Brentwood Academy Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Overview

Our Educational Approach

Brentwood Academy purposefully nurtures and challenges all learners, body, mind, and spirit, to pursue their highest potential to the glory of God. Our experienced faculty actively create learning environments where a student is shepherded to think more deeply, communicate more clearly, and become the person who, by God’s grace, redemptively shapes his or her community.

Mission

Brentwood Academy is a co-educational, independent, college preparatory school dedicated to nurturing and challenging each whole person – body, mind, and spirit – to the glory of God.

Vision

Brentwood Academy will provide an exceptional academic expereince in a Christ-centered environment.

Accreditations and Memberships

Brentwood Academy is a college-preparatory school accredited by COGNIA, formerly AdvancED, through SAIS, the Southern Association of Independent Schools. Brentwood Academy is also a founding member of CESA, the Council on Education Standards and Accountability. Our school’s motto is Vivat Veritas, “Let Truth Prevail;” thus, the pursuit of truth should be our highest ideal such that students develop a biblical worldview and healthy relationships.

Honor Pledge

Brentwood Academy encourages students to speak and act with truthfulness and integrity at all times. Students are asked to sign the honor pledge on all submitted work: “On my honor as a Brentwood Academy student, I have neither given nor received help on this work.”

Statement of Faith

Brentwood Academy believes and teaches:

• That the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21);

• That, as the Bible clearly teaches, we are all sinful by nature, and that both our nature and our choices have resulted in our need for forgiveness and transformation which we are not able to provide ourselves, leaving each of us in need of a Savior (Romans 3:9-10; Romans 3:23);

• That the only salvation is through faith in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 3:16-18, 5:24; Romans 3:24, 5:8-11; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5);

• That God’s power is at work in and through believers, through the continued work of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:30).

The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Brentwood Academy’s Statement of Faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our board of trustees is Brentwood Academy’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application for our organization.

Brentwood Academy believes that all human life is created by God in His image and is sacred from beginning to natural end. We expect all students and adults to treat each other with dignity and respect, valuing people of each racial, ethnic, or national background equally as image-bearers of God. Brentwood Academy also believes and teaches that each person is called to a life of love, purity, self-sacrifice, and obedience. Because of our Christian faith-based beliefs, we believe that the Bible gives clear direction on how to live a flourishing and thriving life, both personally and in community. Consistent with written scripture, Brentwood Academy’s beliefs include the conviction that any sexual intimacy outside of a covenant relationship between a man and a woman harms the individuals involved, as well as the relationships and community around them. Further, we believe that a person’s gender is based on an identity given by God and assigned at birth.

Brentwood Academy seeks to foster Christian faith and inquiry in an atmosphere of civility, dignity, and compassion. We are confident that expressing differences of belief, even differences to ideas that Brentwood Academy holds passionately, can be done without anger or hostility.

Diversity Statement

We believe that all persons are created in the image of God and have immeasurable worth in His eyes. We are committed to cultivating mutual respect, celebrating God-given differences and building up the body according to the truths of scripture. In the fulfillment of our Mission, we believe and teach that we are a diverse and united community that values each other uniquely. We are preparing students to engage the world with compassion, awareness, and sensitivity.

Brentwood Academy is committed to:

• Cultivating a community that embraces the differences within God’s Kingdom and promotes an environment of unity (Revelation 7:9-10).

• Advancing the understanding of each other’s perspectives in order to learn, grow, and serve alongside one another within the BA family.

• Preparing leaders and servants with moral integrity and Kingdom vision to engage a diverse global community.

• Developing collective responsibility to cultivate unity and community among leadership, faculty, students and families.

• Seeking to manifest the gospel of Christ according to John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Middle School

Overview

The Middle School experience at Brentwood Academy is designed to build a solid foundation of academic skills, develop confidence, and introduce students to a wide range of ideas and activities to help them develop as young yet thoughtful learners. Middle School classes are taught in nurturing and tight knit “dens” to facilitate growth. Our block schedule provides time for guided practice and opportunities to develop deeper learning. Middle School students also rotate through Exploratory classes, introducing them to new skills and areas of study, and choose elective courses in the performing arts.

