We believe in "Inspiring and Challenging Our Students" through a curriculum that actively engages students to think, create, collaborate, ask questions and solve problems. In our classrooms, we provide students with explicit instruction in all curricular areas and create opportunities for students to have choice and voice in their learning. We are committed to promoting collaboration, active learning, and critical thinking. Through our curriculum and instruction, we create rigorous, challenging, and meaningful learning opportunities so that our students become well-rounded global citizens.
Department Overview
This Curriculum office is responsible for the K-12 instructional program and for the coordination of professional development to provide continuous education and instructional support to the district’s professional staff. Examples of the work of this office include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Development and implementation of a curriculum review cycle for all academic disciplines, including periodic program review and evaluation, curriculum revision, and program selection.
- Articulation of the elementary, middle, and high school instructional programs and coordination of instructional and curricular support to administrative staff and classroom teachers.
- Preparation and analysis of the annual Student Performance Report, along with ongoing curriculum-based assessments, to inform decision-making.
- Management of state and federal grants, coordination of all program improvement projects and professional development activities including conference attendance and consultancies.
- Administration and analysis of national, state, and district assessments.
- Planning and coordination of a variety of innovative programs to accelerate and maximize student learning during and beyond the school day and year.
- Coordination of the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) process for staff, including goal setting, supervision, evaluation, and professional learning cycle that promotes continuous improvement across the district.
What is Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment?
Curriculum: What we teach
Instruction: How we teach it
Assessment: How we know what students have learned
Curriculum
Our curriculum in BCSD is based on the New York State Learning Standards. The State establishes student learning expectations (standards) for what students should know and be able to do. The District then develops the "written" curriculum [units, lessons, scope & sequence] in order to 1) align with the District's vision, mission and core values, 2) support the NYS Learning Standards, and 3) match the needs of our students. The "taught" curriculum is closely aligned to the written curriculum and represents the explicit instruction teachers provide in the classroom. Both formal and informal assessments are used throughout the school year to assess student understanding and inform instructional practices. You can find a link to our Curriculum Portal, which provides links to our curriculum maps in each subject area, on the left side of this page.
Instruction
Our "taught" curriculum, or instruction, is closely aligned to the written curriculum. Instructional practices are based on research, best practices in the field, and collaborative expertise of our professional staff. We strive to create an active learning environment where students have voice and choice in their learning experience. Teachers provide students with explicit instruction in all subject areas through whole class, small group, and one-on-one settings. Teachers provide instruction through modeling and demonstration, inquiry, and through examples of the content or skills being taught. Students are given opportunities to ask questions, problem solve, collaborate, create, and use critical thinking skills.
Assessment
The purpose of assessment is to give students opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of content, concepts and skills and to provide feedback to students in order to improve their learning. We regularly monitor and assess our students' learning through a variety of formal and informal assessments. In grades K-8, students engage in nationally-normed literacy and math assessments three times per year. In addition, teachers utilize other diagnostic assessment tools to assess students' skills and knowledge. At the high school level, students are assessed regularly through quizzes, tests, and final exams, including AP and Regents exams. Pre-assessments are often given to assess students' knowledge prior to instruction. Post-assessments are given to assess students' understanding of the content taught. Informal assessments, such as observations, student work, and student participation, are used on a daily basis to inform instructional decisions and assess students' learning needs.
Professional Learning and Practice
The Bedford Central School District continues to partner with the Tri-States Consortium, a collaborative network of public school districts in our region. The Tri-States Consortium is committed to systems thinking and collaborative inquiry, through a critical friends model, in order to support continual improvement. Administrators, teachers, and colleagues from neighboring school districts visits BCSD every two to three years to provide support and critical feedback on the goals and priorities of our District.
We are excited to continue to develop and deepen our Professional Development School relationship with Manhattanville College. With six schools involved--Fox Lane Middle School, Bedford Village, Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills, Pound Ridge, and West Patent elementary schools, we aim to leverage our commitment to deepen our commitment to the goals of the PDS, which are to improve student learning, prepare pre-service teachers for the profession, provide professional learning for our current teachers, and engage in research and inquiry in order to improve practice.
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