OUR HIGH SCHOOL
 
STARS Academy’s high school curriculum provides an intellectually challenging experience for students as they refine the skills necessary for a successful transition to college. Each student takes humanities— an interdisciplinary blend of literature and history— mathematics, and science. Graduation requirements include three - four years of all core subjects. High school arts and academic electives invite students to explore their creativity and nurture talents on campus and in the community. Advisory meets daily throughout the high school, while students also enjoy opportunities to build and strengthen relationships with peers on the dance team, or in the performing arts.

For transfer students, we will evaluate on a case by case basis units completed in comparison to units required for our graduation as they pertain to the sequence of courses. 

STARS Academy’s high school curriculum engages maturing intellects with core courses and electives that meet the UC A-G Requirements. While individual student schedules can vary, the scope and sequence of required courses is mapped here for easy reference, and to illustrate the foundational curriculum. 

HUMANITIES
This interdisciplinary blend of literature and history is focused on Western civilization and American studies. Courses are designed to bring historic time and place to life through literature and the arts. Students begin to wrestle with issues beyond their daily life and lean into the complex adult world. Students often work in small cooperative groups to exchange ideas, peer edit, and debate and discuss critical ideas. Coursework includes an introduction to genre, style, and modern U.S. history. 

The high school humanities curriculum provides the foundation for the following skills. Individual classes support the development of additional skills as specified.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
Close reading strategies of literature
Analysis of historic primary and secondary sources
Research, including analysis of credible evidence
Analytic and creative writing
Read and analyze literature, including close reading strategies
Development of personal voice in writing
Appreciation of character, authorial intent, and textual ambiguity
Articulation of historical perspectives
Connection of historic events to contemporary issue

MATHEMATICS
The high school math program moves sequentially, from beginner algebra to geometry to advanced algebra and then calculus. Students progress through the program based on the mastery of skills and individual strengths. Through direct instruction and cooperative group work, students are guided in creative problem solving and finding multiple means to solve problems. Students gain confidence by mastering concepts through multiple forms of assessment, including peer and teacher feedback, demonstrations of knowledge, and projects.

Math classes emphasize investigations of concepts that range from two-column proofs in geometry to trigonometric relationships of triangles and single-variable calculus problems. Students learn through experiential activities. Project-based learning provides real-world connections to the abstract concepts of pre-calculus. 

The high school mathematics curriculum provides the foundation for the following skills. Individual classes support the development of additional skills as specified.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
Ability to solve problems through multiple methods
Identifies and creates reflections, rotations, and translations
Identifies angles formed by two lines and a transversal
Understands angle relationships and triangle sum theorem
Explains and uses properties of parallel lines
Identifies lines of symmetry
Solve and graph equations, inequalities, and compound inequalities
Write absolute value functions and graphs
Solve systems of linear equations graphically and algebraically
Demonstrate how to factor and graph quadratic expressions
Understand parabolas and conic sections
Mathematical understanding of irrational and complex numbers
Ability to use analytic geometry as a problem- solving tool

SCIENCE​
At each level, students are guided through investigations, explorations, model creation, and hands-on activities. STARS Academy’s inquiry-based curriculum builds skill and knowledge over a sequence of rigorous courses. Science is presented as a way of approaching problems and a body of knowledge as students grow in their scientific literacy with each course. Biology classes and labs present systems thinking as students explore classifications of life. Students investigate chemistry through discussions and lab experiments. 

The high school science curriculum provides the foundation for the following skills. Individual classes support the development of additional skills as specified.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
Creation of hypothesis, observation, prediction, and concluding reflections
Research, data collection, graphing, and written reporting of formal lab results
Scientific literacy
Use of scientific writing to analyze experimental processes
Use of algebraic principles to solve physics problems
Use data analysis to connect lab results to real-world application of physics principles
Describe the significance of experimental results and calculations