Teaching and learning at the Bay School grow naturally out of our mission and philosophy. Our commitment to the stewardship of time, for example, suggests a preference towards depth rather than breadth. Accurate and elegant communication in more than one medium requires skill, training, and a great deal of practice. Scientific and cultural literacy result from engagement with and reflection upon the difficult issues that challenge our global community.

Our curriculum begins with a largely skills-based, integrated approach in the freshman and sophomore years and becomes an increasingly complex interplay in the junior and senior years between the requirements for college admission and the interests and enthusiasms of individual students. Ethical and cultural studies, initially integrated into the 9th and 10th grade Humanities program, are later examined in upper-level electives which range from traditional philosophy to investigations of the moral implications of issues such as globalization, environmental challenges, economic, social and cultural disparities, and the communications revolution. The curriculum includes more than seventy-five advanced level elective courses across eight disciplines. Faculty members constantly challenge students to relate their learning to multiple disciplines and to the world in which they live.

Academic assessment is authentic and intentional. Because we value critical and independent thinking as well as thoughtful and thorough exploration, our assessment tools are varied and comprehensive. In all disciplines, assessment reaches beyond the ”quiz, test, paper, final exam” paradigm; multimedia presentations, dramatic presentations, and internships are also a part of each student’s comprehensive portfolio of work.