Curriculum and the BASIS Diploma - BASIS Independent Silicon Valley

The Basis Diploma

What does it mean to be ready for a world students haven’t yet experienced?

This question drives the continual optimization of our well-rounded, globally benchmarked curriculum designed to inspire mastery and excellence. By challenging and equipping students with deep content knowledge and keen organizational skills, we’re helping them become more confident in their intellectual abilities. Ultimately, the BASIS Diploma prepares students to be participants, not spectators, in the dynamic, exciting, and unpredictable world of the 21st century.

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We fundamentally believe in setting a high bar for students and supporting them as they work through advanced coursework towards mastery. Because of our liberal arts and sciences curriculum and the expert teachers at the helms of our classrooms, students with a BASIS Diploma are positioned to be positive contributors on a global scale. They garner the deep content knowledge necessary to face the unknowns of the future with adept problem-solving and ingenuity, and grow to love learning and the pursuit of deeper understanding. Our students know: with great challenge comes great reward.

Through The
Years

Early YearsPrimary YearsBridge YearsIntermediate YearsHigh School Years

Early Years

Discovery and Foundation

Transitional Kindergarten - Kindergarten

Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten encourage early learners’ natural propensity to question, to create, and to discover. We create an enjoyable, intentional learning experience rooted in early literacy and numeracy. Coursework centers around giving students tools to understand the world around them. Our Discovery Blocks of Learning curriculum exposes students to everything from social studies to self-care skills, mathematics and Mandarin, to expressive arts. Teachers with expertise in early childhood education (or related fields) facilitate opportunities for children to thoughtfully and purposefully interact with materials, use their imagination and creativity to inspire questions, and use their own reasoning skills to learn from and connect to the world around them.

Kindergarten builds on the love for learning instilled in TK to lay a strong foundation for success in the years to come. Success for us means not only the acquisition of foundational concepts and skills, but also the adoption of scholarly habits and immersion in a culture which values learning above all other endeavors.

Students stay in the same classroom throughout the day, being taught by two teachers, with specialists that join the class for specific content instruction.

Primary Years

Teaching to Learn

Grades 1–3

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. Students’ Learning Expert Teacher (LET) guides them to each class, focuses on effective pedagogy, and co-teaches with each Subject Expert Teacher (SET). Because the LET remains with his/her students throughout the school day, s/he is always there to aid in the scholastic and social development of students, and leads 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.

Bridge Years

From Concrete to Abstract Thinking

Grades 4–5

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 the 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.

Intermediate Years

Knowledge as a Tool

Grades 6–8

In the Intermediate Years, students complete a rigorous schedule in all core disciplines, including three separate, concurrent science classes (physics, chemistry, and biology), foreign language, and a course in logic. Students can choose an elective beginning in grade 6 and 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 on 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.

Explore Grades 6–8

High School Years

Thinking for Problem-Solving

Grades 9–12

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—4 AP courses and exams—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 ready their applications.

The senior year culminates in a 3-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.

Explore Grades 9–12

Early Years

Discovery and Foundation

Transitional Kindergarten - Kindergarten

Students stay in the same classroom throughout the day, being taught by two teachers, with specialists that join the class for specific content instruction.

Primary Years

Teaching to Learn

Grades 1–3

Bridge Years

From Concrete to Abstract Thinking

Grades 4–5

Intermediate Years

Knowledge as a Tool

Grades 6–8

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.

Explore Grades 6–8

High School Years

Thinking for Problem-Solving

Grades 9–12

Explore Grades 9–12

By
Discipline

HUMANITIES

From the basics of literacy to the depths of geopolitical critique.

The humanities curriculum begins with the building blocks of literacy and quickly establishes in students a strong foundation in reading, writing, and historical awareness. As coursework evolves from awareness of self and community in the Early Years to integrated coursework in history and English in the Primary Years, deeper content in classics, and ultimately the societies that have shaped the current day, BASIS Curriculum students develop a deep and broad understanding of historical periods and cultural differences, as well as the skills to analyze and critique all types of representational media. The BASIS Diploma requires more credits in humanities than in any other discipline.

MATH & SCIENCE

Internationally acclaimed for its rigor, depth, and breadth.

All students take high-level mathematics courses earlier than usual, and begin learning chemistry, physics, and biology as separate courses in grade 6. Graduates have passed all three sciences at the Honors level and have completed and passed the exam for at least one Advanced Placement® (AP) math and one science course. We use a math curriculum rooted in the Saxon Math program, starting off one grade level ahead of the sequence. From Pre-Algebra on, our curriculum adopts the Martin-Gay Developmental Math Series. We believe students learn best when broader topics are introduced in smaller segments with ample time to practice new additions. Spiraling topics and homework problems give students ample practice and opportunity to strengthen fundamental skills.

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Making connections is the key to critical, creative thinking.

Interdisciplinary coursework is present throughout the program, from a dedicated hands-on class in the Primary Years called “Connections” where cross-subject discovery is a key objective, to independently developed and investigated Senior Projects. We believe that teaching students to make connections across disciplines—to ask questions and seek solutions and answers across traditional boundaries—inspires the creative, independent thinking that prepares students for life and work in the 21st century. Outside of specific classes with explicit instruction in interdisciplinary studies, such as the Connections course, logic, economics, high school electives like the History of Medicine, and the Senior Projects, all coursework involves some level of inquiry-based, cross-subject work.

LANGUAGE

Language as a portal to deeper understanding.

All BASIS Curriculum students study a second language through grade 12. Students begin with Mandarin in the Early and Primary Years, continue on to Latin in the Bridge Years, and conclude with the mastery of Latin, Mandarin, French, or Spanish in the Intermediate and High School Years.

