Learning Goals - Curriculum
At a Glance
We aren’t like other Preschool – Elementary – Middle Schools. Find out why.
>84%
School-wide, 83.6% of students meet or exceed the state reading benchmark. Notably, 8th grade leads the way with an 86% projected proficiency rate. This proficiency is notably strong when compared to broader trends. Across California Department of Education data, statewide reading proficiency typically falls around the mid-40% range on state assessments. Nationally, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress often show about one-third of students meeting proficiency benchmarks in reading.
~86%
Projected proficiency rate in math is strong when viewed in a broader context. On statewide assessments from the California Department of Education, math proficiency rates typically fall in the mid-30% range. Nationally, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress generally show fewer than one-third of students performing at or above proficiency in mathematics. Additionally, having 50% of students at Level 4 signals a strong concentration of high-performing learners.
100%
Graduates of Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac Catholic School are consistently well-prepared for the expectations of rigorous secondary programs. Many nationally ranked public and private high schools across Orange County actively seek students from our school, recognizing not only their academic readiness, but also their character, maturity, and sense of responsibility.
Learning Progressions
Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac School implements a mastery-based learning approach from Preschool through Eighth Grade, ensuring Schoolwide Learning Expectations align with clearly defined Learning Goals. These Learning Goals are derived from National, California State, and Diocesan Standards, as well as research-based frameworks such as the California Preschool Learning Foundations (Volumes 1–3).
The curriculum is intentionally articulated across grade levels to ensure continuity of skills and concepts, designed through a backward-planning model that aligns instruction and assessment. Ongoing analysis of student learning supports timely, targeted intervention at both the individual (student) and systemic (curriculum and schoolwide) levels, strengthening outcomes and ensuring every learner is supported toward mastery.
Across all learning domains, the structure of instruction remains consistent, but the depth of knowledge and cognitive demand increases as students progress through the grade levels. Early learning focuses on foundational understanding—building basic skills, vocabulary, concepts, and habits of thinking with strong teacher guidance. As students advance, they are gradually expected to apply skills with greater independence, accuracy, and flexibility.
Over time, learning shifts from recognition and recall to application, analysis, and synthesis. Students begin by learning core concepts in simple, concrete ways, then move toward explaining relationships, solving more complex problems, and connecting ideas across multiple contexts. Instruction becomes less about direct support and more about student-driven thinking, where learners justify reasoning, evaluate information, and transfer knowledge to new situations.
Ultimately, across all domains, this progression ensures students are not only mastering content but also developing the capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and apply their learning independently in increasingly complex and real-world contexts.
Religion Domains
The Six Tasks of Catechesis, articulated in the General Directory for Catechesis and reaffirmed in the National Directory for Catechesis, describe the essential ways the Church forms disciples in Christ. Together, they offer a holistic vision of faith formation—one that engages the mind, heart, and life of every believer. These domains, embedded across each grade level, clearly articulate the learning progressions that guide our comprehensive, faith-centered Religion curriculum.
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This task invites learners to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the teachings of the Church. It ensures that faith is not simply felt, but known—grounded in truth and guided by wisdom.
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Through this task, individuals come to understand and actively participate in the sacramental life of the Church, especially the Eucharist. It forms hearts to recognize God’s presence in the liturgy and to enter into it with reverence and joy.
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Catechesis calls each person to live a life shaped by the Gospel. This task nurtures conscience, virtue, and the ability to choose what is good, just, and aligned with Christ’s example.
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A vibrant faith is rooted in relationship with God. This task forms individuals in personal and communal prayer, helping them grow in trust, reflection, and openness to God’s will.
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Faith is lived in communion with others. This task fosters a sense of belonging to the Church, encouraging collaboration, compassion, and active participation in the life of the community.
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The ultimate goal of catechesis is not only formation, but transformation. This task prepares individuals to share the Gospel boldly, living as witnesses who serve others and bring Christ into the world.
Mathematics Domains
Utilizing both federal guidance and California’s implementation, these domains are intentionally sequenced to support growth in conceptual understanding, procedural skill, and application. Together, they form a comprehensive pathway that prepares students not only for academic success, but for thoughtful, informed participation in society.
In a faith-centered learning environment, these domains also invite students to recognize order, logic, and beauty in creation, encouraging perseverance, integrity, and a spirit of inquiry in all they do.
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This foundational domain helps young learners develop number sense. Students learn to count, understand quantity, and connect numbers to real-world meaning. It forms the basis for all future mathematical thinking.
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This domain focuses on place value and the structure of our number system. Students learn to perform operations with multi-digit numbers, developing efficiency, accuracy, and a deeper understanding of how numbers work together.
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Students explore patterns, relationships, and problem-solving strategies using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Over time, they begin to see structure in numbers and are introduced to early algebraic reasoning—preparing them to think logically and analytically.
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Students build an understanding of fractions as numbers, not just parts of a whole. They compare, add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, strengthening precision and conceptual clarity.
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In this domain, students apply mathematics to the real world. They measure length, weight, time, and volume, and learn to collect, represent, and interpret data. This nurtures practical problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
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Students explore shapes, spatial reasoning, and the properties of figures. They learn to analyze, compare, and classify two- and three-dimensional objects, developing visualization skills and an appreciation for structure and design.
