ADVISORIES/CLASSES

All students at University Prep Middle School are placed in an Advisory group of 17 students. These students and one highly qualified teacher (who we call an Advisor) remain together for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The Advisor is the student's key mentor at school. The Advisor works with the student and parent to create each student's individual Learning Plan and helps each student and parent successfully participate in all school activities. Advisory is the key means by which we implement our one-student-at-a-time approach. Because students remain with each other and their Advisor for multiple years, we are able to offer them a very predictable, stable classroom environment that supports everyone investing maximum effort in learning. Teachers get to know each student very well and maximize opportunities for learning. Students, parents, and teachers build strong, collaborative relationships that are used to accelerate the development of every individual student. At the start of the second year, students know exactly what to expect. They have developed a strong bond with their teacher and peers, and everyone can get deeply involved in learning from day one.

Students also receive instruction in two of their core classes (either Math and Science or Social Studies and Language Arts) from their Advisor. They receive instruction in the other two core classes from their Advisor's partner teacher. In addition, students participate in one hour of elective classes every day. These options include: Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Visual Art, and Physical Education. Plans are underway to add Foreign Language in the near future.