Curriculum

Here at Desert Springs Preparatory, our students master standards in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. In addition to these core subjects, we also enrich our students’ learning through special programs including music, visual arts, physical education, and technology education.

We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for our students, along with a quality education where we celebrate students’ successes. We pride ourselves in high expectations for student learning with a focus on Core Knowledge, technology integration, and instructional strategies that support the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards.

The DSPES staff and principal will continue to expand the implementation of collaborative and engaging classroom projects. We will continue to implement our SOAR program with an emphasis on being Safe, Organized, Accountable, and Respectful, and of course Kindness!

The Core Knowledge© Movement

Desert Springs Preparatory is a Core Knowledge© school.

The Core Knowledge© movement is an educational reform based on the premise that a grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary to ensure a sound and fair elementary education. The movement was started by Professor E. D. Hirsch, Jr., author of Cultural Literacy and The Schools We Need, and is based on a large body of research in cognitive psychology, as well as a careful examination of several of the world's fairest and most effective school systems.

Professor Hirsch has argued that, for the sake of academic excellence, greater fairness and higher literacy, early schooling should provide a solid, specific, shared core curriculum in order to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge. Currently, hundreds of schools and thousands of dedicated educators are participating in this school reform movement throughout the United States.

The Core Knowledge© Sequence represents the common ground upon which a faculty meets and collaborates to teach a sequenced, coherent curriculum. In this cumulative curriculum, the knowledge and skills learned each year become the students' foundation for learning in subsequent years.

Learn More About Core Knowledge.