OVERVIEW

The Primary Program at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley offers an unmatched learning experience for students as they begin to fully embrace a variety of subjects and their inter-connectivity. This program is uniquely defined by the emphasis on connections between subjects as well as the teaching partnership present in grades 1–4.* Students have different Subject Expert Teachers (SETs) for every core class paired with a Learning Expert Teacher (LET) shepherding the learning environment as they move from each SET’s classroom to another with their LET.

In grades 1-3, students take a full schedule in the liberal arts, including advanced, integrated coursework in the humanities, math & science, engineering, Mandarin, the arts, and physical education. They even have a dedicated weekly 85-minute period called “Connections,” a scenario-based, hands-on learning experience designed to fuel creativity, ingenuity, not to mention social skills like team work and patience. In grade 4, coursework is no longer taught in integrated 85-minute blocks as a bridge to type of coursework and critical thinking expected of middle school students.

* The LET in grade 4 is not present with students in every class and is particularly focused on building independence and self-reliance in students as they prepare for grades 5 and up.