Our Model

Unbound Stockton is a safe and inclusive 4th - 8th grade school for ALL students in our Stockton and greater Stockton community. Our students will learn and work through real world experiences together, so they will know not learn to live in a diverse 21st century society, but how to impact it.

Why 4th - 8th Grade
Early adolescence should be a time when children have a safe and clear space to come to terms with this cognitive, emotional, and psychological transformation.

Identity Development - Research shows early adolescence is a time students begin their own identity development and understanding who they are personally and interpersonally. We create the conditions to allow for student self-exploration, and development of self confidence so they can succeed in the school environment.
Key Academic Indicators - We focus on critical academic ages that are likely predictors of future academic success. From end of 3rd grade reading level to 8th grade Algebra performance, we want our students to be academically proficient, and are a school who specifializes on the academic success of this student age group.

Exploration and Choice - Students are at a developmental age where curiosity needs to continue to be nurtured. Our approach to interdisciplinary learning and exploration in the city peaks student curiosity, and gives them the opportunity to discover their passions and interests to pursue in the future.

Core Values (Who We Are)

Be True - We act our authentic self, by knowing our authentic self. We lean in to who we are, the feelings we feel, and how that impacts our actions and interactions. We lead with integrity, and are honest and open with our successes and failures, and places where you are still growing and learning. We create shared truth.

Push Yourself - We know learning never ends, so we consistently try new things and test ourselves. We understand this requires being vulnerable and things may be difficult at times. We know that we are resilient and we grow from stepping out of our comfort zones with the right supports and reflection.

Come Together - We create a safe an inclusive space, but know that requires coming together and showing up for each other. We know that while difference and division exist, we practice listening and building empathy in order to grow ourselves and our collective. We set common goals and work together to achieve them, as we see our individual successes as shared successes.

Be Reflective - We believe in doing the self work to show up and be ready to learn, grow, and create change. We understand we don’t have all the answers but will continue to think about how we grow. We reflect on our words and actions, but as well as our interactions and the perspectives of others to give us a more well rounded understanding of ourselves. (Include something around RP)

Transform with Justice - We work to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive spaces and systems that allow all people to live fulfilled lives of purpose and community. We recognize we must take an active role in creating change, and redesigning our world for everyone.

Curriculum

Keys to an Unbound Learning Experience
Diverse and Integrated
Safe, diverse and inclusive community
Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Block
Arts based empathy development

Fully Inclusive Learning Environments
Experiential Based Learning
Differentiated Tutorial Blocks
Equity driven student data audits

Self Awareness Training and Mindfulness
Trauma Sensitive Practices
Weekly community engagement
Annual Unbound Community Capstones
Unleash Friday
Our community represents a wealth of community and cultural assets and it is important that are students see learning as going beyond the boundaries of our “school”, and knowledge is not only held by our teachers. Every Friday students will be UNLEASHED for a community experience. Our staff members will coordinate community related experiences that are tied to both standards and their current academic content learning. In these experiences, students will learn about history of the community and the contribution of diverse individuals to an Unbounded society. Our students will also apply their learning and contribute to our community by solving problems of practice our partners propose to our students.

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES & PRACTICES

The curriculum at Unbound Stockton uses the following instructional approaches and practices:

Data-informed instruction (DDI)
is a precise and systematic approach to improving student learning throughout the year. The inquiry cycle of data-driven instruction includes assessment, analysis, and action and is a key framework for school-wide support of all student success.
Place-based Education (PBE)
immerses students in their local community using it as a foundation to study social studies, science, mathematics, ELA, and related arts. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world experiences through place-based education makes learning more meaningful to students and helps lessons stick. When learning challenges ring true to students and when students have opportunities to share their learning with a larger audience, there is a profound impact on academic performance, social and emotional development and school culture.
Cooperative Learning
is a teaching strategy in which small heterogeneous groups, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of structured learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of the group is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement, team building, interdependence and individual accountability.
Differentiated/Personalized Learning
is a strategy that offers pedagogy, curriculum, and learning environments to meet the individual student’s needs. The experience is tailored to learning preferences and the specific interests of different students. In a differentiated learning environment, the learning objectives and content, as well as the method and pace, may all vary.
Flexible/Strategic Grouping
is a term that covers a range of grouping students for delivering instruction, such as whole class, small group, and partner. Students are grouped and regrouped according to specific goals, activities, and individual needs. Flexible grouping strategies are used to meet curricular goals, engage students, and respond to individual needs of the students. Strategic grouping helps teachers overcome the disadvantages of ability grouping while still attending to individual performance issues.