One of the most exciting updates in our academic program is that TEA has received approval to offer A–G Honors coursework, a meaningful step in strengthening and expanding opportunities for our students.
As a pilot, we will introduce an Honors-level ELA course for the 2026–27 school year, available to rising 11th graders as an opt-in pathway. This work, led by Katy Watts and myself, reflects our commitment to evolving alongside the changing college and career landscape. As expectations shift, we are ensuring our students are both challenged and well-prepared, while still grounded in TEA’s core approach to learning.
Across campus, curriculum work has been happening on three fronts at once: strengthening what we teach, refining how we teach it, and building systems that help us communicate that work more clearly to families.
In the lower grades, Exemplary Projects are being redesigned in the 1st and 2nd/3rd bands using our EXPAND framework, making the learning process more visible for both students and families.
In Middle and High School, we are deepening connections across disciplines. One example is the development of “Field Readers,” materials that intentionally weave together classroom learning, character development, and adventure programming so that fieldwork is anchored in clear academic outcomes.
A new 3rd/9th grade Humanities collaboration connecting Truckee, Angel Island, and Chinatown is bringing younger and older students into shared inquiry in ways that feel both meaningful and new for TEA.
Alongside this, faculty are engaged in ongoing one-on-one coaching in unit and project design, as well as professional development that draws on shared expertise across grade levels, disciplines, electives, and physical education.
At the center of all of this is a clear goal: greater curricular visibility. We want our extended communiTEA to better understand how academic rigor is designed, experienced, and supported at TEA.
— Jessa Brie, Director of Curriculum
