Curriculum & Learning
The Starpoint Approach
Starpoint School offers an individualized curriculum for children with learning differences and/or attention deficits that interfere with academic progress. We serve students aged six to twelve that experience challenges in a traditional classroom and benefit from personalized attention.
Our program includes the traditional academic subjects – language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and physical education. Starpoint enhances its learning experiences, though, with nontraditional subjects such as art, music, and technology.
A unique feature of Starpoint is our system for moving student groups through levels based on their needs rather than a traditional grade-level system. Students are, however, divided into Primary and Intermediate schools.
Primary School
The focus of the Primary School at Starpoint is to bring students in and set a foundation for their academic success. Students are given techniques to build their self-esteem and carry themselves in a classroom setting. As with most elementary schools, students are contained to mostly one instructor and one group of students throughout the day.
Intermediate School
The Intermediate School is focused on preparing its students to be successful in their years following Starpoint. Different study skills and in-class behaviors are developed to allow students to thrive in any academic setting. Classes are departmentalized with different instructors for each subject, which reflects the environment they will enter in the coming years.
Traditional Subjects
Starpoint has unique approaches to each academic subject that allow students with all styles of learning to succeed. A wide variety of strategies are used in each class, helping students retain information and develop sustainable learning skills.
Mathematics
The approach to mathematics at Starpoint uses “spiraling curricula,” in which content builds on itself and key topics are revisited throughout the year. In this way, students are able to reestablish important skills, helping the content resonate.
Language Arts
Starpoint also uses spiraling curricula within reading, English, and language arts, allowing students to see the wide variety of uses for different skills in literature and everyday language. Much of the language arts content uses a phonics-based approach which helps students understand the meaning of different words despite any reading or spelling differences.
Science and Social Studies
These subjects employ a variety of hands-on learning styles. This approach allows for more practical learning, helping students apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios. Tests given in class always have a hands-on, performance-based aspect to them. Upper-level students also use textbooks in class to show how textbook-based and performance-based learning can work together.
Integrated Subjects
Starpoint also utilizes a variety of integrated subjects to help students learn in new ways. Many of these subjects also serve as an equalizer for the students, helping them defy any personal learning difficulties found in typical classrooms.
Technology
With the growing emphasis of technology in our world today, Starpoint students are given much exposure to emerging innovations. With a faculty member dedicated to teaching the class, students are given a leg up on their peers when using technology. It also helps make many of the students’ everyday tasks that are affected by a learning difference much less tedious.
Physical Education
Starpoint uses an “Adapted Physical Education” approach which focuses on building motor skills as well as valuable collaborative and team-building strategies. A dedicated staff member uses a multitude of games and activities that are never focused on competition and instead emphasize coming together and learning in new ways.
Art
Art is used at Starpoint to tap into a part of the brain not found in most traditional subjects. Art lessons are also often cross-curricular, meaning that they will go along with or reinforce lessons from another class or from a recent field trip.
Music
Music is presented through cross-curricular workshops. The STREAMliners program is specifically designed to integrate the arts into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as well as TEKS, TAKS and other skills initiatives surrounding the mid – region of the United States. Learn more.
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader, or AR, is a supplemental reading program utilized on the Starpoint campus. It is facilitated by Renaissance Learning which encourages students of all ages to pick up new books outside of the classroom. Students read different books supported by the AR system and take quizzes based on comprehension which award them with points that earn them recognition at school events.