Our Academic Program
OUR VISION FOR LEARNING
We are a student-centered community of learners, contributors and designers who grapple joyfully with complex ideas, texts and tasks that prepare students for the greatest success in college, career and life.
Every day, all of our students read, write and engage in academic discourse that is grounded in meaningful questions and relevant problems.
Click through the tabs below to learn about our programs.
English language arts
We believe...
- Students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
- Through English Language Arts instruction, students learn to make meaning, write clearly, and think critically.
- All students deserve the chance to learn how to communicate effectively so they are prepared for college, career, and life.
Parent Resources
Brytewave - grade level appropriate eBooks
Reading Games - play online games related to instructional needs (grades K-3)
NYTimes.com Student Crossword Archive
Printing Press - create multimedia products, like online newspapers, brochures, and posters
English language arts PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Refine Essential
Skills
Reading, writing, and thinking are part of every course a student will take, and English class is where they get to refine those skills.
ADVANCED LEARNING
OPTIONS
Our high schools offer numerous Advanced Placement courses in language, literature, research, and seminar.
CROSS CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS
Our program is designed to ensure that students are about to engage with language arts integration throughout the day to enhance proficiency.
mathematics
We believe...
- Mathematics is the method to solve many things. It is the understanding of mathematics that supports reasoning, creativity, abstract, and spatial thinking.
- Mathematics allows us to make sense of chaos, be musicians, carpenters, mechanics, doctors, engineers, scientists, and more.
- All students can learn math! All TPS students will have the opportunity to study, engage and learn challenging mathematical concepts that will prepare them for college, career, and life.
Parent Resources
Mathematics Program Highlights
College and career ready curriculum to support all learners K-12
Innovative instructional models including Summit and Teach 2 One
Earn college mathematics credit through concurrent enrollment, CALC program, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and our innovative College High School program
A variety of Advanced Placement (AP) mathematics courses are offered in many of our high schools
Science
We believe...
- Science is a lens to interpret the world. Every move we make involves decisions that include the application of scientific principles.
- Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) occupations and fields are experiencing exponential growth leading to rewarding and challenging careers.
- All students should have access to a high quality science education, providing knowledge and skills that enables them to function productively as lifelong learners and problem-solvers in a scientific and technological world.
Science Program Highlights
The practices of science and engineering are integrated into many areas of district curricula to provide a more accurate picture of life beyond the classroom.
Innovative programs are introduced across the district to engage students as scientists.
We offer numerous Advanced Placement science courses in many of our high schools.
STEAM courses and after school clubs are offered at select schools. Offerings may include robotics, computer coding clubs, gardening, chess, biking, recycling, and green school initiatives.
Social studies
We believe...
- The purpose of social studies is to develop students who are able to make informed decisions and participate as responsible citizens in an increasingly diverse, global society.
- Access to social studies learning enables students to engage positively with community leaders and build better futures for themselves and their families.
- Students who are well-versed in social studies are able to enhance their knowledge, perspectives, and character to more deeply understand themselves and the world around them.
Parent Resources
- iCivics (upper elementary through high school).
- Seriously Amazing Objects at the Smithsonian
- Brain Pop
- Tulsa Race Riot Centennial Commission
Social Studies Program Highlights
A rigorous social studies curriculum prepares students for college, career, and life.
We offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses in history, economics, and government are offered in many of our high schools.
Tulsa Public Schools hosts an annual institute to educate on the Tulsa Race Massacre; students also have the opportunity to learn about Oklahoma and Tulsa history.
Observations of Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Day encourage an appreciation of US History.
Assessment
We believe...
- Student assessment allows us to measure instructional effectiveness and drive student growth.
- Assessment provides a comprehensive picture of student achievement and shows growth over time. What's the value add?
- Data collected via student assessments allows teachers, leaders, district staff to engage in reflection and impact instructional decision
Personalized learning
Personalized learning allows students to learn and move at their own pace. Tulsa's personalized learning programs are all based in human relationships: technology is only a tool, and never a teacher. We currently support personalized learning programs in grades 4-12 in five schools implementing Summit Learning: McClure Elementary, Central Middle School, Central High School, Memorial Middle School, and Webster High School.
Summit is a highly-personalized program that focuses on rigorous content, individual habits of success and developing a sense of purpose in learners and learning. Summit schools use a thoughtful combination of classroom teachers, group work, individual work and online learning resources.
Students participating in this program are growing faster than their peers. Over the past 2.5 years, the average Tulsa Public Schools student participating in a Summit program has gained 4 points in both math and reading percentiles.
For more information about our personalized learning programs, please reach out to Susan Carey careysu@tulsaschools.org.
