Blog: How Father Ryan’s Four Levels of Learning Help Every Student Achieve

Father Ryan High School’s approach to academics is highly personal. For decades, Father Ryan has used its four levels of learning to customize and adjust each student’s academic path from 9th through 12th grade. This approach is the foundation of the school’s 100-year-old mission and vision as a high school open to any student who desires a Catholic-centered education.   

To understand how Father Ryan creates this distinctive personalized approach to unlocking each student’s spiritual, academic, and personal potential, we spoke with the academic team: 

• Jennifer Anton, Academic Dean 

• Andrew Reducha, Associate Academic Dean 

• Amy Grubbs, Hayes Scholars Program Chair, Father Ryan’s four-year program for top-caliber students, and English teacher  

Why are four levels of learning essential for every student’s success?  

Andrew: Students don't benefit from a one-size-fits-all approach. To maximize the individual potential of all our students, we recognize that a customized academic program ensures that we are able to teach our students, reach them based on their unique strengths and challenges, and address their individual goals for the future. We find that our students are more engaged and better prepared for college and beyond because of this approach. 

Amy: A huge benefit of a customized academic approach is that students feel enthusiastic about learning. Addressing each student’s strengths and challenges makes learning more engaging as they are an active part of their own learning. Because they are in an appropriate level and type of class, they aren’t just passively taking in information or struggling to keep up. This personal connection empowers them to create exceptional work. 

Jennifer: At Father Ryan, we purposefully have an academically diverse student body. It’s part of our Catholic mission. Each student has God-given talents and challenges and we meet students where they are. While all our students are created in God's image, they are not cookie cutters of one another. Their unique differences make up this beautiful world that we all live in. Our focus is to meet kids where they are, no matter where that is, and make sure they get the education that they need to be productive global citizens and to take on whatever it is that comes next. We want all doors to remain open for Father Ryan graduates as they discern what comes next for them. 

Andrew: Our customization evolves as students get more acquainted with their passions and where their strengths lie academically. Students may change levels during the school year, particularly at the end of the first quarter and semester. For new students, some may feel that they are not being challenged enough academically and may have identified an interest in moving up to a higher level. The same is also true for students who are thriving in some subjects but may be struggling in others. Students, parents, and teachers work together to find the right academic level. 

What are Father Ryan’s four levels of learning? 

Amy: We have College Preparatory, Honors, High Honors, and Advanced Placement (AP). Each level is rigorous. Simply put, we use a mix-and-match approach. If students do very well in science but are less confident in history, they could take a High Honors science course and an Honors course in history. Student interest also dictates a customized schedule, such as AP Portfolio or AP Calculus BC. Students have the option of choosing courses in terms of ability and comfort level as well as their own interests.  

Andrew: We want our students to be challenged appropriately across all subjects. As they develop and deepen their passions, some subjects will come a bit more easily. As a large high school, we have the benefit of offering many opportunities outside the classroom during the school day and as extracurriculars. When students discover their passions, a personalized learning program allows them to dedicate more time to that AP Physics class, for example, and perhaps a High Honors English course.   

Jennifer: Our approach speaks to kids' passions at different levels. We offer more than 200 courses at Father Ryan. That includes many courses with varying levels across all departments that pique a broad set of interests, from high-level mechanical engineering electives to a College Preparatory engineering course that includes CAD programming. Our STEAM program and STEAM Lab are project-based. For the student who has a natural gift for STEAM but may struggle with the AP-level courses, they still get to pursue their interests. These exciting and interesting courses are offered to all students, not just those at the highest level, with the goal of helping every student find what brings him or her joy and passion.  

Read more about Father Ryan’s four levels of learning. 

How does personalized learning translate into success after graduation? 

Jennifer: We moved to the four levels of learning to meet the needs of all our students. After four years, every graduate moves on to follow their passions and chase their dreams, with many choosing to attend highly competitive universities.  

How does Father Ryan serve top-achieving students through the four levels of learning? 

Amy: If teachers are meeting students where they are, and students are doing well in the highest-level classes, it is easy for schools to overlook these high-achieving students. I am very proud that our Hayes Scholars Program not only meets our highest-performing students where they are but also pushes them to embrace more challenging academic opportunities through our High Honors and AP level classes as well as through the programs that we’ve cultivated especially for them. If a student is in an Honors level course or really interested in a subject, for example, our teachers encourage them to move to High Honors or the AP class in that subject.  

