All students in Archdiocese of Chicago Elementary Schools take Terra Nova Standardized Tests, developed by CTB/ McGraw Hill, in the spring of their 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade years.

Divine Providence gives the Terra Nova test to all students in 3rd through 7th grades.

Our results indicate our students are well prepared for high school, college, and a career in the new 21st century economy.  In every grade and in every subject area our students score significantly above the national average.  These results speak to the academic expectations and commitment to excellence among the DP faculty and its staff.

In order to meet the needs of every learner, we offer two different academic levels.  Regardless of the courses our students typically gain admission to the private high school of their choice upon graduation from Divine Providence.

Here are a few examples of the academic programs offered at Divine Providence:

• Happily Ever After is a reading-readiness program used in DP’s pre-kindergarten with children’s literature at its heart. Happily Ever After gives children the foundation to begin reading instruction with the Superkids Reading Program. Classic stories from children’s literature are the basis of the ten units in the program.
• Superkids is a comprehensive, phonics-based reading and language arts program used in DP’s kindergarten through second grade.  The goal of the program is to produce skillful, confident readers and writers.  At the heart of the program are the Superkids characters that keep children motivated and engaged with their adventures, songs, and gentle life lessons.
• In grades 3-5, we begin developing critical thinking skills that our students will require for a lifetime of learning. By providing Inquiry Learning lessons that require children to solve real world problems, by being exposed to a variety of literature through the use of literature  circles that promote understanding and evaluation, and by developing and  using fundamental skills (e.g. notetaking, organization, and study skills, etc.) our children are provided with an important foundation  necessary for their success in the 21st Century.
• The Accelerated Readiness Curriculum (A.R.C.) is for students who are capable of doing accelerated academic work in the 7th and 8th grades.  The classes are ability based rather than age based in the areas of math, language arts and Spanish.  Placement is based on several criteria and the curriculum has been aligned with the local Catholic high schools.  A.R.C. will challenge students to learn at their own level and be prepared for high school honors classes.