Innovative Middle School Model
Khan World School at ASU Prep is very different from most middle schools. Learning is self-driven and self-paced in a mastery-based model with a grading scale of A, B and In-progress. We combine History and English Language Arts into a single Humanities class. We integrate science subjects and compress math to allow for accelerated learning.
Advance at Your Own Pace
We have three levels of learning rather than the traditional 6th, 7th and 8th “grades”. Students may move to the next level as soon as they meet mastery in a core area and could be working at different levels in each subject area.
- Levels 1-2 condense 6th–8th grade curriculum standards into two years
- Level 3 includes high school core courses with middle school social support
- Most KWS students will leave middle grades with high school credits and be prepared for the next level of schooling.
Exploratory
The Exploratory program is how Khan World School middle grade students prepare for high school and the real world.
Three exploratory badges per middle school year are required for students grades 6-8. Students earn these badges at any time, in any order.
Middle grade students have the option to begin a high school world language program in place of earning exploratory badges.
Exploratory badges include:
- Civics/Government
- Coding (Level 1&2)
- Economics
- Arts & Music
- College & Career Exploration
- Physical Education
- Study Skills & Digital Citizenship
Academic Schedule
Collaborative learning is one of the unique components of the Khan World School. Learning and assessment happens through both independent study and in-depth discussion. Each day includes 1.5–2 hours of synchronous learning time with guides and peers. There is also time for individual instruction and small group mentoring.
A House Guide will customize course-taking plans to meet the learning needs of each individual student.
Middle Grades Courses
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Exploratory Badges Include: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities ELA + World History | Humanities ELA + US History | English 9 Honors | Coding Level 1 | Government/Civics |
| World History Honors | ||||
| Integrated Math Level 1 (6th grade/7th grade) | Integrated Math Level 2 (8th grade/pre-algebra) | Algebra | Honors (or higher placement) | Coding Level 2 | Economics |
| Integrated Science Year 1-2 | Integrated Science Year 2-3 | Biology Honors | Art & Music | College & Career Explore |
| Exploratory | Exploratory | Exploratory | Physical Education | Study Skills & Digital Citizenship |
| Highly recommended: HS World Language | ||||
Reading & Writing
KWS aspires for its students to be extremely well-read. This means having the time and space to read more widely than is typical. We also believe literature should be enjoyed and students should have agency over what they read (with some guardrails from the program to ensure quality and diversity).
Writing is also a key element of our program and because we combine English and History in to “Humanities” students have abundant opportunities to express their thinking in various forms of writing.
Student Support
While we love to empower students with agency over their learning, we also realize students this age need both academic and emotional support, sometimes a lot of support. The center of that support system are the House Guides. These assigned Guides are the go-to resource for both academic and personal advice.
Each student will have two to three instructional guides leading their learning journey for their core courses.
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