Academics
About > Academics
Unmatched Catholic Education
John Paul II combines faith formation with small class sizes, rigorous curriculum, and first-rate teachers to offer best in class individualized Catholic instruction that allows each and every child to grow in faith, learn to think critically, be creative and collaborate with others.
Academic Pillars
We Maintain High Standards.
- Our academic standards meet and exceed state standards.
- Our students regularly score in the top 30th percentile on nationwide standardized tests.
- Our graduates have consistently done well on high school entrance exams earning over $250K in scholarships.
- Our goal is focused on learning for all children.
We Embrace and Integrate Technology.
- Smart TVs, Apple TVs, & iPads are revolutionizing the learning process and meeting the needs of all of our students.
- One-to-one iPads for grades 6, 7 & 8.
- iPads in grades 1 – 5 classrooms and in PreK and Kindergarten to enhance early literacy skills.
- Online text books & Google for Education applications.
We Have Multiple Resources to Enhance a Student’s Learning.
Our enrichment/intervention staff includes a school counselor, a speech pathologist, two reading instructional specialists, a math specialist, a gifted specialist, and an intervention specialist.
Eighth grade students earn scholarships.
- Our 8th graders have earned over $300,000 in academic scholarships to area Catholic high schools.
- 50% of our students earned these scholarships!
Curriculum
John Paul II Catholic School curriculum follows the Graded Course of Study, Teaching for the 21st Century, for each subject as provided by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and is fully accredited through the Ohio Catholic School Accreditation Association. JPII students perform well above average on standardized testing, and area high schools report a large percentage of JPII graduates on their honor rolls.
Assessments for Learning
Student learning is continually evaluated using teacher/publisher-made assessments, i-Ready Diagnostics for reading and math, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and classroom observations.
Expanded and Enhanced Curriculum
A variety of additional programs are offered, including:
- Band
- Camp Campbell Gard (8th grade team building off site)
- Conner Prairie (6th grade)
- Choir (4th – 8th grade)
- Drama Clubs (1st – 8th)
- Field Day (all-school event in late May)
- Field Trips (Pre-K – 8th grade)
- High School Entrance Placement Test Preparation
- Magnified Giving (7th – 8th grade)
- Nativity Play (K – 3rd grade)
- Power of the Pen (7th – 8th grade)
- Science Fair (5th grade)
- Spanish Club (7th – 8th grade)
- Spring Concert (4th – 6th grade)
- Washington DC (8th grade)
Homework
Assignments are posted on the JPII App. Homework assignments are designed to increase skills by giving additional practice, fostering independence, giving the student a sense of responsibility, developing good study habits, and allowing the student to master the materials covered.
Report Cards
Report cards are posted online on OptionC in November, late February and June. Grades for tests/quizzes/projects are continually posted there as well. Grades K-2 uses a standards-based format that reports students’ level of mastery of selected skills. Grades 3-8 use a traditional letter grades format. Along with academic progress, teachers also report on the student’s effort and personal growth. For more detailed information about grading, please see the Parent/Student Handbook.
In addition to report cards, ongoing progress is available to parents in OptionC.
Standardized Testing
Standardized tests are given in the spring to students in Grades 2 through 7. These tests serve as one tool of many to help measure students’ strengths and weaknesses and to compare the results to national norms. Results are made available to parents in May.
The religious education program is assessed each year in a variety of grade levels using the ARK, the Assessment of Religious Knowledge implemented by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.