Adopted Curriculum
Elementary
- Pre-Kindergarten: Tools of the Mind
- English Reading/Language Arts: Core Knowledge Language Arts (Amplify) and novel studies:
- Grade 3: Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez, Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo,
- Grade 4: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
- Grade 5: You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P by Alex Gino, The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
- Spanish Reading/Language Arts: Adelante (Benchmark Education)
- French Reading/Language Arts: Atelier de Lecture (Didier)
- Mathematics: Eureka Math (Great Minds)
- Social Studies: Social Studies Alive! (TCI)
- ^Science: Dimensions (HMH)
- English Language Development: REACH (National Geographic)
Middle School
- English Language Arts: AmplifyELA (Amplify)
- French Language Arts: Imaginez (Vista Higher Learning)
- Mathematics: Eureka Math (Great Minds)
- Social Studies: Geography Alive! (TCI) and History Alive! (TCI)
- ^Science: Inspire Science (McGraw-Hill)
- English Language Development: INSIDE (National Geographic)
- World Languages:
- Discovery Spanish 1: Exploring Spanish (EMC/Carnegie Learning Publisher)
- Discovery Spanish 2: EntreCulturas A (Wayside Publishing)
- Discovery Spanish 3: Mundo Real (Cambridge University Press)
- Heritage Intro to Spanish Literacy: Adelante (Benchmark Advance)
- Spanish Language Arts I HS/CR: Adelante (Benchmark Advance)
- Spanish Language Arts II-III HS/CR: Galería (Vista Higher Learning)
- Spanish Language Arts I, II, III Novel Sets: El Soñoador, Esperanza Renace, Eco, La Lecíon de August, Devolver al Remitente, Aire Encantado: Dos Culturas, Dos Alas
- Discovery French 1: Exploring French (EMC/Carnegie Learning)
- Discovery French 2: EnterCultures A (Wayside Publishing)
- Discovery French 3: Bien Dit (HMH)
- French Lang. Arts I HS/CR: Imaginez (Vista Higher Learning
- French Lang. Arts II HS/CR: Imaginez (Vista Higher Learning
- French Lang. Arts III HS/CR: Imaginez (VIsta Higher Learning
- Discovery Chinese 1: Exploring Chinese EMC/Carnegie Learning publisher)
- Discovery Chinese 2: Easy Steps to Chinese 1 (Beijing Language & Culture University Press)
- Discovery Chinese 3: Easy Steps to Chinese 2 (BeiJing Language & Culture University Press)
- Discovery German 1: Exploring German (EMC/Carnegie Learning Publisher
- Discovery German 2: Deutsch Aktuell 1 (EMC/Carnegie Learning Publisher)
- Discovery German 3L Deutsch Aktuell 2 (EMC/Carnegie Learning Publisher)
- Discovery Russian 1: Teacher Created Materials
- Discovery Russian 2: Current Teacher Created Materials
- Discovery Russian 3: Current Teacher Created Materials
- Discovery Japanese 1: Japanese Graded Readers
- Discovery Japanese 2: Japanese Graded Readers
- Discovery Japanese 3: Japanese Graded Readers
High School
- English Language Arts: District-curated units centered on anchor texts
- English I: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Drive, Fahrenheit 451, Much Ado about Nothing, Glass Castle,
- English II: The Odyssey, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Perfect Storm
- English III: In Cold Blood, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Beloved, The Crucible, Invisible Man
- English IV: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hamlet, On Writing, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Fast Food Nation, A Handmaid’s Tale
- Mathematics: Mathematics Techbook (Discovery Education)
- Social Studies:
- US History: History Alive! (TCI)
- World History: History Alive! (TCI)
- Government: Government Alive! (TCI)
- Economics: Econ Alive! (TCI)
- ^Science:
- Biology: Inspire Biology (McGraw-Hill)
- Chemistry: Inspire Chemistry (McGraw-Hill)
- Physical Science: Inspire Physical Science (McGraw-Hill)
- Physics: Inspire Physics (McGraw-Hill)
- Anatomy & Physiology: Hole’s Human Anatomy and Physiology (McGraw-Hill)
- Astronomy: Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy (McGraw-Hill)
- Botany: Stern’s Introduction to Plant Biology (McGraw-Hill)
- Earth and Space: Inspire Earth and Space (McGraw-Hill)
- Ecology: Elements of Ecology (Pearson)
- Environmental Science: Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships (McGraw-Hill)
- Forensic Science: Forensic Science: An Introduction (Pearson)
- Geology: Visualizing Geology (HMH)
- Marine Biology: Marine Science (McGraw-Hill)
- Meteorology: Meteorology Today (Cengage)
- Zoology: Zoology (McGraw-Hill)
- English Language Development: EDGE (National Geographic)
- World Languages:
- Spanish I-III: Santillana (Vista Higher Learning)
- Spanish IV-V: Avancemos! 4 (HMH)
- Heritage Spanish II: Santillana Espanol 2 (Vista Higher Learning)
- French: Discovering French Today (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Chinese: Zhen Bang (EMC/Carnegie Publisher)
- Japanese: Minna no Nihongo (3A Corp) Japanese Graded Readers
- German I-III: Mosaik (Vista Higher Learning)
- German IV: Denk Mal! 4 (Vista Higher Learning)
- Russian: Nachalo (McGraw Hill)
- Latin I-III: Cambridge Latin Course Book (Cambridge University Press)
- Latin IV-V: Reading Virgil (Cambridge University Press)
- Italian: Sentieri 2nd Edition (Vista Higher Learning)
contact us
Academics
918-925-1100
curriculum@tulsaschools.org
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