Academics

Differentiated Learning

Elementary School

We recognize that all students have been gifted by God in different ways. Students who are gifted academically are challenged within their classroom through differentiated instruction. Classroom teachers have been trained to recognize and challenge gifted learners through small group instruction, peer collaboration, problem based learning activities, extension menus and differentiated assignments.

Middle School

Horizons
Horizons is Eastern Christian Middle School’s extended learning program that strives to meet the learning needs of our students, especially those who display strength in academics. Our desire at ECMS is to inspire each student to flourish as they grow and learn.The Horizons program encourages students to integrate academics and biblical worldview to enhance their individual strengths and interests.  During the course of the program, these students make real-world applications, identify and solve problems, and and use inquiry to questions ideas and practices. Students are selected to participate in our Horizons program using standardized test scores and teacher recommendations. These selected students meet together weekly for collaboration in the context of their independent study projects. In addition, the Horizons teacher works to support teachers in planning differentiated assignments for use within core classes and to develop enrichment possibilities for all students. Our Horizons program seeks to help inspire our academically talented students and to differentiate classroom instruction so that all students have the opportunity for optimum academic growth and success.

High School

STEAM Program
STEAM is the acronym for an exciting new Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics program that we are pioneering at the High School for next school year. For several years now, STEM (without the “A” for art) initiatives have been on the increase in schools throughout the U.S., with the intent of preparing  young people for the growing engineering and technology job market.

More information about our STEAM program

Project Acceleration
Courses designated for dual credit allow a student to receive both high school credit toward a diploma and also college credit from a specified institution. Eastern Christian high school has dual credit courses which are offered in an online format and also dual credit courses which are offered in our classrooms in partnership with Seton Hall University in our Project Acceleration program.Upon completion of a course, the student receives credits on a college transcript. These credits transfer to most colleges but their transferability is ultimately decided by the college which the student attends.

More information about Project Acceleration

Elementary School

Eastern Christian Elementary School provides a broad spectrum of services to meet the needs of our students. In addition to the differentiated instruction that occurs in every classroom, we have a resource program called the Owl’s Nest, which is staffed with two Learning Disabilities teachers. Students who learn differently or need extra academic support may qualify for daily replacement reading or for support in reading and/or math. Additionally, we provide support through teachers and speech therapists from Bergen County Special Services.

We use a variety of multisensory, highly structured and sequenced programs to meet our students’ varied academic needs. The following is a partial list of the published programs that we use:

Orton Gillingham
Preventing Academic Failure
Merrill Linguistic Reading
Wilson Just Words
Math-U-See
Touch Math
Imagine It Reading
Basic Writing Skills

Middle School

The resource center program at the middle school is designed to meet the specific needs of students to maximize their learning potential. Focusing on students who present a wide variety of learning differences, the resource room teacher works closely with the mainstream classroom teachers and parents to ensure that comprehensive support for the students is achieved. In addition to support of mainstream classroom learning objectives, the resource center program provides replacement instruction for a small group of students in core academic areas. While serving a broad spectrum of learners, the resource teacher also ensures the utilization of modifications and accommodations set forth in the child’s Individual Service Plan (ISP). An annual meeting is held with the Bergen County Child Study Team, resource room teacher,mainstream classroom teacher and the parents to discuss the ISP and student progress. Some of the instructional resources we use to support learning and growth include:

Success Maker Language Arts
Success Maker Math
Pearson Successnet
Saxon Math
Wilson Just Words
Compass Learning

High School

We aspire to help students with academic subject areas study skills, and self-advocacy delivered in three ways:

1. The least restrictive environment is being enrolled in the resource room (offered on an alternating or daily basis.) This is a credit class that includes study skills and help with a student’s current academic schedule.
2. A greater degree of service is through an inclusion model. Supported through EC staff or County services as in-class support. Teachers with expertise in differentiation work alongside ECHS staff. As we make the curriculum more accessible for students who learn differently, all students benefit. (Universal design)
3. The highest level of intervention is a remediation class that parallels the grade level college prep curriculum.

While we do support students in all academic areas, our most common differentiation takes place in English, Language Arts, and Math.