Course Selections

6th Grade

English Skills History Literature Mathematics Math 6 Honors Math 6 Honors Pre-Algebra Science 6

7th Grade

English 7 or Honors English 7 World Language French Latin Spanish Mathematics Pre-Algebra Honors Pre-Algebra Algebra I Honors Algebra I Science 7

8th Grade

Civics

English 8 or Honors English 8 World Language French Latin Spanish Mathematics Pre-Algebra Algebra I Honors Algebra I Geometry Honors Geometry Science 8

Exploratories (9 weeks each) Art Bible STEM I World Languages & Cultures Fine Arts Electives Band Chorus

World Geography

Exploratories (6 weeks each) Art Bible Digital Communications Entrepreneurship Life Skills STEM II Fine Arts Electives Art/Drama Band Chorus

Exploratories (6 weeks each) Art Bible

Capstone Research Communication Leadership Fine Arts Electives Art Band Chorus Speech

Upper School

Overview

Building on the Middle School experience, the Upper School challenges students to further deepen and expand their learning. In the block schedule, students are not just given information to absorb, but are challenged to develop their intellect through practice, iteration, and reflection.

With a plethora of course offerings and multiple levels (College Prep, Honors, and Advanced Placement), students are given an array of inviting and challenging options. Though grounded in a broad-based liberal arts curriculum, students develop their unique God-given talents and giftings during their four years in preparation for college and beyond.

Minimum Graduation Requirements

Subject Credits Required

English 4 credits

Required: Four years of English

Mathematics 4 credits

Required: Four years of math, including two in algebra and one in geometry

History 3 credits

Required: Three years of history, including one in U.S. History

Science 3 credits

Required: Three years of science, including one in biology and one in chemistry or physics

World Languages 2 credits

Required: Two years in the same language, earned in grades 9-12

Christian Life 1.5 credits

Required: Christian Dynamics and World Religions

Fine Arts 1.5 credits

Required: Includes 0.5 credit in speech

Physical Education 4 credits

Required: Four years of PE, one earned each year

To count toward graduation, all course credits must be earned while a student is at Brentwood Academy or another accredited institution. Any upper school courses taken during the 8th grade year (such as math or language) will be included on the upper school transcript, but will not be included in the cumulative upper school grade point average and will not count toward the 23 upper school credits required for graduation.

Grade Nine

Subject Standard Honors / Advanced Placement

English Literature & Composition

Mathematics Geometry* Algebra I, II

History

Ancient History**

Honors Literature & Composition

Honors Geometry Honors Advanced Algebra II

Honors Ancient History AP World History

Science Biology Honors Biology

World Languages French I, II Latin I, II Spanish I, II

Christian Life World Religions (1 sem.)

Honors French II Honors Latin II Honors Spanish II

Fine Arts Speech (1 sem.)

Introduction to Art Chorus Concert Band Academy Singers***

*Students may take Algebra I, depending on the math course completed in 8th grade.

**Option: Most students choose between a history or an additional fine arts course as they begin to earn credits required for graduation.

*** Audition only

Grade Ten

Subject Standard

English American Literature & Composition Journalism (Yearbook)

Mathematics Algebra II Geometry

History World History

Science Chemistry

Computational Modeling in Physics

World Languages French II, III Latin II, III Spanish II, III

Honors / Advanced Placement

Honors American Literature & Composition

Honors Algebra II Honors Advanced Algebra II AP Statistics

Honors World History AP World History AP European History

Honors Chemistry AP Computer Science Principles

Honors French III Honors Latin III Honors Spanish III

Christian Life Practical Theology

Fine Arts

Introduction to Art

Intermediate Studio Art Chorus

Concert Band Jazz Band*** Contemporary Music Ensemble Academy Singers*** *** Audition only

Grade Eleven

Subject

Standard Honors / Advanced Placement

English British Literature & Composition Journalism (Yearbook)

Mathematics Algebra II Precalculus

Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry

History

U.S. History

Science Physics

Computational Modeling in Physics Anatomy/Physiology Marine Biology Nutrition Science

World Languages

French III, IV Spanish III, IV Latin III

Christian Life Life and Teachings of Jesus

Fine Arts

Introduction to Art

Intermediate Studio Art Chorus

Concert Band Jazz Band***

Contemporary Music Ensemble Academy Singers*** Advanced Media Art Theatre Arts and Appreciation Set Design/Technology

Honors British Literature & Composition

AP Literature & Composition

Honors Precalculus Honors Advanced Precalculus AP Statistics

Honors U.S. History AP U.S. History

Honors Physics Honors Anatomy/Physiology AP Chemistry AP Physics I AP Biology AP Computer Science Principles

