Flexible, Accelerated Pacing: Our students typically master more than one grade level annually, with many progressing through 1.5-2 grade levels each year. This accelerated pace allows for rapid academic growth and advanced learning opportunities.

High Academic Achievement and Growth: On standardized tests like MAP and PSAT/SAT, our median students consistently score between the 95th and 99th percentiles, demonstrating strong year-over-year improvement. Students starting at lower achievement levels quickly catch up. For instance, in math, students below the 90th percentile at the year's start show an average annual growth of 9 percentile points.

College-Level Rigor: By high school, our students excel in college-level courses. An impressive 78% complete University of California math graduation requirements by the end of 9th grade. Most students finish at least college-level Calculus before graduation, with many advancing to Statistics, Multivariable Calculus, and Linear Algebra. Our 9th graders engage in dual-enrollment college courses in Biology and Chemistry, and also take additional college courses in subjects such as Physics, Economics, and Psychology.

Success Beyond Academics: We take pride not only in our students' excellent college admissions results but also in their authenticity and collaborative spirit. Our graduates continue to thrive in college and their subsequent careers, showcasing the long-term benefits of our educational approach.

Mastery learning doesn't prevent student progress. Students can advance with reasonable proficiency in prerequisite skills. Rather than acting as a "gate," mastery learning provides opportunities and incentives for skill improvement.

In "The One World Schoolhouse," Sal Khan discusses the challenges students face when they accumulate gaps in prerequisite knowledge. However, this doesn't mean students must master every topic before moving forward. There's a balance between mastery and exposure to new material.

If a lack of complete mastery isn't hindering progress, advancing to more complex topics can benefit the student. The key is ensuring they have the opportunity and motivation to achieve mastery later. This approach maintains forward momentum while allowing for deeper understanding over time.

At Khan Lab School, we believe in fostering both academic excellence and essential skills. Our approach to deadlines and assignments reflects this philosophy:

Deadlines play a crucial role in our educational model. They help students pace their work effectively and enable our teacher-guides to grade assignments efficiently, ensuring all students progress together. Moreover, meeting deadlines is a vital executive functioning skill that prepares our students for college and future careers.

While our program is grounded in mastery-based learning, we don't offer unlimited attempts on resource-intensive assignments such as papers. Students typically receive one or two opportunities to revise and improve their work. This policy applies when students demonstrate genuine effort and maintain open communication with their teachers about challenges and needs.

To promote transparency and support student planning, our teacher-guides publish all deadlines and course outlines for the term or year in advance. This practice allows students to plan ahead and even complete assignments early if they choose.

Our goal is to strike a balance between flexibility and structure, preparing students for academic success while developing important life skills. This approach ensures that our students are well-equipped to thrive in their academic pursuits and beyond.

At Khan Lab School, we strive to balance our core vision of personalized, mastery-based, and active learning with the valuable opportunity of dual enrollment courses. Here's how we approach this:

Many dual enrollment courses at Foothill and other community colleges differ from our core educational philosophy. They often employ more traditional, lecture-driven methods and may not always align with our mastery-based approach. However, we recognize the significant benefits these courses offer our students.

For well-prepared learners, dual enrollment serves as an excellent bridge to the college experience. It provides a chance to earn transferable college credits, which are often viewed favorably in college admissions. This exposure helps our students adapt to various teaching styles they'll encounter in higher education.

To accommodate diverse learning needs and preferences, we offer a range of dual enrollment options. Some courses follow a more traditional, synchronous format, while others provide flexibility through asynchronous learning. This variety allows our students to experience different educational approaches while still benefiting from our innovative core curriculum.

By incorporating dual enrollment into our program, we aim to enhance our students' academic journey, providing them with a well-rounded education that prepares them for success in college.

At Khan Lab School, we view Advanced Placement (AP) tests as valuable tools that align well with our educational philosophy. Here's why:

AP tests offer students an excellent opportunity to demonstrate mastery in specific subject areas. These assessments are respected by colleges and universities, making them a powerful addition to a student's academic portfolio.

Preparing for and taking AP tests can be a transformative learning experience. It introduces students to high-stakes testing environments, similar to what they'll encounter in college. This experience is invaluable for building confidence and test-taking skills.

