Academics at Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale

Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale offers a Montessori-inspired education that combines creative, independent, and personalized learning. Part-time, summer, and full-time programs are available.

The Guidepost Academy Curriculum

Mastery-based learning

Mastery-based learning

At Guidepost Academy, we believe that all students can become masters if they are given sufficient time and adequate instruction. Rather than putting emphasis on grades, we work with our students on the goal of mastering new knowledge and skills. This is a paradigm shift in thinking that allows learning to happen at each student’s pace, tailored to them, and with mastery clearly defined.

  • Learning is not time-limited. Some students are ready to move on quickly; others need more time. Students pass to new material when they're ready, not because a certain amount of time has elapsed
  • Instruction needs to be appropriate for each individual student, not someone else. That means clear objectives, a variety of learning methods, individualized support, and learner-centered instruction
  • Mastery is defined. Students track their own progress towards mastering learning objectives, and demonstrate their skill and understanding in a variety of ways


We work with Mastery Transcript Consortium to create a transcript that supports each teen’s learning today, opening doors for them in the future.

A “Prepared Environment”

A “Prepared Environment”

Montessori educators talk extensively about the “prepared environment.” This is Montessori’s word for the classroom: the physical space, but also the intangible elements - the culture, the routines, the schedule, the norms. Everything that communicates, without a word, the values of the school. The prepared environment is the third component of a triad containing the guide and the student: a “third teacher.” Without giving a lesson, the environment nonetheless teaches its students about the type of world they inhabit, about the values of their school, and about the trust that the community holds for them.

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Coaching at Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale

Middle school students experience intense physical and emotional growth during adolescence. For many students, setting goals, exploring values, and managing schedules are new experiences-and these tasks are challenging at any age! Even though growing independence and freedom are desirable and necessary, they require support and planning.

At Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale, students are paired with coaches, who serve as supportive guides and mentors. In school, the coach's role is to make himself obsolete as the student develops social, emotional, and cognitive skills to become her own coach. The coach is not a tutor or guidance counselor; he or she is a powerful and unique partner who helps students achieve their full potential.

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Guidepost Academy creates a culture of work

Create motivation and engagement through love of work

There are many students who come to Guidepost Academy with no specific idea of what they want out of school. It is common for students at this stage to find some or all areas of instruction inaccessible (the student who says, “I can’t do math!”) or irrelevant (“Why do we need this anyway?”). Our courses seek to explain the "why" of each discipline. What is the importance of history? What makes math essential? We combine this cognitive engagement with an individualized instructional approach that enables students to both identify and pursue their unique interests.

Network Courses

Our schools are intentionally small communities, uniquely linked in a large global network. One of the advantages of this structure is access to content experts around the world! Students can sign into live courses taught by professionals working and living in these fields: drawing courses taught by professional artists; film-making by LA-based directors; human progress and philosophy by philosophers at the University of Toronto; human anatomy by a surgeon in Texas. Wherever your student is located, with the power of the Guidepost Academy network, the world’s experts are available to them.

Entrepreneurship and Micro-Economy

Entrepreneurship and Micro-Economy

Micro-economy is a hallmark of a Montessori adolescent program. Dr. Montessori imagined adolescents working together to create a small business that served the needs of the educational community. The goals of this “micro-economy” include:

  • Serving as a necessary and valued member of the community
  • Seeing the impact of knowledge and skill gains on practical work
  • Gaining confidence in their ability to survive and thrive in the real world

Many of our middle school communities work together on campus-wide businesses, including bookshops, coffee shops, small campus farms, and selling handmade products online and at local craft fairs.

In both middle and high school, many of our students begin to start their own small businesses, supported by both coursework and individual mentorship around crafting a business plan, making a website, professional networking, and more. Entrepreneurship is keenly aligned with Montessori principles and the values at Guidepost Academy: encouraging students to pursue their individual passion at a high level, integrating knowledge from every area of academic study. From photography, to crafting co-ops, to web design and self-published graphic novels, students at Guidepost Academy set and achieve ambitious goals that have the potential to change the world.

