Curriculum & Instruction
All students will have access to opportunities that help them learn and achieve at high levels. To prepare students with the skills and content knowledge needed to be successful in college and their careers, KIPP teachers deliver high-quality, rigorous curriculum and instruction. By monitoring academic progress, KIPP educators know what their students need and tailor instruction so every child receives the appropriate level of support and challenge.
Literacy
English Language Arts are taught using the WONDERS curriculum in grades K-5.
According to Education Week Research, Wonders is one of the top 10 most popular reading programs. Wonders is an evidence-based K–5 ELA program that empowers students to take an active role in learning and exploration.
Students will enjoy unparalleled opportunities to express and assess themselves through reading, writing, and speaking. Wonders focuses on three related areas to help students learn how to learn and become critical thinkers: social emotional learning, habits of learning, and classroom culture.
math
Math is taught through Eureka Math a nationally-recognized curriculum that aligns college-ready standards with instruction for grades PK-12. Published by Great Minds, Eureka Math presents mathematics in a logical progression designed to reduce learning gaps, develop persistence in problem-solving, and prepare students to understand advanced mathematical concepts.
stem
KIPP Memphis is on a journey to develop students’ creativity, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, which are all necessary for success in today’s world. With an emphasis on post-secondary readiness, our new KIPP STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum will prepare students for college, career and beyond while producing joyful school environments for our KIPPSters.
K-8
Curriculum
A high quality curriculum plays a critical role in unlocking the potential of both students and teachers. KIPP schools’ curricula are rigorous, standards-based, and carefully designed to prepare our kids to succeed in college, career, and life beyond. The majority of KIPP schools use the following curriculum for literacy and math:
Early
Literacy
Early Literacy is taught using a unique core curriculum grounded in science of reading, combining rich, diverse content knowledge in history. Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is a comprehensive program (Preschool–Grade 5) for teaching reading, writing, listening, and speaking while also building student vocabulary and knowledge across essential domains in literature, world and American history, and the sciences.
Amplify CKLA is a unique core curriculum for Pre-K–5 ELA grounded in the science of reading, combining rich, diverse content knowledge in history, science, literature, and the arts with systematic, research-based foundational skills instruction. Amplify CKLA Skills is the first foundational skills program to earn an all-green rating from EdReports.
High School
Curriculum
AVID Curriculum
Junior Achievement
KIPP Memphis believes all students should have access to college preparatory curriculum as they prepare for their future and become college- and career-ready. AP© courses include a focus on improving KIPPster’s written and oral communication skills, critical thinking skills, and analysis of complex content. These courses provide teachers with the opportunity to experiment with many teaching methods to meet KIPPsters where they are within the course content.
In 2017, KIPP Memphis Collegiate High school implemented “AP for All,” meaning that 100% of KMCS students will take an AP course before they graduate. All students enrolled in an Advanced Placement (AP©) course are required to sit for the exam at the end of the academic year. KIPPsters are placed in AP© courses based on teacher recommendation and academic performance.
All KIPPsters will have the opportunity to take multiple AP© courses by graduation.
KIPP Memphis has implemented the AVID curriculum in our schools. According to AVID website, the mission of AVID is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. We believe that AVID is a college readiness system that takes students with the potential and determination to go to college and supports their academic success in the rigorous courses required to get into those four year universities. In the AVID elective course, students are taught the skill sets (purposeful note-taking, organization, public speaking, responsibility, etc.) necessary to be successful in those rigorous courses.
We’ve implemented a variety of Junior Achievement programs tailored to K-12 grade bands. Through this partnership, students will be equipped with the skills and principles that influence their future success. Students will walk away with the ability to connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world. Currently, KIPP Memphis has adopted the JA Neighbors & JA for a Day program for Elementary aged students. Middle schoolers will engage in the Capstone Experience and 8th Grade Heroes curriculum. Our High School students will experience Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship programs.