Jennifer: We created the Hayes Scholars Program for top-achieving students because we recognized that they need to be challenged beyond a rigorous curriculum. We also knew they would benefit from a learning cohort of like-minded peers. The Hayes Scholars Program includes special academic and college counseling, programs, and field trips. 

Amy: Our Hayes Scholars Program also connects students with alumni in their field of interest as well as other real-world opportunities that take learning beyond the classroom. Next fall, we are offering a project-based, independent research experience for interested students that allows them to do a deep dive into a particular subject. Students can work individually or in small groups and in projects for campus as well as for in the greater community. We want them to tackle the kinds of challenges they are going to face in real life. 

Research shows that high-achieving students often also deal with a unique kind of stress and anxiety. One of my goals for our Hayes Scholars is to connect them more deeply with the resources we have and with academic scaffolding to help address the pressure many high-achieving students feel.  

Jennifer: We are adding a PSAT prep program for our Hayes Scholars so they may be more intentional about their goals. The PSAT scores are how you earn National Merit status, which has opportunity for college scholarships. The program coaches students on the test itself as well as test-taking strategies to ensure students are as successful as possible. 

Amy: Each year, the Hayes Scholars Program hosts a speaker. This year, our speaker, Andrew Maraniss, spoke about his book, Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South. He mentioned that the book began as a college paper that he wrote. It was such a profound moment because it reminded me that what we may consider a little thing, like a college paper, matters. In the Hayes Scholars Program, the little things students encounter change their perspective and get them interested in something else or open their eyes to new possibilities. I just love seeing their curiosity blossom.   

Learn more about the Hayes Scholars Program. 

What resources are needed and offered at Father Ryan to create a personalized learning approach? 

Jennifer: Every adult at Father Ryan works in academics, and we work together to meet the needs of the vastly different children that we have the pleasure of serving. Teenagers listen to and take advice from adults who show genuine interest in them as people. Our faculty, staff, and administrators do this every single day.  

We have three full-time personal counselors to support students’ emotional, social, and physical well-being. We have daily Mentor Groups in our House System led by adults and students in all grades to engage and support kids. Our Houses create a family community and make a large school smaller. Our academic advising staff works with each student on schedules and plans for all four years. We have a robust Educational Support Program with four full-time learning specialists and a team of other educators who work to provide support for students with learning differences.  

How do you work with incoming students and their families to help them navigate Father Ryan’s personalized academics? 

Amy: Every freshman and transfer student takes a required seminar class taught by our faculty and staff. The Freshman Seminar course runs for one semester every other day, and the Transfer Seminar class, taught by our President Paul Davis ’81, meets every other day for a transfer student’s first semester. These courses are instrumental in helping students navigate their first days on campus, including their academics. It is a safe place where new students can ask questions and learn about the variety of academic opportunities at Father Ryan, including the four levels of learning.  

Read Paul Davis’ Irish Insights blog post on helping freshmen transition to high school. 

Andrew: The House System and the student-faculty Mentor Groups are another space where students are guided and supported. Incoming students have the benefit of sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the room to help them navigate particular situations, whether it is their first high school math test or looking at schedules and course selection. They get advice and peer recommendations in these organic conversations.  

Our specific scheduling time occurs each February. Adult mentors and the Director of Academic Counseling talk with students about offerings for the coming school year. Teachers talk with each student about courses and course level recommendations for the year ahead.  

Amy: To change a level, a teacher's recommendation is needed, as well as signatures from the teacher and the student’s parents. It’s a thoughtful, intentional decision.  

How do academic enrichment opportunities like study abroad programs enhance academic potential at Father Ryan? 

Andrew: We offer a variety of study abroad experiences for students. We have traditional guided academic tours where a faculty sponsor has identified student interest in traveling to a particular part of the world. This October, we are going to Portugal, and this semester, we had a pilgrimage to Italy from March 7 to 16. Another trip toured different European capitals over Spring Break, including London, Madrid, and Paris. We also offer exchange opportunities through our partnerships with schools across the world. Our first was with a school in the Loire Valley of France, Saint-Denis International School. Our students study in France with a combination of a host family and boarding experience. When we host French students, typically,y they stay with the Father Ryan student they hosted in France, but they share with all of our students. Recently, we offered another exchange program for our students with Colegio María Alvarado, an American school in Lima, Peru. This offered our students a fantastic combination of exchange program/service opportunity for our students who will experience life in an English language school in Peru, plus cultural lessons and sightseeing. 

