Accelerated Reader
Talpa’s faculty and administration have seen tremendous improvement in students’ reading performance since our school’s implementation of the Accelerated Reader program (or AR) in October 2012. Talpa adopted AR to improve reading comprehension, increase vocabulary and encourage independent reading. Prior to beginning AR, each student took a diagnostic test to determine his/her reading level. Since that time, the program – which is aligned with the California Common Core Standards – has allowed faculty to assess and monitor individual student growth. To date, we have seen a growth rate of one to two grade levels among students. To learn more about AR, you can visit http://www.renlearn.com/ar/.

Mathletics
Mathletics is an online math program that Talpa implemented in November 2012. The program’s curriculum is aligned with the California Common Core Standards and covers all aspects of mathematics. Students participate in Mathletics individually, at their own pace and on their own level. The program responds to students’ strengths and weaknesses and provides performance results for teachers. One component of Mathletics is that it allows students to challenge other students from around the world to math computation problems and puzzles. This feature has helped make Mathletics a favorite among Talpa students. Since the implementation of this program, faculty members have begun to see positive growth in students’ computation skills and a greater understanding of number sense among students. To learn more about Mathletics, you can visit http://www.mathletics.com/.

English/Language Arts Curriculum
Talpa’s faculty and administration are committed to developing school-wide curricula to best serve our students. This commitment is apparent in our school’s decision to undertake the process of aligning our English/Language Arts curriculum with Common Core State Standards. The Common Core focuses on depth, understanding, and higher-level thinking skills. It also provides rigorous content to best prepare students to be successful in high school and college. Talpa is part of the first wave of Catholic schools in the nation to adopt the Common Core State Standards. To learn more about the Common Core State Standards, you can visit http://www.corestandards.org/.