Prepared Mind Pillar

The Athlos Academic Program

The Prepared Mind Pillar at Athlos Academy of Utah is centered on academic programs that will prime students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to excel. The curriculum provides opportunities for students to construct meaningful connections and deeper understanding of core content.

Our teachers use instructional strategies that promote curiosity, collaboration, and a culture of positivity. We believe having a Prepared Mind is as much about learning how to learn and succeed as it is about academic knowledge.

Academic Subject Areas

Athlos Academy of Utah uses these curricula for literacy:

Grades K-5 use Wonders

  • Wonders, a comprehensive K-6 ELA/ELD program, is designed to meet the challenges of today’s classroom and reach all learners. A wealth of research-based print and digital resources provide unmatched support for building strong literacy foundations, accessing complex texts, engaging in collaborative conversations, and writing to sources.
  • WonderWorks Intervention is a reading program that serves elementary students who are struggling to meet grade-level reading standards. The program pairs with the classroom ELA program, Wonders. WonderWorks focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills to help students improve in grade-level reading. The reading program utilizes Acadience (formerly DIBELS) and i-Ready data to recommend students for the program. Parents are contacted if students qualify.

Grades 6-9 use StudySync

  • StudySync is an integrated print and digital English language arts program for that is multimedia-rich. StudySync, brings great literature to life and supports student exploration in the classroom and beyond.

Lexia Core5 Reading (English)

This year your child will be using Lexia Core5 Reading, a fun computer-based program that has helped millions of students. The activities in Core5 support and build on our classroom curriculum and focus on developing reading skills in six areas: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Read more about it by viewing our PDF’s:

Core5 School Year Home Use Letter

Access Lexia with Clever English

Lexia Core5 Reading (Spanish)

Este año, su hijo/a usará Lexia® Core5® Reading, un divertido programa informático que ha ayudado a mi-llones de estudiantes. Las actividades de Core5 respaldan y fortalecen el plan de estudios de nuestro salón de clases y se focalizan en el desarrollo de capacidad de lectura en seis áreas: consciencia fonológica, fonética, análi-sis estructural, fluidez, vocabulario y comprensión.

Lea más sobre esto viendo nuestros PDF:

Cómo usar Lexia® Core5® Reading en casa

Cómo acceder a los programas de Lexia con Clever

 

Using Waterford Reading Academy

Students can log in to Waterford Reading Academy using one of three options: their username and password, a unique QR code, or Clever.

To log your student in using their username and password:
1. Type my.waterford.org into your search bar.
2. Enter the username and password set by the school for your student.
3. Choose Sign In to log your student into their account.

To log your student in using their QR Code:
1. Visit my.waterford.org.
2. Select the Scan button. A pop-up window will appear.
3. Choose Allow to give my.waterford.org permission to open your device’s camera.
4. Hold the QR code up to your device’s camera to begin scanning.
When the device recognizes the QR code, your student will be redirected to the Waterford Reading Academy homepage.

To log students in through Clever:
1. Visit my.waterford.org.
2. Choose to Log in With Clever. You will be redirected to the Clever login page.
3. Search for your school name, then log in to Clever using your student’s username and password.
Your student will then be redirected to the Waterford Reading Academy homepage.

Athlos Academy of Utah uses two curricula for math.

Grades K–5 use Bridges math curriculum

  • What does it mean to have mathematical literacy?It means that a student understands the important role math has in the world and becomes a citizen who can make informed decisions. Developing mathematical literacy begins with building mathematical thinkers, which is at the core of the Bridges math program used at Athlos Academy. Bridges promotes a deeper understanding of math concepts, proficiency and fluency with computational skills, and the ability to reason and persevere through complex problems. Its approach blends direct instruction along with investigation and exploration using contexts and real-world connections. The program presents information supported by a progression of learning: kinesthetic materials, powerful visual images, and symbolic notation. Pressed to make connections within the strategies and models, students develop a rich cognitive framework for the structure of mathematics.

Grades 6–8 use CPM math curriculum

  • A great resource for math help for 6th grade and up is CPM. “CPM’s mission is to empower mathematics students and teachers through exemplary curriculum, professional development, and leadership. We recognize and foster teacher expertise and leadership in mathematics education. We engage all students in learning mathematics through problem-solving, reasoning, and communication. CPM envisions a world where mathematics is viewed as intriguing and useful, and is appreciated by all; where powerful mathematical thinking is an essential, universal, and desirable trait; and where people are empowered by mathematical problem-solving and reasoning to solve the world’s problems.”

FOSS Program

Our intrinsic attraction to the natural world invites learners to engage in life, physical, and earth science content and practices. Through observation and experimentation, we come to better understand the scientific processes that impact the world in which we live. Athlos Academy uses selected Full Option Science System (FOSS) kits to support the science program and rich investigations. These hands-on, active science investigations promote analysis, deep conversations, and connections. In alignment with the Next Generation and State Science Standards, the Athlos science program also incorporates the engineering practices of analyzing a problem, developing a solution, and redesigning the proposal after evaluation.

