LEVELS OF INSTRUCTION
The graded structure of public schools is an administrative device based on preconceived notions about hypothetical 'average' children in a particular age group. Age-segregating children is a practice which resulted from the convergence of several trends in the history of education and in particular mass marketed textbooks.
We do not believe that the appropriate level of instruction for a child can be determined from a textbook which is directed towards a hypothetical child in a particular grade. We believe there are more fundamental considerations in determining curriculum which have been long neglected in public education.
Eagle Academy currently offers four levels of academic instruction which take into account the child's reading level, cognitive maturity, and ability to work independently
We also believe that it is important for families to be able to work on topics together. For this reason Eagle Academy offers topics across instruction levels to facilitate parents who want to use a unit study approach which is very helpful for families home schooling more than one child. This year our unit study topics include Earth Science, The Ancient World: The Roman Empire, American History:1878-1928, Roman Literature and Mythology, and a unit on China and Japan.
- Level One provides a support system for parents whose children are working on foundational skills in reading, writing and arithmetic.
- Level Two is for students who have mastered reading but have not yet attained the level of cognitive maturity which would allow them to grasp literature written for adults.
- Level Three is for students who are proficient readers on the verge of young adulthood.
- Eagle High provides a challenging curriculum that can lead to an Eagle High diploma. Eagle High also offers a source of elective courses for students who seek to enrich their education experience without seeking a diploma.
The concept of the 'average' child is a statistical abstraction and grade levels are merely an administrative device. We believe that individual children should be working at a level appropriate for them academically, whatever their chronological age. We can provide a simple placement test to help the parent determine which level of instruction would be appropriate for their child(ren). Parents can start their children with the working assumption that children in grades K-2 (ages 5-7) are likely to be at Eagle Level One, children in grades 3-5 (ages 8-10) are likely to be at Eagle Level Two, children in grades 6-8 (ages 11-13) are likely to be at Eagle Level Three. Their children's progress can then be evaluated and adjustments in their placement made accordingly. Typically, high schoolers will study for four years to earn an Eagle High diploma.
These levels of instruction apply to literature, history, and science. A child's placement in mathematics need not be the same as his level of instruction in these subjects. Mathematics is internally systematic, and pedagogically, addition needs to be learned before multiplication. Children should progress systematically through mathematical instruction at their own pace of progression. Parents can administer a placement test available from the Saxon Mathematics web site to determine where their child should be placed in mathematics. Eagle Academy strongly encourages academically able students work on mathematics year round so they can complete the Saxon Mathematics calculus and physics courses before high school graduation.
