Curriculum & Instruction

Fine Arts Preparatory School emphasizes the belief that visual and performing arts, combined with experiential learning and nature play, are essential for cultivating creative, innovative, and resilient individuals who are prepared for college and careers. The school integrates the arts into the core curriculum, providing students with arts-related experiences that go beyond traditional rote learning. Students are exposed to a liberal arts education that encourages exploration of various academic disciplines. This approach prepares students for diverse career paths and enhances their problem-solving and communication skills. When appropriate, the school will offer dual enrollment opportunities for high school students, allowing them to earn college credits early.

Our curriculum aligns with state standards and incorporates the arts into all courses and disciplines. The school emphasizes the importance of instructional design, learning environments, class structure, curriculum, teaching methodologies, and schedules to support student learning and achieve the school's mission. The school uses a variety of assessment methods, including tests, recitals, portfolios, quizzes, and more, to measure student success. Data collection and analysis are used to inform instructional decisions and program effectiveness.

Grade-Level Curriculum Guides

We invite you to explore our Grade-Level Curriculum Guides and discover how we're shaping well-rounded, creative, and empowered learners who are ready to excel academically, artistically, and personally. Our commitment to academic excellence is at the core of our educational philosophy. These guides are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of what students can expect to learn and achieve at each grade level within our school. Our curriculum goes beyond traditional academics; it's infused with the arts to stimulate creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. We focus not only on what students learn but also on how they learn, emphasizing hands-on experiences and experiential learning. These grade-specific curriculum guides provide detailed information about each grade's focus areas, academic expectations, and artistic endeavors. Whether your child is entering kindergarten or preparing for high school, these guides will provide you with valuable insights into their educational journey.

Assessments Administered

We use assessments to monitor student progress across the curriculum. This includes both qualitative and quantitative measures to gain a comprehensive understanding of student achievement. Assessments help us determine baseline scores of achievement and track progress over time. This data is essential for setting goals and objectives for both individual students and the school as a whole. Our administration, board, and staff regularly monitor and analyze assessment data. Modifications to our goals and objectives are based on this data, ensuring that our efforts are responsive to student needs. Our school's assessment efforts contribute to the state and district's accountability measures, including compliance with the current E.S.E.A. waiver. We are committed to closing achievement gaps among student groups and continuously improving our educational outcomes.

Educator derived and other school-based assessments are created and administered by our teachers and school staff. They are designed to evaluate student performance across various subjects and grade levels. We use adaptive tests that are designed to measure both achievement and growth in students. These assessments help us understand how well students are learning and progressing. The school also administers the ACCESS Examination to English Language Learners (K-12) to assess their English language proficiency. Lastly, we administer a school-derived Fine Arts Competency Examination in 12th-grade. This assessment is discipline-specific and evaluates the competency of graduating students in the fine arts. Here is an outline of assessments administered at Fine Arts Preparatory School:

Primary School - Pre-Kindergarten Assessments:

Teaching Strategies GOLD®
SRA Reading Assessments
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment

Kindergarten – Eighth Grades:
- Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
- Cognitive Abilities Test (Cog AT) - G/T Placement Assessment (2nd Grade)
- Iowa Assessment – G/T Placement (2nd Grade)
- South Carolina PASS ELA & Math (3rd – 8th Grades)
- South Carolina PASS Science (4th & 6th Grades)
- PSAT/NMQST (8th Grade for South Carolina Jr. Scholars Program Eligibility)
- Course-specific EOCEP (8th Grade Honors Students - 12th Grade)

Willow Consort

The Willow Consort is an exclusive honors program at Fine Arts Preparatory School designed to cater to the educational needs of our most advanced students.

Splash!

The Gifted & Talented: Splash! program is designed to identify, support, and challenge students who demonstrate outstanding academic or artistic abilities.

Exceptional Students

Under Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we identify and evaluate students who require special services to receive a F.A.P.E.

Student Performance Exhibition & Artistic Portfolio

Students in third grade and higher participate in annual grade-level exhibitions to demonstrate their growth toward artistic literacy and competency. Additionally, an Artistic Portfolio is created to provide evidence of artistic growth and creative development. This portfolio includes seminar attendance/presentation records, colloquium performances/lectures, annual jury scores, and other performance task evidence. The portfolio is an essential tool for students to use in auditions, interviews, and scholarship applications.

What Should Students Should Be Learning?

The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee works diligently to ensure that families have the approproate information about what students should be teaching and learning, as well as the rights of families of students enrolled in South Carolina's public schools. Fine Arts Preparatory has a State Standards-based Arts-Infused Curricula. According to the South Carolina Oversight Committee:

Standards set clear, high expectations for student achievement. Standards tell what students need to do in order to progress through school on grade level.
Standards guide efforts to measure student achievement. Results of tests on grade-level academic standards show if students have learned and teachers have taught for mastery.
Standards promote educational equity for all. Instruction in every school in the state is based on the same academic standards.
Standards inform parents about the academic expectations for their child. Standards give parents more specific information for helping their child at home.
Standards enable parents to participate more actively in parent/teacher conferences. Knowledge of the academic standards helps parents understand more about what their child is learning and what they can do at each grade level.
Standards help parents see how the current grade level expectations are related to successive years’ expectations.

Learn More and See What Your Child Should Be Learning, HERE!