Bancroft School - Academics

Academics

Lower School (Grades Pre-K-5) — In pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, a lead classroom teacher and an assistant present a full-day experiential program that includes Physical Education, Library, and Music classes. Students learn by playing and imagining, questioning and investigating, creating and discovering. There is a strong focus on social skills development.

In Grades 1 through 5, a classroom teacher instructs students in Reading, Language Arts, Math (based on the Everyday Math series), History, and Social Studies. Specialist teachers lead classes in Art, Computer Skills, Drama, French, Spanish, Library, Music, Physical Education, and Science.

Middle School (Grades 6-8) — Grade-level teaching teams coordinate the curriculum across disciplines. English, Mathematics, Physical Education, and Arts (Studio Art, Music, and Drama) are taught in all three Middle School grades. In addition: Grade 6 students take Worcester-based U.S. History, Life Science, Phenomenon of Language (POL), and Health; Grade 7 students take World Geography, Earth Science, Foreign Language (Spanish, French, Latin, Manderin), and Multimedia (Computers); and Grade 8 students learn about Foundations of Government, Physical Science, Foreign Language, along with electives in Visual and Performing Arts, and Technology.

Upper School (Grades 9-12) — Upper School teaching teams provide a liberal arts education. Students are required to complete courses in English, History, Mathematics, Science, The Arts, Physical Education, Health/Ethics, and a Foreign Language (Spanish, French, Latin, Mandarin). Qualified juniors and seniors may take Advanced Placement (AP) college-level courses. Research projects are required at every grade level.

Graduation Requirements — To earn a diploma, a student must accumulate a minimum of 20 credits, and complete 30 hours of community service. In addition, Grade 12 students are required to participate in the Senior Cooperative (or Co-op) Program. Co-op students gain substantive work experience under the guidance of a mentor in an organization that aligns with their service, career, or academic interests. Approximately 40 Worcester-area organizations are Co-op partners. They represent the arts, social services, education, environment, medicine, government, and business sectors, and include the American Red Cross, City of Worcester Executive Offices, Habitat for Humanity, Legal Assistance Corp., UMass Medical Center, and Worcester Art Museum.

Technology — Bancroft School has a longstanding commitment to technology and digital media in the classroom. The wireless campus has four computer labs and more than 400 state-of-the-art Mac computers, scanners, cameras, and other digital devices. A full computer skills and multimedia curriculum is offered in the Lower and Middle Schools. Numerous Computer Science courses are offered in Upper School including AP Computer Science. In 2011, Bancroft became the first school in Central Massachusetts to adopt the iPad portable tablet computer as a 1:1 technology tool for teaching and learning. The school is providing ongoing iPad training for students, faculty, and parents. By the fall of the 2012, all Bancroft teachers and students in Grades 6-12 will be required to have an iPad for classroom and home use. The device will enable students and teachers to create and present multimedia content (incorporating sound, video, and graphics), and to customize lessons to fit the child’s learning style (auditory, visual, and/or kinesthetic).