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Non-Negotiable Skills Subject Books Curriculum

The goal of our Non-Negotiable Skills (NNS) program is to build the skills of middle school students (and eventual College and Career applicants) from their current grade ability level to the next. 

Students must have mastery of the foundational skills eventually tested on the ACT and PSAT/SAT when then enter high school.  These same skills are taught in the Middle School curriculum.  The best time to improve college and career readiness is grades 6-8 given that if students are not on track for college and career readiness by 9th grade they may never catch up (University of Chicago Consortium, ACT). 

Our NNS series is a research-based program built on the pioneering work The Forgotten Middle:  Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School. These skills are found in our Reading, English, Science and Math NNS subject books levels 1, 2, and 3.  With the primary objective to guarantee students meet benchmarks, the Non-Negotiable Skills™ curriculum provides middle and high school students with a rigorous, comprehensive review of the skills needed to succeed in high school and beyond. Each unit focuses on mastering core academic skills through lessons, in-class practice, exercises, and two Mastery Quizzes for each subject, and these resources present the non-negotiable content and practice needed for improvement in grammar, reading, writing, and math at each of three different levels:

·         Non-Negotiable Skill Level 1 for ACT 13-15 and PSAT/SAT 730-870 score ranges

·         Non-Negotiable Skill Level 2 for ACT 16-19 and PSAT/SAT 880-1020 score ranges

·         Non-Negotiable Skill Level 3 for ACT 20-23 and PSAT/SAT 1030-1150 score ranges

Note: if the NNS ELAR subject book preparation is too advanced for some literacy deficient or English Language Learners, Cambridge also has a Comprehension, Word Study and Phonics elementary supplemental curriculum.

Teacher’s Guide

Teachers will find it easy to differentiate instruction in the classroom based on student needs as they provide the needed practice to fill skill gaps, master tested skills, and increase scores.  The teacher’s guide supports the teacher in classroom instruction and practice as students build the major skill areas. The teacher’s guide includes all student pages with correct answers highlighted and teaching tips for use in classroom lessons.