A variety of approaches, which include phonics instruction, provides for a balanced literacy program. Instructional strategies for individual, small group, and large group instruction focus on reading, spelling, and other language skills. Literature anthologies are instructional resources to meet partial requirements of the English Language Arts Essential Curriculum. Teachers use many ways to measure student progress, including conferences, observations notes, portfolios, and work samples. The mathematics curriculum in Washington County Public Schools focuses on developing in children an ability to think, reason, and communicate mathematically in order to apply skills to real-life problems.
Children make mathematical connections in other content areas and to the world outside of school.
The central goal of the elementary science program in the Washington County Public Schools is to produce students who use science, mathematics, and technology to solve problems and communicate. Children learn the processes of science throughout every content unit. In grade five the suggested framework for instruction includes the central strands of Energy and Systems and Interactions. The teaching modules include Taking a Closer Look, Pedaling Uphill, Fun in Motion, Running on Sunlight, Electricity, Living Off of the Land. In grade five the focus of the comprehensive health program is on helping the child understand the body's potential for health, to recognize the threats to health, to know how to prevent these threats and to adopt a life style that cultivates good personal health practices.