Curriculum
Renaissance expects all students to meet and exceed standards. To accomplish this, the curriculum has a three-tiered approach
(1) core academics based on compacted and effective delivery of standard-based instruction;
(2) project based learning; and
(3) experiential learning.
The Arts, Health, and Spanish are important components of the curriculum. Teachers use the focus of New York as the foundation of the curriculum. Individuals in their community are best equipped to be global citizens, respect human rights, protect the environment, and advocate for peace and sustainability.
Four premises underlie efforts towards these goals:
- Renaissance, as a village, nurtures hearts and minds. Deep human bonds can be nurtured within a village that values respect and kindness. Students build open and trusting friendships with each other; staff members move beyond cooperation to the level of collaboration; staff members take on the role of mentors to students; parents are honored; and each level of the school communicates with each other. Minds open as hearts open.
- Renaissance values and protects the forums within its village. Important discussions take place in many of its centers: meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Collaborative School Governance (CSG), cluster and staff meetings, PTA, Student Council, cluster town meetings, and various committees. Informal discussions go on all the time, as well. It is only through participation in these forums that powerful and wise decisions can be made.
- Renaissance values the spirit of self-motivated and collaborative action. Renaissance was started by a group of individuals who wrote and submitted a proposal for a new theme-based school without the backing of any prominent organization. The group’s spirit that the impossible can become possible has continued to be a bedrock principle of the school. Renaissance honors dreams and gives full support to any of the members of the community—whether student, staff, or parent—who come up with ideas that they want to carry to fruition.
- Renaissance fights aggressively for the happiness and success of each student. With this commitment the school ensures that all of its accountability goals will be met.
Renaissance’s curriculum is aligned to New York Standards. Renaissance utilizes all state exams with the understanding that these exams, in their very design, conform to state standards. Other assessments are utilized in areas where no state exams exist or when Renaissance wishes to enrich available assessment data. Renaissance also may develop local assessments aligned with state standards including teacher-developed assignments and tests, portfolios, and student case studies that examine student work.
The school utilizes the information from all assessments to refine curriculum and classroom practice and to ensure that the school can respond to the needs of individual learners. Through insights from these assessments, instructional staff will be able to get a complete picture and determine if students perform at or above the expected performance levels. Modifications to curriculum and individual student programs will be made where these assessments reveal that students are not performing at appropriate levels.
Curriculum-Embedded Trips and Special Events
- Field trips to museums, theaters, art galleries, films
- School organized college visits
- Overnight trips (see Annual Trips) Trips
- 6th-12th grade Rensizzle Week
- Charter Lobby Day – trip to Albany
- Art, Music, Dance and Drama Exhibitions
- Talent Shows and Open Mic nights
- Middle and High School Dances
- Multicultural Celebrations
Leadership Opportunities
- TREA Student Mentors
- Social Justice Day
- Senior Activity Committee
- Student Government
- CSG Student Representative
- Social Justice Activities
- 1700s-Present: Black Lives Matter Practicum
- Volunteers for Change Collections and Service
AP Course Offerings
A number of Advanced Placement courses are available at Renaissance, including:
Why should your child enroll in an AP Course?
Taking AP classes and exams can help students get ahead in high school and college.
According to the College Board website, AP students:
Build skills and confidence
- AP students learn essential time management and study skills needed for college and career success.
- They dig deeper into subjects that interest them and learn to tap their creativity and their problem-solving skills to address course challenges.
Stand out to colleges
- Students who take AP courses send a signal to colleges that they’re serious about their education and that they’re willing to challenge themselves with rigorous coursework.
- 85% of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admission decisions.[2]
Succeed in college
- Research shows that students who receive a score of 2 on their AP Exams are ready for college work.[3]
- Research shows that students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers.[4]
- 3 out of 4 AP students enrolled in a four-year college start school with some AP credit.[5]
Save time and money in college
- Research shows that students who take AP courses and exams are much more likely than their peers to complete a college degree on time,[6] which means they avoid paying for additional years of tuition.
- Most colleges and universities nationwide offer college credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores. This can mean:
- Fulfilling graduation requirements early
- Being able to skip introductory courses or required general education courses
At TRCS, we utilize a number of supports to ensure the success of our AP students.
Tutoring
- In 2022, TRCS received a UWORLD grant to help our students prepare for the AP exams.
Financial Assistance
- TRCS provides financial assistance to students taking AP exams.
Mock Exams
Throughout the year, students are administered mock tests to help prepare them for their spring exams.
Proven Results
- Our school received two awards from the AP College Board for 2022-2023: the AP School Honor Roll and the AP Access Award.
