Academics

Holy Cross Catholic School is part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Our teachers use the Archdiocesan curriculum standards to guide their instruction at all grade levels and in all subjects. These standards are fully aligned with the standards set forth by the Kansas State Department of Education.

With the curriculum standards as their road map, the teachers use textbooks, supplemental materials, and a wide variety of instructional techniques to lead the children toward mastery of the outcomes.

If you would like to access the full set of curriculum guides, they are available Archdiocese of KC in KS Catholic Schools website.

Accreditation

Holy Cross is accredited by AdvancEd (Cognia) through 2020. We received the 2015 Governor’s Achievement Award, honoring the top performing schools in Kansas.

Standardization Testing at Holy Cross

Kansas Assessment Tests

Students in grades 3 – 8 take the Kansas Assessment tests in Reading and Math each year in the spring. This test is used to assess the school’s instructional program, make instructional decisions for individual students, and award accreditation to the school.

The Kansas Assessment tests the students over their knowledge of the curriculum set forth by the Kansas State Department of Education. Students are also assessed in Writing, Science and Social Studies; however these tests are not given every year or at every grade level.

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)

MAP is a computerized adaptive assessment that provides early identification of a student’s instructional and achievement level.  Our teachers use this data to develop specific learning targets for individual students.  The data collected from MAP testing drives instruction in our classrooms and guides school improvement.  All students at Holy Cross take MAP assessments three times each year.

DIBELs

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills from kindergarten through eighth grade. They are designed to be short (one minute)  measures used for benchmark screening, benchmark assessment and progress monitoring.   All students in kindergarten through 8th grade are assessed three times each year.

Acadience

Acadience Math is a universal screening and progress monitoring assessment that measures the acquisition of math skills from kindergarten through sixth grade.  The measures function as indicators of the essential skills that every child must master in order to become proficient in mathematics. These measures are used to regularly monitor the development of math skills in order to provide timely instructional support and prevent the occurrence of later math difficulties.

Elementary Academics (K-3)

Intermediate Academics (4-6)

Junior High Academics (7-8)