Studia Nova provides online curricula for all educational activities through a browser. Your student will only need access to an Internet-enabled computer.
Studia Nova curates many innovative programs that deliver outstanding learning in many subject areas. Our students read books, write stories and essays, work math problems, complete online quizzes, do online flashcards, watch videos, listen to audio books, play a few learning games, and engage in socratic dialog with our teachers. Our curriculum provides for every learning modality. We ask our students to complete diagnostic testing before and after satisfactory completion of our programs to ensure effectiveness.
Classic Literature
The cornerstone of our student’s outstanding achievement is the success of our reading program. If students can read well, they can learn anything. Our reading program is based on completing whole literature books through all levels of study. Our average high school freshman reads and analyzes eight complete works of literature. Studia Nova focuses on literary classics from authors like Jack London, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, and John Steinbeck.
Writing
Traditionally, writing is just taught in English Class. At Studia Nova, writing is an essential component of all our courses. While English class focuses on the mechanics of good writing, all courses require written work to demonstrate comprehension. We call this approach writing through the curriculum.
Mathematics
Mathematics requires both a sufficient number of problems to be completed as well as sufficiently challenging problems to solidify concepts for future learning. Our mathematics program is mastery based where abilities must be fully demonstrated before progressing to the next mathematical concept. Mathematics is a ladder, a student misses too many steps and they find they can not proceed to the next level. Studia Nova provides math courses through first semester Calculus.
Science
Early science encourages curiosity over rote memory. Students learn through inquiry based methods, intriguing multimedia content, and conceptual writing assignments. Early science should inspire a love of the natural world, train the observant eye, and inspire curiosity in physical phenomena. High school science becomes more rigorous to either prepare for college level study or to empower the student with the foundations needed to become science literate citizens.
Humanities
Studia Nova’s writing through the curricula approach is applied to all humanities, from social science to world history. Students read less didactic text and more complete works. At the same time, Studia Nova takes full advantage of exceptional multimedia content developed by unique creators who are passionate about the humanities, so that students experience a variety of learning approaches.
Electives
Our approach to elective learning is to enhance a student’s life long learning skills. Electives are meant to open the mind and expose students to new ideas and activities. Studia Nova curates a variety of online classes for student electives and monitors their timely completion. The most important idea we want our students to understand is that there is almost no limit to what can be learned online, and the twenty-first century is the century of academic freedom.
By The Book
Many online programs are pure video lecture with maybe some notes and quiz questions. Many traditional school teachers totally ignore a tomb of a textbook – which was selected by people who never had to teach to that textbook! When teachers don’t like the textbook, they provide endless handouts and ‘packet’ work. Studia Nova carefully selects a textbook (all online) we like, then we step through the textbook, until the work is complete. In this way, a student is provided a cohesive body on knowledge to learn. The textbook reading is always enhanced with carefully selected videos to enrich and expand learning, while providing a break in learning style.
Approach to Standards
Studia Nova is directionally aligned with California’s academic standards. This alignment is to make it easier for students to transfer in or out of Studia Nova Classes from other schools. However, we do not allow standards to get in the way of making the right decision for our students. Our English program focuses on whole works of classic literature. Lab reports, reading factual science and history texts, all make up the full spectrum of requirements. All our core courses exceed common educational standards.
The K3 Program
Studia Nova believes that in the formative K3 years, writing by hand and working math problems by hand are in the best interest of the student. While there are many excellent computer-based programs for young learners, these online options should not form the entire basis of the younger student’s learning. The K3 program includes print-outs and worksheets that must be reviewed by parents or learning coaches.