- The AP School Honor Roll formally acknowledges the schools that have gone above and beyond to include more students in AP courses and offer effective support on the path to college success. It also recognizes the outstanding growth our students have achieved on their final exams.
- The AP Access Award honors schools that recruit more low-income and underrepresented minority students to enroll in AP courses and take the final exam. As the College Board notes, “the percentage of students in at least one of these categories who took at least one AP Exam before graduation is proportional to or above your school’s student population, demonstrating a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework.”
The whole language/writing process approach begins in the early childhood grades with a balanced literacy program centered on the Fundations and Wilson Reading for phonics, and Fountas & Pinnell for the Leveled Literacy Intervention program .
The balanced literacy approach is reflected through the Writing Workshop instructional model which starts in the early childhood grades and continues through high school. The model views writing as an ongoing process.
The Shared Inquiry method of learning is another important component of Renaissance’s ELA instruction, as devised by the Great Books Foundation. Junior Great Books is embraced by all ELA classes at Renaissance, from grades 6-12. Shared inquiry actively engages participants to search for answers to fundamental questions raised by a text.
This year we are also offering Honors English to 11th graders.
The Renaissance approach to mathematics emphasizes connections between (1) skills and mathematical applications in other academic disciplines; and (2) real world experiences.
K-8 Students use grade-level modules from Engage New York.
High School math instruction prepares students for the Integrated Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II-Trigonometry Regents Exams. Students are encouraged to continue in math either to higher theoretical math (Pre-Calculus and Calculus) or Practical Math, either at Renaissance or in one of the many College Now courses offered through its partnership with Queens College.
Many innovative approaches to science education can be found at Renaissance.
K-3 teachers embed science instruction into the interdisciplinary core curriculum. Students study units on the solar system, the living environment, weather, predators, life cycles, geography and the built environment.
4th-6th grade teachers may also utilize the FOSS science curriculum, a research-based curriculum developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, at the University of California, Berkeley.
7th grade students utilize the New York State Intermediate-Level Science Core Curriculum tied to the state Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) standards.
8th grade students take a Regents-level Earth Science course that follows the New York State Core Curriculum. Both 7th and 8th graders participate in labs and complete lab journals.
In grades 9 through 12 students pursue three Regents-level courses: Living Environment, Chemistry and Physics, as well as Honors Biology which culminates in students taking the AP Biology exam.
In addition, Renaissance incorporates many innovative programs to provide its students with experiences that will fuel a passion for science, such as the annual summer Colgate University Sports and Science camp.
The underlying theme of the study of New York has rich applications in the field of social studies. The foundation for this approach is established in the interdisciplinary core of the K-3 curriculum. Students study family, school, community through hands-on activities and neighborhood analyses.
Grades 4-11 teachers utilize the Social Studies Alive! and History Alive! curricula as they lead students through the New York sequence of social studies courses. The “Alive!” approach to social studies includes highly interactive components that appeal to students whose strengths lie in varying multiple intelligences. 7th and 8th graders prepare to take the US History Regents at the end of 8th grade.
In High School, Freshmen take an integrated Humanities curriculum focused on ancient history. To prepare for the Global History and Geography Regents exam, Sophomores study Global History, enriched by the school’s targeted, small-group, hands-on Global Labs. Juniors can take U.S. History and take the U.S. History Regents exam. Seniors study Economics and Government. In addition we offer AP Honors World History, AP European History and AP US History, culminating in students taking the AP exams.
K-11 students take Spanish instruction with the goals of (1) native speakers developing the fluency to take middle level university coursework; and (2) non-native speakers meeting second language acquisition standards measured by the Spanish Comprehensive Regents examination.
In High School we offer advanced Spanish Honors courses in Spanish Literature and Language, culminating in students taking the AP Spanish Literature and AP Spanish Language exams.
Since the arts play such a vital role in the culture of New York, Renaissance places an important emphasis on arts education. K-4 students have classes in creative movement, instrumental music, fine arts, or drama throughout the K-12 spectrum. In grades 7 and 9, students rotate between their studies of different art forms before selecting a specialty in one art form as their arts ‘major’, to explore the art form in depth with the goal of creating a level of skill that could be used for entry as a college major if so desired. You can check out a lot of student artwork on the new TRCS Visual Arts website at: TRCS Visual Arts
In addition to instruction in the various art forms, Renaissance integrates the arts into the study of other subjects. There are many arts organizations allied with Renaissance through grants from the New York Center for Arts in Education, Queens Council on the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation on the Arts and others. These partnerships are dedicated to providing Renaissance students with a direct connection to the arts in New York City; they use each discipline as “a way of knowing” the academic subjects. External Partnerships