ARISE S.T.E.M. and Pathway courses provide grade level, rigorous instruction and academic supports to all ARISE students to both remediate gaps in S.T.E.M. skills and knowledge, and emphasize critical thinking and problem solving. All S.T.E.M. courses at ARISE are aligned to either Common Core or NGSS standards. Each S.T.E.M. course aims to be grounded in cultural relevance and provides scaffolds and differentiation for any unfinished learning that students may need. Through this work, each ARISE student will see themselves in their S.T.E.M. classes as: scientists, health professionals, computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, or researchers and empower themselves to transform their communities as agents of change.
ARISE Humanities courses provide grade level, rigorous, culturally relevant and responsive instruction that emphasizes the 5 Cs (Warrior Intellectual Skills) of the Graduate Profile (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, community transformation, and critical consciousness), while empowering students to grow into agents of change in their communities through Gold Standard project-based learning and collaborative action research. Knowledge, skills, and agency build over time from 9th through 12th grades to prepare students for college-level coursework and professional careers. Academic supports and differentiation create opportunities for all students to successfully access Humanities courses and help remediate gaps in literacy skills and knowledge.
Warrior Intellectual Skill Rubrics
The 5 C’s of the ARISE Graduate Profile
Academic Departments
Instructional Core Observational Rubric
6 Elements of Excellent Instruction at ARISE
Living out our instructional vision
Teaching & Learning at ARISE
To support ARISE’s mission to empower ourselves with the skills, knowledge, and agency to become highly educated, humanizing, critically conscious, intellectual, and reflective leaders in our community, we believe that (1) teachers must be active collaborators in developing our school, and (2) teachers must be actively supported to develop their teaching craft.
To do this, we have 4 primary professional learning structures: Coaching, Teacher Leadership, Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and Professional Development.
1-on-1 Coaching
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We believe that excellent classroom instruction, school operations, and a culture of adult professionalism are the most important element of our success and the realization of our Mission and Vision at ARISE. We believe that a coach’s purpose is to support teachers and staff through their instructional growth. In order to do this, they must build relationships that foster trust. They must create a climate for growth and provide a safe space in which adults can be honest and vulnerable. Coaches at ARISE communicate openly and consistently about expectations, deadlines, schedules, etc. Support teachers in meeting deadlines around instructional agreements including: completing lesson plans, unit plans, and Performance Assessments, PowerSchool, grades, etc. Coaches approach the coaching experience with a growth mindset and willingness to adapt to teacher needs.
Teacher Leadership
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Team Freire: Team Freire is our instructional leadership team at ARISE. It consists of the Co-Heads of School, the Deans, and four teachers from different disciplines who lead each grade level. Team Freire is responsible for designing, planning, and leading professional development at ARISE, including ensuring PD is aligned to both our Mission and Vision and our school goals. Team Freire will meet on a regular basis to monitor teaching and learning in classrooms in order to continually reflect and revise professional development. Team Freire Grade Level Leads are also responsible for designing and facilitating Academic Familia meetings for all teachers in their grade level. This includes leading studnet support conversations, facilitating cross-content collaboration, leading grade level common expectations and alignment, and modeling and sharing best instructional practices for teachers.
Professional Learning Communities
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ARISE teachers also engage in Professional Learning Communities focused on various areas of teaching such as "New Teacher Development" and "Supporting Newcomer Learners." PLCs work in small groups to deepen their practices in targeted areas
Professional Development
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We are always being, but also in process of becoming. ARISE believes that what lies at the heart of student achievement are teachers who are highly skilled at their craft. As such, Professional Development holds great value and importance at ARISE. While the ARISE Instructional Core is the framework by which teacher development centers around (see above), there are 6 central structures by which ARISE mediates that development:
- 1 on 1 coaching and formative evaluations of teaching
- Critical Inquiry Groups (CIG)
- Whole Crew Professional Development
- Department Meetings
- Academic Familia (grade level teams)
Learn more about Academics at ARISE:
Rigorous, Relevant, and Rooted in Justice
Every ARISE class is built on the same promise: grade-level, college-prep work for every student, with the supports that make it reachable and the relevance that makes it matter.