Seeing the lightbulb go off from these travel experiences gives me goosebumps. Our students make deep, meaningful connections that are only possible outside of the classroom. It speeds up their development as global citizens. Our trips range anywhere from one to three weeks. Students develop and mature in a short amount of time. Our academic tour and travel service programs are open to any student. The French Cultural Exchange program is open to students who have completed at least two years of French. 

What is the vision behind Father Ryan’s new college credit Dual Enrollment Program introduced in fall 2024? 

Jennifer: We currently offer seven unique college courses for college credit, taught by our faculty in partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University. Four are one-semester courses, and three are year-long experiences. The university discovered that the material they offered was drastically similar to courses we already teach. Now, instead of taking Pre-Calculus Honors, Father Ryan students take the Dual Enrollment Pre-Calculus course.  

Kids have really taken advantage of this program. Our goal is to expand it strategically. Giving students access to a college curriculum without the high-stakes stress of college-level exams offers new opportunities for more students than ever before. Our individualized advising process helps students navigate which courses to choose. It is a great example of how Father Ryan helps every student reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential. 

How does Father Ryan’s faith-based mission connect with academics? 

Amy: My approach as a teacher comes from knowing that we are all created in the image of God, the creator, to create. One of my jobs is to help students see themselves in the image of God as creative people who have skills and knowledge they can use to make the world better. In my English classes, for example, when we practice critical thinking, students realize they have the creative power to offer new interpretations or ideas and to encourage and challenge others. When they do this, they are able to see their own strengths and abilities as God-given and know how to use them in constructive ways. 

Andrew: I think back to my time in the Spanish classroom at Father Ryan not that long ago and the ways in which we help students make those connections. The connections come from themes being discussed in a World Language class that they may also be learning in the Theology classroom [every student is required to take an annual Theology class] or starting class with a prayer by a Latin American saint. Attending a faith-based school, knowing that the mission of being the experience of the living Gospel is woven into every fiber of a Father Ryan education, is not something that we limit to a Theology lesson or to morning Mass. Faith is incorporated in just about any class or lesson that we cover across our campus. We teach our students why it is important to approach every subject with integrity. We give them space to learn that there are right ways and wrong ways to approach their academic endeavors. We also provide a space for when students do make mistakes, to learn from those mistakes, to ensure that by the time they leave Father Ryan, they approach their academics the right way and make the right choices that will bring them more success down the road. 

Read Principal Francisco M. Espinosa, Jr.’s Irish Insights blog on the benefits of a Catholic school.  

About Jennifer Anton 

Mrs. Anton joined the Father Ryan community in 2014 to serve as the Assistant Academic Dean. She became Academic Dean in 2017. She received her Ed.S. with an emphasis in Leadership and Administration from Lincoln Memorial University in 2007. Mrs. Anton earned her M.Ed with an emphasis on Secondary Mathematics Education from Georgia State University in 1998. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. 

Andrew Reducha, Associate Academic Dean 

Mr. Reducha, Associate Academic Dean, earned his A.B. in Hispanic Studies from Dartmouth College and his M.Ed. in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to Father Ryan in 2018, Mr. Reducha taught English as a foreign language in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. He is a member of the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association. Mr. Reducha served as the first Head of Elliston House from 2020 through 2023. 

Amy Grubbs, Director of the Hayes Scholars Program, and English teacher  

Mrs. Grubbs joined the Irish in 2015 after receiving her Master of Fine Arts and Master of Letters degrees, both with an emphasis in Shakespeare and Performance, from Mary Baldwin College. Mrs. Grubbs teaches English at Father Ryan, serves as the Hayes Scholars Committee Chair, and moderates the Creative Writing and Shakespeare Clubs. Outside of Father Ryan, Mrs. Grubbs is a founding member of the Turning Glass Shakespeare Theatre Company and has written multiple published essays.