Importantly, AP tests align more closely with our mastery philosophy than traditional dual enrollment courses. They measure a student's mastery of AP subject matter rather than the time spent in a course, which resonates with our educational approach.

Our AP strategy differs significantly from traditional high schools. We don't offer conventional AP courses that often burden students with stressful busywork unrelated to the core exam. Instead, taking an AP exam is a choice for our students. We provide flexible support to help them prepare effectively.

Our students spread their AP assessments throughout their upper school experience, with some even taking APs in middle school. (Note: Some colleges only accept scores from the last four years.) This approach avoids concentrating AP work in the junior and senior years, reducing stress during a time when students are also focused on college applications and leadership in extracurricular activities.

For students who are ready, we find that taking up to 1-3 AP exams per year can be a reasonable goal. Our flexible, personalized approach ensures that each student can navigate their AP journey in a way that complements their overall academic growth and college preparation.

At Khan Lab School, we've reimagined the traditional grading system to better align with our educational philosophy. Here's how our approach differs:

We do assess student work, but we use a language that better reflects our focus on growth and mastery. Instead of letter grades, we employ mastery rubrics. This system provides a more nuanced and informative picture of a student's progress and achievements.

Our grading philosophy emphasizes improvement and learning over time. We offer students multiple opportunities to enhance their performance and deepen their understanding. This approach encourages a growth mindset and allows students to focus on mastering concepts rather than just achieving a particular grade.

While our system differs from traditional A-F grading, the core principle of assessment remains. In fact, a traditional grading system could align with our ethos if it incorporated clear, transparent mechanisms for students to improve their grades over time.

Our mastery-based grading system is designed to support continuous learning, foster intrinsic motivation, and provide a more comprehensive view of each student's academic journey.

At Khan Lab School, we prioritize mastery over seat time. However, we understand the need to align with traditional educational systems. Here's how we bridge this gap:

Our transcripts translate mastery into equivalent seat time credits. For instance, if a student demonstrates mastery of Algebra I in two months, their transcript will show "1 credit" or "1 year" of Algebra I.

This approach allows us to:

• Maintain our focus on individualized, mastery-based learning
• Meet traditional requirements (like UC system's A-G requirements)
• Provide transcripts that colleges and universities easily understand

We believe this method honors both our educational philosophy and the practical needs of our students as they progress in their academic journeys.

While KLS incorporates projects, we're not strictly a “PBL” school. Our curriculum balances various learning methods, including mini-lessons, personalized practice, group problem-solving, and Socratic dialogue. We also value traditional assessments like AP exams and SATs for their role in demonstrating college-level mastery.

Projects at KLS vary in depth and form. Writing assignments, labs, and group presentations are common, often serving as ways to demonstrate mastery alongside other assessments. As students progress, especially in high school, projects become more student-driven and open-ended.

We particularly encourage student-directed projects through our Applied Learning Program. These often multi-disciplinary endeavors more closely resemble real-world projects and have included starting businesses, producing plays, creating courses, developing apps, and conducting research internships.

At our school, we prioritize active learning over traditional lectures. While brief mini-lessons (under 30 minutes) may occasionally be used, we ensure these are as interactive as possible. The majority of class time is dedicated to active learning methods such as problem-solving and discussions.

Our approach to learning pace:

1. Teacher-guides set clear expectations and timelines for learning.
2. Course expectations are typically outlined at the start of each term or year.
3. Students have the flexibility to accelerate their learning if desired.
4. We provide opportunities for students to improve their mastery and grades within reason.

We encourage student agency in the learning process. Students are empowered to speak directly with their teacher-guides about pacing or any concerns they may have.

At KLS, we believe in fostering student agency and independence more than traditional schools. Our approach includes:

• Providing more unstructured time

• Offering increased flexibility in and out of class

• Encouraging student input on school operations and culture

We believe students learn responsibility by being given responsibility. However, we recognize that each student is unique, regardless of age. Some younger students may use their free time effectively, while some older ones might need more guidance.

Rather than implementing strict, one-size-fits-all rules, we strive to match independence levels to individual student readiness. Our general philosophy leans towards offering more freedom, adapting as needed to support each student's growth and development.