a comprehension presentation of the Catholic faith and is in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Religion curriculum assists students in acquiring knowledge of our faith and challenges them to implement the understanding of that faith through Christian service and worship. Students provide Christian service to the parish and school by leading and serving at school and parish liturgies.

  • EUREKA MATH2 (EM2) - K-8 (GREAT MINDS PBC)

    Joining 17 other schools within the diocese, St. Clare School introduced Eureka Math2, our new math curriculum at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year. Eureka Math2 is an integrated approach to instruction using the Universal Design for Learning framework. It is designed to support and elevate mathematical thinking in all students at all learning levels. In its own words:

    Eureka Math² classrooms look and sound different from other math classes. Every lesson includes opportunities for student discourse because peer-to-peer discussion helps students solidify their understanding of math concepts. The Eureka Math2 digital experience was carefully crafted to further support discourse, giving all students an opportunity to access the learning and share their mathematical thinking with their classmates while also providing teachers with a window into student thinking. Whether with a partner, in small groups, or in a full-class discussion, in a Eureka Math² classroom you see and hear students sharing their mathematical knowledge. Students learn to think like mathematicians as they tackle tough problems and answer their own questions.

    Eureka Math2 instruction involves “consistent math models, rigor to support the productive struggle, and coherence across lessons, modules, and grades—and adds a new level of flexibility and accessibility as well as visibility into student understanding to make math instruction exponentially more teachable and engaging.”

    MATHLETICS - LINK TO MATHLETICS

    Mathletics is an online math program used by over 5,000 schools, and over a million students world-wide. Students work at their own pace with step-by-step animated support.

    ALEKS, A RESEARCH-BASED ONLINE MATH PROGRAM - GRADES 5-8

    ALEKS is an adaptive, online math program that uses artificial intelligence and open-response questioning to identify precisely what each student knows and doesn't know. Through truly individualized learning and assessment, ALEKS delivers a personalized learning path on the exact topics each student is most ready to learn.

  • COLLECTIONS - ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM, GRADES 6-8 (HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN, HARCOURT)

    Students analyze complex texts, determine evidence, reason critically, and communicate thoughtfully. Collections—the nation’s leading ELA program for Grades 6–12—provides a multi-faceted digital and print approach that transcends the traditional anthology and resonates with today’s students.

    St. Clare’s ELA Curriculum:

    • Promotes active and engaged learning with a blended digital and print approach

    • Provides balance of complex texts with collections of fiction, nonfiction, and informational text

    • Promotes deeper learning through enhanced collaboration with interactive digital tools

    JOURNEYS - ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM, GRADES K-5 (HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN, HARCOURT)

    Journeys, the K-5 companion to Collections, empowers students by skill mastery; inspired by authentic, award-winning text; and the confidence that they are building the skills needed for college and careers. Backed by proven results, Journeys is the most widely-used reading program in the country. Journeys is a research-based, comprehensive English Language Arts program designed to provide solid instruction that is clear and focused with realistic pacing and manageable resources.

    Journeys Leveled Readers allow teachers to meet the needs of students through multiple titles in a variety of genres at each reading level. With precisely leveled texts and lesson plans designed by Irene Fountas—Journeys Special Consultant and leader in guided reading—students are systematically building reading success as well as confidence in their own reading.

    LEXIA

    Lexia Reading, implemented in grades K-5, provides all learners a systematic and structured approach to six areas of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, automaticity, vocabulary, and comprehension.

    The programs create personalized learning paths for each student through an adaptive placement and scaffolded activities that align to California Common Core Standards.

    READING A-Z

    Students utilize the Reading A-Z Program in kindergarten through fifth grade. This program is tailored to the individualized learning of each student as s/he acquires new skills and competencies in reading. Students progress from the most basic fluency level "aa", to the most advanced level "Z2". Instruction caters to the level of the individual student in the classroom and each child’s progress is regularly monitored by the teacher.

    RAZ-KIDS: LINK TO RAZ-KIDS

    Raz-Kids is an award-winning teaching product that provides comprehensive leveled reading resources for students. With hundreds of eBooks offered at twenty-nine (29) different levels of reading difficulty, it is easy to put the right content in each student's hands.

    Students access their leveled text through an interactive learning portal designed to keep them motivated and engaged. Every eBook is available in online and mobile formats, and allows students to listen to, read at their own pace, and record themselves reading. Students then take a corresponding eQuiz complete with an extended answer response to test comprehension and determine future instructional needs.

  • All students take a Physical Education class twice per week, on which they dress in their P.E. uniforms.

    The classes focus on nutrition, exercise, sports, and high-intensity games. Students learn the basics of most sports and popular outdoor games, as well as skills like hand-eye coordination and proper footwork.