Learning in Catholic Schools

The Catholic Schools Office is committed to improving student learning by providing guidance in the implementation of strategies and practices that have been proven in the field and validated by quality educational research.

One of the most important factors for increasing student achievement is ensuring that the schools have a guaranteed and viable curriculum. As a first step, the schools adopted the California Content Standards for core academic subjects in 2001-2002. However, recent research has demonstrated that there are simply too many standards for teachers to cover within the school year.

To respond to this challenge, between Fall 2003 and Spring 2005, the Catholic Schools Office collaborated with teachers from every school and grade level to identify essential standards in Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. These standards will allow teachers to focus instruction more deeply on the content and skills that are essential for the long-term learning for our students. This process continues in the Fall of 2007 as we collaboratively look at Language Arts standards including Reading, Writing and Listening.

Our Enduring Knowledge Standards serve as guides for individual schools. Each school site, in light of its human and financial resources, designs learning for students appropriate for the school’s mission, school-wide learning expectations, and student population.

Questions regarding the curriculum of the Catholic schools should be directed to Tom Butler, Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools.

Last Update August 14, 2007