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Students explore patterns, relationships, and problem-solving strategies using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Over time, they begin to see structure in numbers and are introduced to early algebraic reasoning—preparing them to think logically and analytically.
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Students begin formal algebraic thinking by writing, interpreting, and solving expressions and equations. They learn to model relationships and solve problems with increasing abstraction.
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Students analyze variability, interpret data distributions, and understand chance. This domain equips them to make informed decisions and reason critically about information in the world around them.
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Students examine relationships between quantities, learning how ratios and proportions describe real-life situations such as scale, speed, and probability.
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This domain expands students’ understanding of numbers to include negative numbers, rational numbers, and their operations—deepening mathematical fluency and flexibility.
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These eight practices guide students to think deeply, work purposefully, and apply their learning with confidence:
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Students approach challenges thoughtfully and remain committed, even when the solution is not immediate. - Reason abstractly and quantitatively
Students make sense of numbers and relationships, moving between real-world situations and mathematical representations. - Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Students explain their thinking clearly and respectfully evaluate the ideas of others. - Model with mathematics
Students apply math to real-life situations, using tools like equations, diagrams, and graphs to represent and solve problems. - Use appropriate tools strategically
Students select and use tools—such as rulers, calculators, or technology—wisely to support their understanding. - Attend to precision
Students communicate clearly, use accurate calculations, and apply correct mathematical language. - Look for and make use of structure
Students recognize patterns and relationships to simplify and solve problems more efficiently. - Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
Students notice repeated processes and use them to develop shortcuts, generalizations, and deeper understanding.
Together, these practices help form students who are not only skilled in mathematics, but also thoughtful, reflective problem-solvers who approach challenges with confidence and purpose.
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Reading-Language Arts Domains
Literature is written to tell a story, convey experiences, or explore themes about the human condition. It includes genres such as fiction, poetry, and drama. Students focus on understanding characters, setting, plot, and theme, often interpreting deeper meanings, emotions, and moral lessons. The thinking is more interpretive and reflective, inviting students to consider multiple perspectives and the author’s message.
Informational Text, on the other hand, is written to inform, explain, or argue. It includes nonfiction such as articles, biographies, essays, and scientific texts. Students focus on identifying main ideas, analyzing how information is organized, evaluating evidence, and building knowledge about the world. The thinking is more analytical and evidence-driven, emphasizing clarity, accuracy, and understanding of real-world concepts.
In essence, literature helps students explore meaning and human experience, while informational text equips them to learn, evaluate, and apply knowledge, both essential for forming well-rounded, thoughtful readers.
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This domain focuses on developing students’ ability to understand and apply the relationships between letters and sounds to read and spell words accurately. Rooted in the science of reading, this domain emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction in sound-symbol correspondences, decoding, encoding, and word analysis, enabling students to read with increasing accuracy, fluency, and confidence. As students build automaticity in word recognition, they are better equipped to devote their attention to comprehension, supporting their growth as capable and independent readers.
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This domin focuses on a student’s ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Rooted in the science of reading, this foundational skill is taught orally and without print, emphasizing tasks such as blending, segmenting, and substituting sounds. Strong phonemic awareness supports early decoding and spelling development, building the essential bridge between spoken language and written words and setting the foundation for fluent, confident reading.
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Focuses on developing students’ ability to understand, interpret, and analyze texts by identifying central ideas, recalling key details, and drawing evidence-based conclusions. Grounded in the science of reading, this strand emphasizes that strong comprehension grows from rich language development, background knowledge, and purposeful engagement with complex texts. Students learn to cite evidence, make inferences, and examine characters, setting, and plot, all through explicit, text-centered instruction that builds critical thinking and fosters thoughtful, reflective readers.
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This domain focuses on how authors use language, text organization, and point of view to shape meaning. Students develop the ability to interpret words and phrases, analyze text structure, and understand how an author’s choices influence tone, purpose, and clarity. Grounded in the science of reading, this strand emphasizes vocabulary development, syntax awareness, and exposure to complex texts, enabling students to think critically about how a text is written, not just what it says, and to become attentive, analytical readers.
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Focuses on students’ ability to connect, compare, and synthesize information across texts and other media. Grounded in the science of reading, this strand emphasizes building strong background knowledge, critical thinking, and reasoning skills as students analyze how different sources present ideas, support claims with evidence, and interact with one another. Through explicit instruction and rich content exposure, students learn to evaluate information, identify relationships between ideas, and form well-supported understandings, preparing them to be thoughtful, discerning readers in an information-rich world.
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This domain develops the students’ ability to understand and apply words effectively in both reading and communication. Rooted in the science of reading, this strand emphasizes explicit, systematic vocabulary instruction, exposure to rich and varied language, and the use of context, morphology, and reference tools to determine meaning. Students learn to acquire academic and domain-specific vocabulary, interpret figurative language, and use words precisely, strengthening comprehension, expression, and their ability to engage thoughtfully with complex texts.
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This domain focuses on developing students’ ability to read widely and independently across a variety of increasingly complex texts. Grounded in the science of reading, this strand emphasizes consistent exposure to grade-level literature and informational texts, building stamina, fluency, and comprehension through structured practice. Students grow in their capacity to navigate challenging vocabulary, sophisticated structures, and diverse content, forming confident, resilient readers who can engage deeply with texts across disciplines.