Education is truly evolutionary. Data, accountability, data driven decision-making, standards, formative assessments, benchmark assessments, RTI, SRBI, secondary school reform, 21st Century Skills, rigor…….so much more to learn and to assimilate into our daily practice. Learning collaboratively is really the only way we will be able to digest, sort and put into practice all that we want to do for our students.
Curriculum Update
The State Department of Education has rolled out the model math curriculum for PreK-5 and 6-8. This documents what’s different? The 2007 PK-5 Model Math curriculum for CT was organized around three themes which combined grade level expectations from the standards: number, data and relations. The 2008 Prek-5 Model for Mathematics Curriculum is organized by the standards for better alignment to the 2008 6-8 Model for Mathematics. The Model features correlated GLE’s, sequenced GLE’s, Goals 2000 connections and the curriculum format. It also has a glossary, references, and live links to cross referenced GLE’s. Soon this document will be online at the state website. We will be using this document as our basis for Branford’s prek-8 curriculum in Math.
Social Studies:
Well, the State Frameworks – draft of course will be out in November. This draft will be presented at the Social Studies Conference. The curriculum frameworks are organized around three interrelated standards: content knowledge, History/social studies literacy skills and application. Within each standard stands will identify important understandings and GLE’s.
Science:
The new updated science frameworks are now on line at the SDE website. They show the correlation to the CMT’s and GLE's.
Language Arts frameworks are also up on the state website. Again, you can see the GLE's and correlation to the CMT’s.
We will be using the state frameworks as a basis for the development of our curriculum. I am in the process of going to all the schools and sharing with all staff our draft of the curriculum writing process. (See wiki page). In addition you will see that the SDE has also provided us with a guide in our curriculum development process. WANTED: teachers to serve on our Math, Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum committees. We are limiting each committee to 12 people representing prek-12. They will serve as liaisons to the schools as we go through the curriculum writing process. We will be building on what we are already teaching. We cannot do it without your input and support so consider being part of the curriculum writing committee.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ADOPTS SECONDARY SCHOOL REFORM PROPOSALS: At its October 2, 2008 meeting the Connecticut State Board of Education adopted secondary school reform proposals presented by Commissioner Mark McQuillan and members of the Boards Ad Hoc Committee. This proposal will effect prek-12 education and so we need to become aware of its expectations. I will include a copy of this draft on my wiki page.
ELL:
We have over 100 ELL students in our district this year. We have contracted with the State of CT to provide a comprehensive job embedded professional development program for our ELL support staff in Branford to develop and implement the best model for our ELL students. This year is the first year we are putting our “new” ELL delivery model in place. Rosario Frumento is our district ELL coordinator and Monica Briggs oversees the ELL program. Each school has a certified ELL support staff member to work with our ELL students.
The ELL support staff will be providing their services IN the classroom – this is a “push in” collaborative model. Teachers will be teaming with regular education teachers in the classrooms. These teachers can work with all or any students while in the classrooms. This model will not only benefit our ELL population but all of our students. This will present some challenges as we move forward. It is important for us to remember that this transformation is a work in progress. Our ELL support team will be meeting monthly. We will be sharing our progress with this new model: what is working and what is not and how we can improve. It is important for you to support your ELL support staff as we transition to this model. This “best practice” of sheltered instruction “is a means for making grade-level content, such as science, social studies and math more accessible for English language learners while also promoting English development. Sheltered instruction is said to be the most influential instructional innovation… because it addresses the needs of the students.” Our ELL staff will be reading SHELTERED CONTENT INSTRUCTION by Jana Echevarria and Anne Graves. This will help us promote a consistent delivery model and understanding of the model throughout the district. You are always welcome to attend any of our ELL workshops.
There is so much to write about that we are working on in our school system. Every teacher is working hard to meet the learning needs of our students. Yes we are in the 21st century and we have to prepare our students for a different world. A group of administrators have started a book club and we will be reading THE GLOBAL ACHIEVEMENT GAP by Tony Wagner. In this book we hear about the 21st century skills that are necessary in the work place. CEO’s from across the country have been interviewed and shared their perceptions about what students need to know and be able to do. There is an excerpt of this book in this month ED LEADERSHIP. Your input and ideas are valued so please share.
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