Honors French IV Honors Spanish IV AP Latin

Honors Art Portfolio Development

Other AP Course Offerings

AP Seminar

*** Audition only

Grade Twelve

Subject Standard Honors / Advanced Placement

English World Literature & Composition

Journalism (Yearbook)

Mathematics

History

Calculus/Statistics

Precalculus

Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry

African American History Economics/Government

Science Physics

Computational Modeling in Physics

Anatomy/Physiology

Marine Biology Psychology Nutrition Science

World Languages Spanish V French V

Christian Life Christian Dynamics

Fine Arts

Chorus

Concert Band Jazz Band***

Contemporary Music Ensemble Academy Singers*** Theatre Arts and Appreciation Set Design/Technology

Honors World Literature & Composition AP Literature & Composition AP Language & Composition

Honors Calculus AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC AP Statistics

Honors African American History AP U.S. Government and Politics AP European History AP Micro and Macroeconomics

Honors Anatomy/Physiology AP Chemistry AP Physics I AP Physics C AP Biology AP Psychology AP Computer Science Principles

Honors French V Honors Spanish V AP Latin AP French Language and Culture AP Spanish Language and Culture

Honors Art Portfolio Development AP 2-D Art and Design

Other AP Course Offerings AP Research

Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry or Precalculus

Geometry Algebra II Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry or Precalculus

H Geometry H Algebra II or H Advanced Algebra H Precalculus or H Advanced Precalculus

Algebra II Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry

Precalculus

H Advanced Algebra II AP Statistics H Precalculus H Advanced Precalculus

Precalculus or Calculus/Statistics

H Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics

Calculus/Statistics, H Calculus, or AP Statistics

H Calculus, AP Calculus AB, or AP Calculus BC

Academic Honors

Honor Roll

Students are eligible for the Honor Roll if they earned 3.5 – 3.99 or above in all of the first three quarters.

Headmaster Roll

Students are eligible for the Headmaster Roll if they earned a 4.0 and have no grades lower than a B in all of the first three quarters.

Visual And Performing Arts (VAPA)

The Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Concentration acknowledges seniors who have excelled in arts participation within the Fine Arts Department at Brentwood Academy. Students will note the VAPA Concentration or Excelled VAPA Concentration on college resumes and will also wear a cord at graduation to recognize the achievement.

VAPA Concentration

20 credits total (average of one fine arts class and one show per year) Wears a solid royal blue cord at graduation

EXCELLED VAPA Concentration

28+ credits total Eligible for the VAPA Scholarship Wears a royal blue with white, braided cord at graduation

National Honor Society

To be nominated for membership in the R.O. Beauchamp Chapter of the National Honor Society, a student must be a junior or senior and have a cumulative scholastic average of 3.5. The student’s service, leadership, and character are weighted equally in the selection process. After induction into the National Honor Society, the student’s progress will continue to be reviewed at the end of each semester to ensure that the student maintains a 3.5 cumulative average, continues to serve the school and community, develops leadership skills, and maintains the character traits required for membership. The National Honor Society serves Brentwood Academy through the writing lab peer-tutoring program. A faculty committee reviews each candidate for membership. The National Honor Society induction is held in the fall of each year.

Privilege List

Any junior with a GPA of 4.0 or higher during the preceding quarter is eligible for the privilege list. Any senior who has GPA of 3.5 or higher in every class during the preceding quarter is eligible for the privilege list. Any student who accumulates 4 or more detention hours, other disciplinary infractions, or unacceptable pattern of attendance will not be eligible for the remainder of the quarter.

Student Academic Support

Student Academic Support (SAS) actively supports Brentwood Academy students to reach their full academic potential. Through a variety of purposeful interventions, SAS empowers each student with tools to achieve success while at BA and after graduation. These interventions include the following:

Specialized Study Halls – Students with learning differences are guided by trained academic intervention specialists to self-advocate, develop essential skills, and achieve success.

Academic Support Meetings – The Student Academic Support team monitors student academic progress and intervenes as needed.

E3 (Evening Education Empowerment) – Designed specifically for Upper School students who seek additional academic support, this targeted program employs experienced tutors to provide opportunities for academic remediation and/or acceleration.

Additionally, the SAS department is dedicated to fostering effective communication between students, teachers, and parents. All students are encouraged to self-advocate and take ownership of their academic progress in order to make appropriate decisions for their academic growth and success.

