Sacred Heart of Jesus School curriculum follows the Graded Course of Study, Teaching for the 21st Century, for each subject as provided by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and is full accredited through the Ohio Catholic School Accreditation Association. Sacred Heart students perform well above average on standardized testing, and area high schools report a large percentage of Sacred Heart graduates on their honor rolls.
Beginning in grade 2, departmentalization occurs for science/social studies. Departmentalization continues through the primary and intermediate grades until, by grades 7-8, most subject are taught by specialists. Grades K and 1 have full-time instructional aides in each classroom.
The principal and faculty continually evaluate curricular effectiveness using teacher and publisher–made assessments, i-Ready diagnostic reports, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and classroom observations. Additionally, the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office periodically revises subject area requirements, including State of Ohio Teaching Standards in math and science.
Teachers often integrate subject matter from different disciplines so that concepts are presented in a variety of ways and not in isolation. Rather, the skill is incorporated throughout the curriculum as much as practical so that the skill is reinforced in a variety of settings. For example, an art skill may be introduced in social studies when considering the history of architecture, or a math equation may be presented in conjunction with a physical science investigation and later reviewed in math class. A new genre of literature may be introduced in language arts and augmented with the music of the area in music class.
A variety of additional programs are offered, including:
Field trips are integrated with the curriculum of each grade level. Field trips provide students the opportunity to experience cultural, multicultural, literary, scientific or religious experiences that further support classroom instruction.
Religion, language arts, and mathematics are stressed in the primary grades. A strong phonics base is used, augmented by contextual inferencing (using context clues) and oral reading. Math instruction relies on hands-on experiences with “manipulatives” and centers on the development of number sense and problem solving. Students at this level are essentially learning to read.
Major subjects include religion, language art (reading, writing, speaking, listening), mathematics, social studies, and science/health. Students experience increased departmentalization, autonomy, and, at this level, are essentially reading to learn.
Students attend art, music, and physical education classes twice per week and a computer skills class once per week. Our goal is expanding and enhancing the curriculum at all levels with technology whenever possible.
Assignments are posted online on OptionC, our data management system for recording grades and academic progress. Homework assignments are designed to increase skills by giving additional practice, fostering independence, giving the student a sense of responsibility, developing good study habits, and allowing the student to master the materials covered.
Physical education is an integral part of the Sacred Heart total education program. Areas covered in the primary grades are basic movement, motor development, manipulative skills, and participation in low-organized games. In the intermediate and junior high grades, additional areas covered include cooperative games, and both team and individual sports instruction. During physical education classes, students wear a gym uniform. Please see the Environment section for more information.
Report cards are posted online on OptionC in November, late February or early March, and May. Grades for tests/quizzes/projects are continually posted there as well. Grades K-3 uses a standards-based format that reports students level of mastery of selected skills. Grades 4-8 use a traditional letter grades format. Along with academic progress, teachers also report on the student’s effort and personal growth. For more detailed information about grading, please see the Parent/Student Handbook.
In addition to report cards, ongoing progress is available to parents in OptionC featuring a password protected online gradebook.
Standardized tests are given in the spring to students in Grades 2 through 7. These tests serve as one tool of many to help measure students’ strengths and weaknesses and to compare the results to national norms. Results are made available to parents, and the overall school results by grade are available to school families to review.
The religious education program is assessed each year in Grades 5 and 8 using the A.C.R.E. (Assessment of Catechesis and Religious Education) from the National Catholic Education Association.
