There are many great things happening in the curriculum department throughout the West Deptford School District. This past summer the district entered into phase two of our Understanding By Design initiative. Thirty-six teachers from all three levels (elementary, middle, and high) participated in a week-long training of the UBD philosophy which focused on designing assessments that really ask the question - "How do you know the students really learned?"
One great strategy for focusing on the assessment of true learning is through performance based assessments which encourage students to do more than just memorize facts. Performance based assessments require students to actually apply what they learned. The teachers trained this summer will turn-key this information throughout the school year to their colleagues. In addition, both Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, authors of Understanding By Design, will be visiting the district to dialogue with teachers. Their visit will serve as a fantastic resource for our training team.
Other training opportunities offered this summer focused on alternative ways to provide instruction to a wide range of learners. Teachers who volunteer to serve on our Intervention and Referral Service Teams (I & RS) at all three levels participated in an outstanding training experience to institutionalize the I & RS process throughout the school district. In addition, this was also the second summer that we dedicated a significant amount of time to training teachers how to effectively differentiate instruction within their classroom. Both of these initiatives, for teachers at all three levels, will be supported with an intensive coaching component throughout the course of the year.
Training also focused in the area of technology by providing opportunities for teachers to learn more about the use of classroom SMARTboards (specifically in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics), how to develop and utilize blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and for the first time, the district added Digital Storytelling to the list of professional development opportunities offered to the teachers in West Deptford.
Finally, due to the Title I ARRA funds that were received during the 2009 - 2010 school year, the district is continuing to focus on teaching strategies to support the at-risk reader. Identified teachers in grades K - 8 will have an opportunity to participate in workshops focused solely on the area of teaching reading. Teachers will participate in training of the structural knowledge of the English Language, advanced phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and phonological awareness. An intensive coaching component has also been integrated into this model.
Parents... be on the lookout for training opportunities, too! K - 6 parents will be invited to join us in the evenings throughout the year to learn more about ways to support your child's reading program at home. Four separate training workshops will be offered during our Parent Training Series: Phonemic Awareness and Letter Knowledge, Phonics and Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension, and Linking Reading to Writing. Stay tuned for more information!