Winterim

Winterim is designed to challenge students to expand their knowledge beyond non-traditional experiences and to encourage a love of learning. This is accomplished by a small group of students working closely with a faculty member in various non-traditional experiential courses. Winterim provides opportunities to fulfill the school’s mission through exploration in academics, arts, the outdoors, and athletics. Enrichment opportunities are also offered through cultural exchanges, community service, and internships. Participation in Winterim is required for all upper school students.

Robotics and Engineering

The Brentwood Academy robotics program is a STEM-focused curriculum with an emphasis on developing and learning the engineering design process. For 10 years, Brentwood Academy has been at the forefront of introducing technological advancements to students on both the competition field and in the classroom.  In middle school, Brentwood Academy offers exploratory classes that allow students opportunities to build and program robots, both physically and virtually, while also learning how to use 3D printing and CAD-based software to conceptualize and produce original designs. For our upper school students, we offer AP Computer Science Principles, where students learn the foundational aspects of coding, abstractions, and algorithms. This class leads to AP Computer Science A, which focuses on object-oriented JAVA programming. Beyond the classroom, our award-winning, student-driven, Iron Eagles Robotics program promotes creative problem solving, resilience, and teamwork through the engineering of students’ original robot designs which are created to master a yearly challenge and compete at an elite level in local, regional, state, and world VEX Robotics tournaments.

Fine Arts

The Fine Arts at Brentwood Academy offer students opportunities in both the visual and performing arts. Opportunities for participation are provided through art shows, student publications, visual arts, drama productions, choral and band performances, dance competitions, and speech performances.

The Academy Singers performance group is Brentwood Academy’s premier mixed vocal ensemble. This auditioned group features 12–16 talented upper school students, who perform for various school, church, and community events throughout the year.

The Academy Juniors is an extracurricular, auditioned vocal ensemble for Brentwood Academy middle school chorus students. The group is intended for serious singers who would like to further their vocal music experience and training.

Brentwood Academy’s chorus class is offered to all students to choose as an elective. In this class, these students prepare music for concerts, as well as learn the foundations of proper vocal technique, sight-singing, ear-training, and history to support group performances.

Through speech classes and our competitive Speech and Debate team, students develop the speaking and acting skills that allow them to become confident communicators in any arena. Students prepare, memorize, and present various types of dramatic material, competing locally and nationally against the finest high school speakers in the United States.

The Visual Arts Program is designed to develop student talents and abilities at all levels while they learn the fundamentals of art, explore the elements and principles of design, and develop their artistic voices. We offer a wide array of mixed media including drawing, painting, printmaking, digital design, and photography, as well as three-dimensional opportunities in sculpture and ceramics.

Concert Band utilizes a sectional approach to music education. There are three bands in the concert band track: Beginning Band and Intermediate Band in the MS, and the US Concert Band. Students are divided among four music instructors for woodwinds, upper brass, lower brass, and percussion to receive specialized attention in a small group setting. When ready, students are then combined for a full band experience. Students learn to read music and develop skills that can be applied to areas such as musical performance, composition, and improvisation.

In addition to concert band, there are two auditioned upper school groups, Jazz Ensemble and Contemporary Music Ensemble (Rock Band), that allow students to experience and perform a wide range of music.

Advanced dancers who want to further their dance experience and training outside the dance PE class may audition for The Academy Dancers in the spring of each year. Both the Upper School and Middle School Academy Dancers train year-round and perform at football and basketball games, as well as pep rallies and regional competitions.

The Upper School fall play is presented in the fall of each year, with rehearsals three nights a week. The fall play is generally a small to medium-sized cast. Auditions are held in early fall.

The Middle School play/musical is presented in the winter, with rehearsals three days a week after school. The middle school show supports a large cast and crew. Auditions are held in the fall.

The Upper School spring musical is presented in April of each year, with rehearsals three nights a week. The musical supports a large cast and crew. Auditions are held in December.

Students also serve on technical and stage crews for each show, and upper school students may enroll in Set Design or Theatre Arts classes, which construct the sets and props for each production.

Brentwood Academy reserves the right to change course offerings.

Josh Davis Dean of Academics josh_davis@brentwoodacademy.com 615-373-0611 ext. 170

Brentwood Academy Office of Admission

219 Granny White Pike | Brentwood, TN | 37027 (615) 523-0611 | brentwoodacademy.com

APPLY NOW BRENTWOODACADEMY.COM/STARTHERE