Internships

Internships

In high school, students begin to identify areas of particular interest in the world and many choose to participate in existing internship programs, or to identify an area of interest and work with their coach to earn a new internship opportunity. Prior interns have worked in hospitals, supporting local congressmen, at theater companies and botanical gardens, in marketing departments for international companies, and as guides-in-training for Montessori early childhood classrooms.

Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale Teaching Staff

Unlike a traditional school model, Montessori education uses guides instead of teachers. During the Montessori process, teachers or guides are there to guide students toward their innate potential while guiding them through the process of learning and self-construction.

Our Team

Carolyn Burns
Carolyn Burns

Head of School

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Carolyn Burns
Head of School
Kara Casillas
Kara Casillas

Middle School Guide

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Kara Casillas
Middle School Guide
Ms. Kara is a graduate of Arizona State University with a focus on history and literature. She has a strong professional background in manufacturing, construction, and logistics. She kept in touch with the teaching community throughout her academic and professional career by working at a childcare center with younger children and being in the classroom with older children as a student teacher. As Montessori student herself, Ms. Kara has a deep understanding of Montessori values. Her goal as a teacher is to share these values academically and socially to help guide her students into adulthood. In her spare time, Ms. Kara likes to play fetch with her 3 dogs and play Mario Kart with her family.
Elizabeth Braman
Elizabeth Braman

Assistant Head of School

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Elizabeth Braman
Assistant Head of School
Elizabeth is an experienced educator with a passion for Montessori Philosophy. Since 2012, she has been providing social guidance and academic support to students across the Valley. She spent the last 5 years in leadership positions, where her primary focus has been on developing new, innovative programs and education initiatives. She has worked in a number of non-traditional school environments, and her background includes extensive work with students who have special needs. My experience in education has led me to conclude that the Montessori Method is the best method for students to truly learn. The focus on children as individuals, capable of discovery and self-discipline, is something she has kept at the forefront of her instruction and leadership, and she is ecstatic to contribute to an environment where these values are encouraged.

Planning for College and Career Development

The ultimate goal of Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale is to create students who thrive: living happy, fulfilling, and productive lives. Each student is guided through the process of identifying their values, setting specific goals, and learning how to achieve them. Throughout this process, they gain a sense of accomplishment and prepare themselves for a variety of careers.

Student Outcomes

Student Outcomes

Our middle school students are often interested in pursuing higher education, and our college-bound seniors have a 100% placement rate. Along with their coach and guides, students work with a full-time, licensed college counselor.


Here is where you will find some of our recent Guidepost Academy graduates:

Guidepost Academy Chantilly Academics FAQs

  • High-achieving students who are looking for an intellectually-challenging school
  • College-bound students looking to get into competitive institutions
  • Ambitious teens looking for a small, private school and a more personalized learning environment
  • Homeschooled or virtual school students looking for more opportunities to socialize and excel
  • Students who are looking for a supportive and accepting community
  • Advanced students looking for a Montessori-inspired middle school
  • Gifted and Talented students looking for an alternative to public middle school in North Scottsdale

What parents are saying about academics

Guidepost Academy Student

Our daughter has had a wonderful experience at Guidepost Academy. She is challenged far more than was the case at her public school. Our daughter receives the kind of individual attention that would be unheard of even at most private schools. The faculty is kind, fun and creative, and they take our daughter's education very seriously.

Dan F.

Guidepost Academy North Scottsdale Parent

Guidepost Academy Austin has received accreditation by Cognia™ and WASC

Guidepost Academy has received accreditation by Cognia™ and WASC, the Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the system and all of its domestic and international schools are accredited, and that Guidepost Academy is recognized across the nation as meeting the Cognia Standards of Quality. ACS WASC accredits elementary and secondary schools; non-degree granting adult schools; and supplementary education programs.

Experience school on your terms

Join a school community designed to support your education with coaching, small classes, and a commitment to our core values. Engage in deep study and personal exploration as a student at Guidepost Academy.

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