Academics & Learning

At a glance

Phoenix is a public Worthington middle school for grades 7–8 built around Mastery Learning. Students learn through strong relationships, meaningful work, and clear expectations.

• Mastery Learning: grades reflect what students know and can do, with chances to learn from feedback and revise.

• Core academics: students build strong skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

• Foundations: a yearlong skills class focused on reading, writing, vocabulary, organization, and study strategies that students use across all classes.

• Creative Start (CS): arts classes built into the week.

• Wellness + reading: scheduled blocks for Wellness (PE) and Reading.

• Support built into the day: AO (Academic Option) and Learning Extensions time for help, revisions, and enrichment.

How Mastery Learning works

Mastery Learning means students keep working until they demonstrate understanding. Teachers set a clear mastery standard for each assignment, give feedback, and expect students to revise when needed.

If an assignment is missing or not yet meeting the mastery standard, students are expected to finish it or revise it. Rather than accepting work that shows misunderstanding, is incomplete, or would earn that student a zero and moving on, we focus on feedback, revision, and evidence of learning that reflects what students can truly do.

Students are supported at school through class time, AO (Academic Option), and Learning Extensions to make sure missing or not-yet-mastered work gets completed.

For more details, visit Mastery Assessment.

What students take

All students participate in a balanced program that includes:

• Core Curriculum: English language arts, math, science, social studies, philosophy, global cultures, Spanish, and wellness.

• Creative Start (CS): arts courses that help students build skills and express ideas in different ways.

• Reading + Wellness blocks: dedicated time for reading and for Wellness (PE).

Students follow a rotating schedule that balances core academics with arts, reading, wellness, and built-in support time.

For more details visit Our Schedule.

Academic Options (AO)

AO is a flexible support block built into the school day. During AO, students may work on revisions, meet with teachers for extra help, and use feedback to strengthen their learning.

Learning Extensions (LE)

Learning Extensions are another built-in support time where students can get targeted help, build skills, or extend learning with teacher support.

Want the course-by-course details?

For subject descriptions and standards by course, visit Core Curriculum (Courses).