Curriculum
PBA's values-based curriculum emphasizes rigorous academics, universal Buddhist values, and the development of students' courage to nurture peace. PBA’s core academic graduation requirements – students must earn four full credits of language arts, four of social studies, three of science, three of math (including the requirement to complete Algebra 2), and three of foreign language – serve as a baseline to qualify PBA graduates for admission to most colleges and universities.
In 2013-14, the school changed from a traditional six-period school day of five core classes across two semesters to a modified block schedule of two daily core classes meeting five days weekly for six weeks, or in the school’s idiom, a “cycle.” There are six cycles in a school year, three per semester. Students switch to new core classes each cycle; they have two cycles a year in each academic discipline – language arts, social studies, science, math and foreign language. All core classes meet in the first two blocks of the day; students take semester-long electives in the afternoons. The innovation permits the school to schedule students for 6.0 academic credits per school year rather than 5.0 academic credits, and for the creation of the new line of courses for grades 9 - 11 that the school called the “Peace Cores.”
While the school does not divide strictly along departmental lines, the academic course structure can be divided along the following areas:
| Curriculum Areas | Classes |
|---|---|
|
Language Arts |
Theme-based courses in:
|
| Social Studies |
Theme-based courses in:
|
| Mathematics |
Coursework in:
|
| Science |
Coursework in:
|
| World Languages |
Coursework in:
|
| Virtues Practice Classes |
Required coursework for grade levels:
|
| College and Career Counseling Classes |
Required coursework for grade levels:
|
| Dō and Performing Arts |
Required coursework for grade level:
|
| Storytelling |
Electives courses in:
|
| Visual Arts |
Required coursework for grade level:
Electives courses in:
|
| Sustainability, Programming and Design |
Electives courses in:
|