Curriculum work continued throughout the summer as many
teacher teams collaborated to take courses, create units of study, plan for the
upcoming school year, and design assessments.
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Several teacher teams came together to design
assessments for the revised curriculum units.
Because of the changes in the Iowa Core, changes have been made to both
units of study as well as the benchmark and formative assessments to monitor
progress. We are looking forward to the
use of a new data system to improve the efficiency of scoring so more time may
be spent by teacher teams on data analysis and decision making.
·
Nearly 80 Southeast Polk educators participated
in a 2-day professional development opportunity around the foundations of
quality teaching and learning. The study
was focused around quality curriculum, the characteristics of effective
instruction, literacy and technology integration across all subject areas, and
a comprehensive assessment plan. Teacher
teams were able to collaborate to identify next steps for moving forward.
·
A team of Fine Arts educators attended a state
conference on the Iowa Core. They spent
time with the design teams as well as their colleagues from around the state as
they reviewed the units created thus far and aligned their work around the
universal constructs from the Iowa Core.
·
Grade level teams of language arts and math
teachers spent time with the curriculum coaches outlining instructional plans
for the upcoming school year. Teachers
were able to access the revised units and assessments online and work with
their colleagues to design instruction for the upcoming school year.
·
Over 100 educators participated in training
around iPads and their use in classrooms.
Teachers had the opportunity to explore apps that are aligned to the
content areas they teach as well as our SEP curriculum. With many schools investing in iPads, our
teachers are committed to the study of how to effectively use technology to
enhance instruction.
·
A dozen science educators from Southeast Polk
spent a full week (in the very hot weather!) studying environmental education
with Dr. Keith Summerville from Drake University at the Metro Waste field
site. They created units of study and
identified opportunities to capitalize on this outdoor classroom to engage
students and support their learning of scientific concepts. We are looking forward to expanding the use
of this site to align and strengthen our K-12 science curriculum.
We have heard from many Southeast Polk teachers about
classes and workshops they have taken over the summer months to collaborate
with colleagues and continually improve their craft. We are looking forward to the challenges and
celebrations of the upcoming school year!