In addition to FOSS, Athlos Academy utilizes original science units, developed with purposeful connections to the Healthy Body Pillar. All units are built around intriguing guiding questions, essential science concepts, inquiry-based activities, and meaningful connections. Our budding scientists have multiple opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and skills through engaging projects.

The social studies program is founded on the idea that developing civic competence is the basis for full participation in a democratic society. Aligned to state standards, Athlos Academy uses units framed by central topics such as family, community, and citizenship. Deeper investigations into pivotal historical events and eras such as the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the settlement of Utah cultivates historical inquiry skills and an appreciation of our past. Students consistently make connections to modern day global issues. Beginning with guiding questions and essential understandings, the units include activities to pique curiosity and spark excitement. Throughout the grade levels, there are intentional connections made to Performance Character traits rooted in the deeds and words of significant historical and modern figures.

The fine arts curriculum includes visual arts and music exploration.

Student Learning at Athlos

Free All-Day Kindergarten!

Athlos Academy of Utah is excited to announce free all-day kindergarten starting in the 2023-24 school year!

Fall Reading Challenge

We encourage all Griffins to FALL in love with reading and participate in the Fall Reading Challenge over Fall Break.

Supporting Literacy at Home

Parents are a child’s first teacher and Athlos is committed to helping parent’s support literacy and learning at home.

Behavioral Strategies for Parents

Behavioral Strategies for Parents

Attendance Matters: The Impact of Tardiness on Student Success

At Athlos schools, some of the most important learning opportunities for students occur in the morning where they often participate in class huddles, morning announcements, and develop relationships with their peers.

PBS Utah Kids Reading Marathon

The PBS Reading Marathon is now over. Parents need to submit reading logs to PBS Utah by December 15.

Six Tips on Helping Your Student Develop a Growth Mindset Through Praise

Recent studies indicate that how parents and educators give praise or reward for a student’s success can have a direct effect on their mindset.

PBS Utah Reading Marathon

You are invited to join the PBS Utah 28th annual reading marathon, where Adventure Awaits!

The Growth Mindset Book Club with Isaac Ramos

At Athlos Academy of Utah, teachers strive to find ways to use instructional strategies that promote curiosity, a culture of positivity, and a growth mindset.

Tips and Tricks for Helping Children Become Excited About Math

Athlos has compiled a few tips and tricks that can help both parents and children develop optimism and curiosity about the field of mathematics.

Assessments

In order to improve instruction and allow for data-driven decision-making, Athlos Academy of Utah conducts interim assessments using assessments aligned to Utah’s academic standards. The results of these assessments are used to inform classroom instruction and identify the supports needed for individual students.

iReady

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses, measures growth, and supports data-driven differentiated instruction. It provides comprehensive insight into student learning across K–12 skills to help you meet the needs of all students. i-Ready Online Instruction provides a personalized learning pathway for students based on their Diagnostic results. Online Instruction targets skill gaps to help students who are behind access grade-level content, and it provides challenges and enrichment for students who are on grade level.

  • Math: K–8
  • Reading: 4–8
  • Mid-year assessments
  • Learn more

Acadience Reading (formerly DIBELS)

Formerly Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Acadience Reading is a universal screening and progress monitoring assessment that measures the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade (K–3 at Athlos). The assessment is comprised of six brief measures that function as indicators of the essential skills that every child must master to become a proficient reader. These measures are used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy skills in order to provide timely instructional support and prevent the occurrence of later reading difficulties.

RISE

Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE) is Utah’s computer adaptive standards assessment. RISE offers students, teachers, and parents an improved overall experience and an opportunity to work collaboratively towards following the Utah State Core Standards. RISE replaced SAGE starting with the 2018–2019 school year.

  • ELA: 3–8
  • Math: 3–8
  • Science: 4–8
  • Writing: 5 & 8
  • Online or paper-based accommodations
  • Utah State Board of Education – RISE resources
  • RISE brochure (PDF)

DLM

The Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) is Utah’s alternate assessment system. The DLM content standards, called Essential Elements, (EEs) bridge grade-level content standards to academic expectations for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

  • ELA: 3–8
  • Math: 3–8
  • Science: 3–8
  • The assessment is delivered in testlets
  • More info about DLM

ACCESS & Alternate ACCESS

At Athlos, ACCESS is administered to K–8 students who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). It’s given annually to monitor students’ progress in learning academic English. WIDA’s five English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards: Social & Instructional Language, Language of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies and test forms are divided into five grade-level clusters (testing grades 1–8).

  • Paper-based and online formats for grades 1–8
  • Paper-based format for kindergarten
  • Alternate ACCESS is paper only

Links to learn more:

KEEP

Utah’s Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP) is intended to inform various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and leadership, on the academic and social-emotional development of entering and exiting kindergarten students.

  • KEEP is designed to be administered in individual testing sessions (kindergarten teacher with a single student)
  • First assessments are given in a window that starts three weeks before the first day of school and ends three weeks after the start of school
  • Utah State Board of Education – Learn more about Keep Entry, Keep Exit, and Alternate KEEP