Curriculum & Assessments

Odyssey Academy is a public charter school that provides rigorous educational opportunities for students. Just like every traditional public school in the State of Texas, we teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

To teach the TEKS, our primary curriculum resource is the TEKS Resource System. The TEKS Resource System is a curriculum management system which includes a curriculum framework for grades K-12 in all foundational academic subject areas aligned to the TEKS.

In addition to the TEKS, Odyssey Academy recognizes that 21st Century Skills are essential for success in the workplace. These skills include critical thinking, responsibility, creativity, communication, productivity, collaboration and initiative. We systematically incorporate these skills utilizing The Leader in Me process.

Pre-AP and Dual Credit

Other ways we prepare our students for life-long success are by offering college and career readiness pathways for our students. Beginning in 6th grade we offer Pre-AP classes. Students can begin earning high school credit in middle school. This provides them the option for taking college level courses while they are in high school. Our high school classes offer small class sizes providing the students with support for future success.

Dual credit classes enable students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously. Students can take academic courses such as math, English, history or workforce education classes such as drafting, welding or cosmetology. These classes are offered face-to-face at different locations, or some classes are on-line, and other classes are a hybrid class of face-to-face and on-line.

Collegiate High School

Collegiate High School allows Odyssey Academy students to earn an associate degree while simultaneously completing a high school diploma. Students who take part in this program attend all high school and college classes on the College of the Mainland campus.  They are still able to participate in extracurricular activities at their Odyssey Academy high school either the Galveston or Bay Area location.

College Assessments

While in high school, students are provided many opportunities to prepare for college. They will take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), they will complete the ApplyTexas college application and have an opportunity to attend parent/student workshops to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA). Students are encouraged to participate in one or more college readiness assessments such as  Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT)  If students are eligible, they can request waivers from their deans.

STAAR Testing

Introduced in 2012, the State Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program assesses reading and mathematics for all students in grades 3-8, writing for students in grades 4 and 7, science for students in grades 5 and 8, and social studies for students in grade 8.

For high school students there are five STAAR end-of-course (EOC) assessments: English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides extensive STAAR resources on its website (www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/). The resources are intended to help individuals understand how the STAAR program measures the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum standards.

Elementary STAAR

  • Grade 3: Reading and Math
  • Grade 4: Reading, Math, and Writing
  • Grade 5: Reading, Math, and Science

Middle School STAAR

  • Grade 6: Reading and Math
  • Grade 7: Reading, Math and Writing
  • Grade 8: Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies

High School STAAR

The STAAR EOC (End-of Course) assessments will test a high school student’s mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for a given course, and determine college and career readiness.

STAAR EOC include: English I, Algebra I, Biology, English II and U.S. History.