Don’t let the name deceive you. The Lower School at Fort Lauderdale Preparatory School has nothing to do with status, and everything to do with academic growth and development.
Our Lower School (Grades 1-6) at FLPS features mixed-aged groupings. Student learning groups are divided among first and second graders; third and fourth graders; fifth and sixth graders. The students are paired by performance level in certain courses to build strong educational foundations.
By mixing the age groups, students interact and learn in an environment similar to that of a typical family or neighborhood. It offers a twist on traditional instruction that helps young students develop academically and socially.
When children are young, it’s often counterproductive to form study groups by chronological age. There can be wild fluctuations among individual academic and social development among students. Because of this, FLPS educators favor grouping students by stages of cognitive development for maximum learning impact.
Break-out groups of FLPS students are formed according to student performance levels for computative math and reading. Students remain with their grade-level peers for pure content subjects, such as science and social studies.
Freed from the limits of being secluded with kids their own age, new learning alliances form and appropriate learning takes place. But that’s not where the innovation ends at FLPS Lower School. Our teaching style features cooperative learning and individual projects. The mix of these disciplines helps students grow more comfortable with their own achievements, while also learning how to work as members of a successful team.
Just as in a traditional family or neighborhood, students learn, play and interact constantly with peers of various ages. This is part of the learning process and helps reinforce stronger connections between environment and knowledge. By encouraging interaction, students can sharpen their competitive and curious nature, grow in confidence with their own abilities, and become leaders and valuable contributors to something larger than themselves.
FLPS Lower School students are held to high standards – ours and yours. Here’s just some of what they are expected to accomplish. Each student will:
- Develop self-management skills
- Constantly strive for higher achievement
- Develop and sharpen communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing)
- Encourage and heighten thinking and reasoning skills
- Build computer and Internet competencies
- Further develop foreign language skills
- Promote focused organizational and study habits
We’re proud of how our FLPS students grow within the Lower School. They “learn how to learn” and develop skills that serve them well at higher grade levels. And the next few years are crucial.