“As independent schools move toward the idea of more
differentiated instruction, Darlington has developed a new
program unique to this area,” said James Hutchins, director of
PK-8. “Students in the Early Learning Academy will work
collaboratively on big ideas and break out into small, ability-
based groups for the core areas of reading, writing and
arithmetic. This will allow our teachers to build a directed,
customized curriculum that takes into account various levels of
ability and builds on the students’ strengths.” This new program
will expose all academy students to three highly qualified
teachers who are teaching a dynamic, cohesive curriculum as a
team. The standards, scope and sequence of the curriculum will
be vertically integrated with Darlington’s entire academic
program, and students will be exposed to the teaching and
learning styles that are best suited for their individual needs.
“The teachers will work as a team so that all students are
studying the same topics at the same time, but at differen