The instruction of second languages serves several functions beyond fluency and literacy in a language other than English. We’re instilling different ways of approaching information, of composing thoughts, reflecting on and building their vocabulary in English, and ultimately, broadening students’ world views.

THE ARTS

Developing a reverence and respect for the arts and their significance in history, culture, and life.

The arts inspire students to develop creative, innovative ideas, encourage different modes of self-expression, and help students make meaningful aesthetic connections between themselves and the world. At various points throughout the curriculum (and often simultaneously), students take classes in fine arts, performing arts, and music. Starting in our earliest years, students explore diverse themes of historical and contemporary significance. Courses are taught thematically, exploring how artists and learners respond to the concepts of Communication, Community, Movement, Technology, and Self. In grades 6 and above, art courses are offered as an elective and offer students the opportunity to study an instrument, participate in a work of theatre, or deeply examine a specific fine arts history and technique.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION & MOVEMENT

For keeping both body and mind healthy and in sync.

In the BASIS Curriculum Physical Education and Movement courses, students learn to maintain healthy bodies, lifestyles, and attitudes through physical activity, organized sports, fitness, and dance. All BASIS Independent students are required to take Physical Education in the Early, Primary, and Bridge Years; in grades 7–12, Physical Education is offered as an elective. Many BASIS Curriculum schools offer Movement courses in the lower grades as a complement to more traditional physical education curriculum.

ENRICHMENT & ELECTIVES

Complementing and supporting studies in the core disciplines.

In the Early and Primary Years, students take a required course in Engineering, learning the basics of the engineering design process and how to apply that framework in different aspects of the academic and social lives. In the Intermediate Years, Academic Enrichment (AE) is introduced as a vital component of the students’ day: they meet with teachers and get a start on homework. Students also have the choice of a wide variety of arts-based electives. Both AE and electives play a crucial role in the high school curriculum and often impact their Senior Project topic choice. College Counseling, a daily course senior year taught by a dedicated college counselor, is designed to set students up for success in planning for their education beyond BASIS Curriculum Schools.

HUMANITIESMATH & SCIENCE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES LANGUAGETHE ARTSPHYSICAL EDUCATION & MOVEMENTENRICHMENT & ELECTIVES

SELF ADVOCACY &
STUDENT AUTONOMY

Helping students manage their time and schoolwork effectively is core to the BASIS Diploma.

One of our most important tools in developing students with life-long habits of self-direction and disciplined, critical enquiry is the Communication Journal (CJ). At first glance, it’s an analog daily planner, a tool adopted from the Eastern European educational background of BASIS Curriculum Schools co-founder Olga Block. In practice, it’s the epicenter of our students’ educational experience, a record of their wins, their losses, and most importantly, their areas for improvement. Our campus is usually closed to parents and family during the day when we focus on building the student-teacher relationship. As such, the CJ is critical in helping families feel involved in their child’s education. It is the first daily touch-point between teachers and parents and acts as a discussion starter at home between students and their families.

The CJ is central to our curricular philosophy not to post homework or grades online, or remove students from conversations about their own education. It is the tool that makes this philosophy a powerful growth opportunity for students to own their own academic and intellectual progress.

FROM OUR
COMMUNITY

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley really lived up to what I was expecting in terms of all of the courses, and the diverse community with all of its programs. When people of different grades can work together and apply what we've learned in our school subjects to put together a competitive program and team, I think that's what really stood out to me over the years.

Priti

Class of 2020
Our students critically question new concepts and they always amaze teachers with their inquisitive personalities. This can also be seen in the clubs our students have founded, e.g., Neuroscience Club, as well as in the various courses that our teachers offer in order to foster our students’ interest, like Biology of Cancer, Differential Equations, and Anatomy.

Ms. Wendel

Subject Expert Teacher, Math and Psychology
Our curriculum allows students to take courses that no other school does. The breadth of the curriculum is astounding. From Oceanography to Shakespeare, from Automata Theory to French Philosophy. These are classes that prepare students for a life of intellectual curiosity.

Mr. Walker

Head of School
I really appreciate that our community is concerned with the whole student, not just their academic lives. We strive to create an encouraging environment where students want to work together to succeed, rather than be competitive. Everyone here cares about students on a personal level and wants to see them excel in all areas of life.

Ms. Titus

Dean of Students

Curriculum

The Basis Diploma

Through TheYears

Discovery and Foundation

Transitional Kindergarten - Kindergarten

Teaching to Learn

Grades 1–3

From Concrete to Abstract Thinking

Grades 4–5

Knowledge as a Tool

Grades 6–8

Thinking for Problem-Solving

Grades 9–12

Discovery and Foundation

Transitional Kindergarten - Kindergarten

Teaching to Learn

Grades 1–3

From Concrete to Abstract Thinking

Grades 4–5

Knowledge as a Tool

Grades 6–8

Thinking for Problem-Solving

Grades 9–12

By Discipline

From the basics of literacy to the depths of geopolitical critique.

Internationally acclaimed for its rigor, depth, and breadth.

Making connections is the key to critical, creative thinking.

Language as a portal to deeper understanding.

Developing a reverence and respect for the arts and their significance in history, culture, and life.

For keeping both body and mind healthy and in sync.

Complementing and supporting studies in the core disciplines.

SELF ADVOCACY & STUDENT AUTONOMY

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Through The
Years

By
Discipline

SELF ADVOCACY &
STUDENT AUTONOMY

FROM OUR
COMMUNITY