Parent Testimonial

"Our experience since starting with VAMS only a few short weeks ago has been overwhelmingly positive almost too good to be true! Innovative is an understatement, engaging and stimulating, pertinent and relevant, challenging and personalized all these things and so much more!"

-Parent review from greatschools.net

Vector Academy's Curriculum

Vector Academy Middle School's number one goal is to send our students to 9th grade prepared for success. This is achieved by observing and exceeding all of the national education standards. What are the national education standards? They are a list of learner outcomes that are expected as a child moves from one grade to the next and are evaluated on national standardized tests. However, the present system is ineffective because the list of required learning, which varies from state to state, is longer than the school year required to teach it. There simply are not enough hours in the day. So in an effort to have high test scores, schools are focusing only on the subjects that are tested in the national standardized tests; reading and math, with science being added in the next two years. Public schools live or die by their test scores under 'No Child Left Behind.' This law is the worst thing to happen to education in our country ever. Public schools are in a fight to the death with Washington D.C. and the losers of this fight are your children. We at V.A.M.S. are immune to this legislation as a private institution, however, we want your child to succeed on the same state tests that all of our students take during 8th grade. We achieve this goal through the INTEGRATION of subjects.

No subjects are taught in isolation of the other strands of knowledge. We reach all of our language arts standards not just by reading literature books and writing book reports, but also by writing research papers about history and science. Understanding the incomprehensible language of old English is not as important as being able to write a stunning thesis paper.

The following is a subject-by-subject description of your child's two years with us. For a curriculum map please see our Curriculum at a Glance page.

Mathematics: We believe that reaching Calculus by the senior year of high school should be the goal of every V.A.M.S. graduate. This timeline makes it an absolute necessity that all of our students finish Algebra I and are prepared for Geometry by the time they leave us. With this goal in mind we begin 7th graders with an intensive Pre-Algebra course designed to find any holes in their math knowledge and fill them quickly. When ready, any student can move up to the 8th grade Algebra I course regardless of age. When students leave us we want them to be quick with their math facts as well as having an understanding of what math is really saying. What does 4 x 5 look like? It is not enough to have memorized that the answer 20. We want our students to see five baskets of four apples each in their minds. This comprehension, which reaches beyond drill memorization, is invaluable as your child moves on to ever-higher math in the future.

***All of the following courses are looped curriculums based on calendar year not on grade level; both 7th and 8th graders attend at the same time. When reading the following know that we are basing ODD or EVEN calendar years on the date the school year began. For example the school year which begins 07 and ends 08 is considered an Odd year and the school year which begins 08 and ends 09 is an Even year***

Language Arts: We believe that reading and writing are fundamental skills that must be practiced constantly across all of our curriculums during your child's 2 years with us.

In Mathematics we concentrate on reading word problems for speed and accuracy as well as learning to create constructed responses that explain one's mathematical reasoning (key to success in most state 8th grade assessments, as well as the SAT.)

In Science we focus on writing standard lab reports used by most high schools and colleges, as well as one research paper per semester on an important scientist or scientific discovery.

In Social Studies we read one novel per quarter, which ties directly to the theme and period we are studying. They are, in no particular order (and subject to change), as follows: The Lord of the Flies, Where the Red Fern Grows, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Giver, Days of Jubilee; the End of Slavery in the United States, The Captains Dog; My Travels with Lewis and Clark, and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Writing is broken into two types:

First we focus on creating quality research papers, with attention paid closely to thesis creation, strong body support (featuring quotes and facts that have been properly sited) and conclusions.

Second we as a school produce a bi-monthly 'newspaper' (only viewable by registered students for safety considerations) in which students research and write stories about their hometowns and lives with a strong focus on photo journalism. Providing stories for our Entertainment Section, students write reviews of movies or books they have recently enjoyed. For our Sports Section, they write stories of their own teams personal triumphs and tragedies. And our Editorial Section is a free place for students to voice opinions on a wide range of topics. The process of actual publication forces the student to value the writing and focus on the important writing and revision process, key to writing success.

Vocabulary is stressed across all aspects of our curriculum with regular vocabulary tests to build the child's bank of usable terminology, key to success on the Verbal Section of the SAT.

Social Studies & Geography: Our philosophy on the teaching of History is based on the idea of "History in Reverse." The standard way History is currently taught in schools is to start in the very beginning and progress through the ages. This is BORING! Children ages 12 and 13 can't even imagine what 1,000 years ago means. The time schools ever reach the modern histories, the histories that touched their parents and grandparents lives, the kids have long since checked out. We at V.A.M.S. take modern events, which are happening around the world, and trace them backwards through time to locate the causes making history a relevant idea to the student.

(Odd Calendar Years; beginning 07-09-11)

First Semester: World History with a focus on human migration around the planet, the effects of the Industrial Revolution, the rise of communism and fascism, the major wars, and the rise and fall of empires.

Second Semester: World Political Science with a focus on the transition from monarchy and theocracy to present political systems of democracy, communism and dictatorships. The major theme of the semester is... How do choices made by regular people affect the world?

(Even Calendar Years; beginning 08-10-12)

First Semester: U.S. Political Science with a focus on actual elections both local and federal. We examine the branches of our government and how it came to be. How does a modern democracy actually work? Who are we voting for and what do we know about them? What are the issues effecting our counties as well as our country? Having students from around the entire nation in one classroom during an actual election cycle makes this a powerful learning experience.

Second Semester: U.S. History. The transition from semester 1 to 2 is a seamless transition which answers the question, 'Now that we know where we are as a country, how did we get here?' Key events which are studied this semester are, the Revolution, the Expansion of our nation from coast to coast, the Civil War, the World Wars, the Cold War, civil rights, and our rise to super power and empire.

Science: Our Science curriculum is based on hands-on learning with students doing actual experiments at home. All 8th graders are required to enter a local Science Fair in their own town prior to graduation.*

(Odd Calendar Years)

First Semester: Is a study of Biology in which students learn about: cell biology, genetics, DNA, biological evolution and the extinction of a species

Second Semester: Is a study of Earth Sciences in which students learn about: geology, the rock cycle, volcanoes, plate tectonics, geologic time scale, and plant and animal kingdoms.

(Even Calendar Years)

First Semester: Is a study of Physical Science in which the students learn about: forces, motion, light and the electromagnetic spectrum, planetary physics, the solar system, life cycles of stars, density, buoyancy, and principals of flight.

Second Semester: Is a study of Chemistry in which the students learn about: the nature and structure of matter, the atom, the periodic table of elements, chemical reactions, the nature of chemistry in biological systems, and balancing chemical equations.

*Investigation and Experimentation

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations, knowing this V.A.M.S. students will:

  • Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.
  • Use a variety of print and electronic resources (including the World Wide Web) to collect information and evidence as part of a research project.
  • Communicate the logical connection among hypotheses, science concepts, tests conducted, data collected, and conclusions drawn from the scientific evidence.
  • Construct scale models, maps, and appropriately labeled diagrams to communicate scientific knowledge (e.g., motion of Earth's plates and cell structure).
  • Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.