STEMScientists, Health Professionals, Engineers
Our STEM and Pathway courses are aligned to Common Core and NGSS standards, grounded in cultural relevance, and built for critical thinking and problem solving. Scaffolds and differentiation meet students where they are so every student sees themselves as a scientist, mathematician, or researcher who can transform their community.
STEM Courses and Teachers
HumanitiesReaders, Writers, Agents of Change
Our Humanities courses are culturally relevant and responsive, centered on the 5 Cs, and powered by Gold Standard project-based learning and collaborative action research. Knowledge, skills, and agency build from 9th through 12th grade to prepare students for college-level work and professional careers.
Humanities Courses and TeachersGrowth You Can See
ARISE students are growing more than a typical year and leave us ready for college-level work. Here is what our fall 2026 NWEA MAP results show.
Our Seniors Outscore the Nation
On average, ARISE seniors score above the national average on NWEA in both math and reading. The Class of 2026 finished senior year 3 points above the national average in math and 7 points above in reading, and the Class of 2027 starts senior year already ahead in both.
Math
Reading
Fall 2026 RIT scores by grade. Chart starts at 195 RIT. National norms from the NWEA 2025 norms study.
Meeting Growth Targets, Year After Year
Our aim is for more than half of students to meet their annual growth target. In math, ARISE has cleared that bar every year since 2022.
How We Place Students and Measure Learning
Every student follows a three to four year math pathway built for both college and career, and every course checks for understanding often so teachers can adjust and students keep growing.
ARISE Math Pathways
Students choose their path based on course prerequisites, NWEA results, their own college and career goals, and teacher recommendation.
Freshman Placement
Incoming 9th graders take the NWEA MAP math assessment three times a year, starting in the first month of school to confirm each student is in the right class. Most begin in Algebra 1. Families who feel a placement is not right can request a retake or a full transcript audit with our counseling team (EDC 51224.7).
Senior Year Math
Seniors on the college and career track take Precalculus. Students on the honors track finish with Dual Enrollment Calculus and earn college credit while still at ARISE.
Growing All Year
Pre and post assessments built from Illustrative Mathematics and quarterly benchmarks track growth in every math class and help teachers reteach what students need.
NWEA MAP
Every student is assessed in math and English Language Arts. Results guide course placement and show teachers what students know and how they are growing.
SBAC
California's state assessment in ELA and math, used to determine college readiness.
Rigorous Summative Assessments
Projects and performance tasks where students apply what they learned to a real-world context.
Quizzes and Exams
Biweekly quizzes are backward planned from unit exams, which build toward course final exams that measure learning in every class.
Knowledge, Skills, and Agency
Knowledge
Deep academic understanding across every subject, ready for college-level work.
Skills
The 5 Cs, our Warrior Intellectual Skills, practiced in every class and project.
Agency
The Core Values of Respect, Persevere, Build, and Lead, used to transform self and community.
Six Elements of Excellent Instruction
The ARISE Instructional Core is the shared framework for what great teaching looks like here. Teachers, coaches, and leaders use it to observe classrooms, give feedback, and plan professional learning together.
Great Teaching Is Built Together
Teachers at ARISE are active collaborators in building our school and are supported every step of the way to grow their craft.
1-on-1 Coaching
Every teacher has a coach who builds trust, sets clear expectations, and supports their instructional growth with a growth mindset.
Teacher Leadership
Team Freire, our instructional leadership team of Co-Heads, Deans, and grade level lead teachers, designs PD and leads Academic Familia.
Learning Communities
Small teams go deep on focus areas like new teacher development and supporting newcomer learners.
Professional Development
Whole Crew PD, Critical Inquiry Groups, department meetings, and Academic Familia keep us always in the process of becoming.