Introduction
Mixed-Age Classrooms
OCASA Elementary groups students from multiple grade levels into mix-aged classrooms to allow teachers to focus on students’ specific needs for remediation, grade-level work, or enrichment. A mixed-age classroom:- Fosters a natural and family-like setting: contributes to a sense of community.
- Provides an opportunity to build relationships with peers, teachers, and families for an extended period of time.
- Meets the developmental needs of individual children at all the various developmental levels.
- Affords the opportunity for children to experience being one of the youngest and oldest children in the classroom.
- Offers chances for older children to learn to become more nurturing with younger children.
- Allows a child to interact at different social levels.
- Creates a more diverse peer group for children.
- Encourages teachers to remain working at the same school, because of deeper attachments to the children in their care.
- Facilitates peer modeling: older peers are able to model classroom routines and expectations for younger peers.
- Limits the likelihood parents will compare children, and enables parents to understand developmental differences among children.
- Encourages parents to develop sustained relationships with teachers and other parents.
Inquiry Arc Projects
Students who engage in hands-on, physical learning exhibit a higher level of concentration and increased self‑esteem, which positively impacts cognition. Additionally, students understand most deeply and are motivated to learn when concepts are embedded in a larger context. OCASA Elementary creates hands-on, thematic learning experiences each semester called Inquiry Arcs. Inquiry Arcs are discrete units of study that utilize inquiry to drive learning and build students’ agency. They provide broad context and room for exploration around an interdisciplinary theme and allow students to identify patterns and connections in their learning. Students at OCASA Elementary have meaningful time for tinkering, prototyping, and building through our on‑campus lab spaces, as well as resource‑rich experiences in music and the arts. Finally, OCASA Elementary’s holistic approach to assessment through expositions and documentation allows students to see the real‑world significance in their learning.
Academics
We offer curated and comprehensive TK-5 Academic programs that adhere to all State of California Standards.
Reveal Math
Reveal Math®, a balanced elementary math program, develops the problem solvers of tomorrow by incorporating both inquiry‑focused and teacher‑guided instructional strategies within each lesson.
In order to uncover the full potential in every student, Reveal Math champions a positive classroom environment, explores mathematics through a flexible lesson design, and tailors classroom activities to student needs. These guiding principles allow students to take ownership of their mathematical journey!
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Bridges in Mathematics
Bridges in Mathematics is a comprehensive K–5 curriculum that equips teachers to fully address state standards in a rigorous, engaging, and accessible manner. Students gain a deep understanding of concepts, proficiency with key skills, and the ability to solve complex problems. The curriculum is composed of three distinct but integrated components: Problems & Investigations, Work Places, and Number Corner.
Benchmark Advance
We use Benchmark Advance as our core language arts program that provides a cohesive structure to develop strong literacy skills while also diving deeply into engaging content units.
Read Naturally
Read Naturally’s research‑based reading interventions have helped millions of students become fluent readers and make solid gains in comprehension and vocabulary. Check out our transformative products — available for fluency, phonics, vocabulary, spelling, phonemic awareness, and assessment!
FOSS
FOSS (Full Option Science System) is a research‑based science curriculum for grades K‑8 developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. FOSS has evolved from a philosophy of teaching and learning that has guided the development of successful active‑learning science curricula for more than 40 years. The FOSS Program bridges research and practice by providing tools and strategies to engage students and teachers in enduring experiences that lead to deeper understanding of the natural and designed worlds.
Science is a creative and analytic enterprise, made active by our human capacity to think. Scientific knowledge advances when scientists observe phenomena, think about how they relate to what is known, test their ideas in logical ways, and generate explanations that integrate the new information into understanding of the natural and designed worlds. Engineers apply that understanding to solve real‑world problems. Thus, the scientific enterprise is both what we know (content knowledge) and how we come to know it (science practices). Science is a discovery activity, a process for producing new knowledge.
The best way for students to appreciate the scientific enterprise, learn important scientific and engineering concepts, and develop the ability to think well is to actively participate in scientific practices through their own investigations and analyses. The FOSS Program was created specifically to provide students and teachers with meaningful experiences through engaging in active participation in scientific practices.
Renaissance Star Assessments
Renaissance Star assessments are adaptive assessments given multiple times of year to measure how students have progressed compared to similar peers. It provides information to students and families about how much progress students are making and how close they are to grade-level standards. This assessment is used by teachers to create small groups and support them in their individualized needs.
CASSPP
CASSPP Online Practice Tests are used for standardized state assessments.
ELPAC
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is the mandated state test for determining English language proficiency (ELP). It is administered as an initial assessment to newly enrolled students whose primary language is not English, as indicated on a home language survey, and annually as a summative assessment to students who have been previously identified as EL students. The ELPAC is aligned with the
The ELPAC is delivered via a computer‑based test delivery platform. The four domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) will be administered on the computer except for the Writing domain for kindergarten through grade two, which will remain as a paper‑based test.
Physical Fitness Test (PFT)
The physical fitness test (PFT) for students in California schools is the FITNESSGRAM®. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting lifelong habits of regular physical activity. Students in 5th Grade take the fitness test. The test has six parts that show a level of fitness that offers a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. The test results can be used by students, teachers, and parents.
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Orange County Academy of Science and Arts Beyond the Stars
After School Care Program
29292 Crown Valley Pkwy, Laguna Niguel, CA
This program comprises of:
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Bites
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Activities
Play
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Patio
and Games
Clubs
Enrichment Centers
Modified schedule on minimum day.
Beyond the Stars is a joy-filled enrichment program expanding OCASA Elementary's whole-child approach to learning and growing in a fun, safe, and caring environment.
Join the fun!
Registration is now available in Parent Square.
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