Upcoming Lower Elementary Changes for 2026-2027

By Dr. Tyler Thigpen, Head of School

Next year, we’re excited to introduce several thoughtful changes to Lower Elementary Studio designed to make learning even more engaging, hands-on, and meaningful for our heroes.

Over the past year, we’ve listened carefully to feedback from both families and Guides, reflected deeply as a team, and continued asking an important question: how can we help children build stronger foundations while also protecting their curiosity, motivation, and love of learning? We believe these updates will create an even stronger experience for both learners and families.

One of the biggest shifts next year is that we’ll be moving away from programs like Lexia Core5 and Zearn as the primary drivers of literacy and math progress. These tools served an important purpose during a season of growth and helped provide structure and consistency, but over time we found that they were not always the best indicators of deep mastery. In some cases, they unintentionally encouraged a culture of completion and point-chasing rather than thoughtful learning, persistence, and true understanding. We also heard concerns from families and Guides about excessive screen time and the temptation for learners to click through work too quickly or mindlessly.

In their place, Lower Elementary learners will experience more hands-on Montessori math and literacy work designed to strengthen foundational skills in a more concrete, experiential, and joyful way. Montessori math materials, including multiplication and division materials, will now become a central part of our math badge plans, helping heroes physically see, manipulate, and understand mathematical concepts rather than simply rushing through digital lessons. We are also investing in new Montessori ELA materials to deepen reading and writing instruction and adding a new typing and spelling program called Read and Spell to support foundational communication skills in a developmentally appropriate way.

At the same time, we are not abandoning accountability or progress tracking. Heroes will still practice using Journey Tracker in Level 3, and we are exploring additional tools that may help families more clearly see learner growth over time. We are also increasing connection points with families through eight check-ins per year and two learner-led conferences, creating more opportunities for reflection, celebration, goal-setting, and partnership between home and school.

Most importantly, these changes are not about moving away from our learning model—they are about growing deeper into it. We want Lower Elementary learners to experience learning that is engaging, motivating, hands-on, and rooted in mastery rather than mere completion. We want children building strong foundations while also developing independence, confidence, responsibility, and joy.

I have full confidence in Brooke and Shamira as they lead the heroes next year. They care deeply about children, work incredibly hard, and are fully committed to creating a warm, thoughtful, and growth-filled environment for every learner and family in Lower Elementary Studio.

- Tyler and team