This work has been part of the fabric of our culture and not a separate experience.
As a whole school, we have worked with
external consultants and internal supports and collaboration to align all our
of curriculum K-8 to the common core. We have dedicated PD time in our Summer
Institutes as well as professional days across the year to this work. We have
also been using our own interim assessment system for the last four years. This
year, in preparation for PARCC, we have been using the RIDE bank of items for
development of our interim assessments. We also have four full time instructional
coaches who support grade spans of teachers in their own individual growth and
development as well as grade level and school wide alignment. They have been
our version of induction coaches. This is a role that has existed for the ten
years we have been open. Finally we have been implementing our RIDE approved
district-development educator evaluation system for the last 3 years. This
system was designed based on our previous system which we had been using since
our first year of operation.
Race to the Top impacted our district by...
Our
culture has been one of constant reflection and growth. This work has been part
of the fabric of our culture and not a separate experience apart from the work
we have been engaged in all along as professionals.
In the future, we plan to keep this going through...
Our
next big area of focus is in literacy K-8 as we have really delved deeply into
our work in math as a whole school over the last 2 years. We are looking
forward to a major focus on growing student talk, academic independence and
choice in literacy as well as growing our own content and craft knowledge as a
collective particularly in using the balanced literacy components in a fluid
and responsive way that meets our students needs and challenges them through
authentic engagement..
Questions?
Contact Sarah Friedman, Co-Director at The
Learning Community at sarah@thelearningcommunity.com
or 401-722-9998.