Curriculum at OPA
OPA offers a dual language program (English/Spanish) for students to be exposed and educated in Spanish. All curriculum course offerings are aligned with the Utah State Core Curriculum and Statewide Assessments. The curriculum addresses the needs of each language group including: primary language development, second language acquisition, development of cognitive language and literacy skills, and the development of cross-cultural understanding.
The objectives and themes in OPA’s curriculum for grades K-6 are based on the Utah State Core Curriculum. The curriculum incorporates theoretical foundations of a core education and second-language acquisition to implement effective program models. Using a thematic approach, content and literacy instruction are offered to all students in both languages. ESL techniques are evident in all classrooms to assist both the language-minority students and English-proficient students.
Common Core Standards
Utah is one of over 40 state and territories that are adopting core standards for English Language Arts & Mathematics to a set of common standards common to all states. This initiative was organized by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The common core standards will help ensure that students are receiving consistent education from school to school and state to state. Our teachers have attended and will attend professional development to familiarize themselves with the Common Core and have begun integrating it into their instruction this year. For more information about the Common Core you may visit:
Parent Guides
Parents are important partners in achieving the Utah State Board of Education’s vision that “each student is prepared to succeed and lead by having knowledge and skills to learn, en- gage civically, and lead meaningful lives.” The purpose of these Parent Guides is to help parents better understand what their children should learn, when a child may need more help or when a child would benefit from extra challenges. Click the link above to learn more.
Literacy Milestones
Literacy Milestones, a free online collection of videos aimed at helping parents understand grade-level expectations in grades K-12. Milestones show students demonstrating what success looks like in reading, writing and math, grade by grade. High school Milestones shows some real-world skills kids should know as well as the academic ones. Click the link above to learn more.