In the early grades, students become able readers and develop a love of books through a highly effective phonics program, guided reading in leveled, small groups, a daily read-aloud, independent reading, and Ascend’s writing program.

Large classroom libraries equipped with children’s books of the highest quality allow students to further their emerging interests and intellectual curiosities.

The goal of the lower school math program at Ascend is to develop students who are deft problem solvers, capable of achieving at the highest level of mathematics, who have a knack for interpreting their world mathematically.

Following a rigorous and vertically-aligned math program that emphasizes the focus on problem-solving, deep conceptual understanding, and computational fluency, Ascend develops students’ own understanding of math concepts. Teachers use inquiry and real-life situations to develop scholars’ skills as critical-thinking mathematicians who can apply the properties of mathematics to their own lives.

Ascend has developed a warm and supportive culture rooted in Responsive Classroom—departing from a punitive and proscriptive disciplinary model associated with high rates of referrals and suspensions. Classroom communities nurture students’ sense of belonging, and by creating calm, orderly environments, Ascend schools foster children’s social and emotional competencies, obviating the reliance on punitive consequences.

In the lower school, our joyful culture builds students’ capacities to self-manage. Positive language replaces warnings and threats as students learn empathy and collaborative problem-solving.

Every morning, students and teachers gather to greet one another, share news, and warm-up for the day ahead. Throughout the day, teachers talk about what students are learning and what excites them, rather than how they are behaving. Teachers’ language promotes learning, a sense of belonging, and self-discipline. Ascend students learn social skills cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control that allow them to succeed academically and socially; the day can be spent enjoying academic, artistic, and extracurricular activities.

At Ascend, we also invest in educator's growth training, supporting, and collaborating with them during every step of their career.

Ascend’s elementary school Teacher Planning and Development (TPD) initiative affords teachers weekly opportunities to engage with their grade-team colleagues in the deep study of content, to study and assess student work, and to collaborate on the design of highly targeted, data-driven actions.

Every Ascend teacher receives individualized coaching from a skilled coach a dean of instruction deeply familiar with Ascend curriculum and practices. The coaching relationship fosters growth in content mastery, pedagogy, and culture, and is tailored to the teacher’s individual goals. Regular classroom observations provide opportunities for real-time feedback, while coaching sessions focus on discrete action steps that advance larger goals of practice. Live coaching allows teachers to make rapid gains and is a treasured part of the Ascend professional culture; students understand that their teachers and leaders are, like them, always looking to improve their craft.

Every Friday, students are dismissed early and schools hold professional development workshops targeted toward each school’s problems of practice, such as developing road maps of questions in Shared Text or the implementation of Responsive Classroom methods.

Great ideas spread fast at Ascend through network-wide sharing of best practices. When one school’s faculty devises a smart solution to a problem, other schools, in their quest for excellence, are eager to tap it. Formal and informal mechanisms support this culture of collaboration.

During our Summer Institutes for new and returning teachers, Ascend leaders and outside specialists facilitate interactive workshops devoted to building and strengthening teachers’ skills in implementing the Ascend liberal arts curriculum and the unique Ascend culture. Ascend prides itself on the quality, rigor, and effectiveness of these sessions.