Curriculum
Curriculum Updates
Teachers in the months of June and July engaged in various curriculum development activities as well as continued professional learning. Kindergarten and first grade teachers reviewed and collaborated on better ways to utilize our foundational skills resource for reading. Kindergarten through fifth grade teachers updated unit and lesson plans that align with the science standards. The performance expectations of these standards require students to plan investigations, collect data, and report findings. While planning for these units and lessons teachers automatically gained new science knowledge and a better understanding of best science teaching practices.
Teachers in grades one through five reviewed their formative math assessments (those assessments that guide instruction) to address the identified knowledge and skills we want all of our students to know and be able to perform. This review ensures that all the priority standards (those standards we want our students to master) are assessed.
Our middle school teachers identified priority standards in their respective content areas. In addition to identifying these standards, teachers reviewed assessments and created rubrics that support students in assessing their learning. The work reinforces strong transitions from grade to grade.
Professional learning and curriculum work in the upcoming school year will be focused on enhancing our professional learning communities. We also have teams of teachers and administrators in place to guide our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, our new data management system (eduCLIMBER), and our Academic and Career Planning for high school students.
As we look to the 2021-22 school year, the word that comes to mind is excitement. Our teaching staff clearly exceeded expectations for providing instruction and assessment during a pandemic, but we are excited to hopefully return to school in what we would consider a more ‘normal’ way.
As always, your feedback is welcomed.
Thank you G-E-T Stakeholders for your continued support of all things curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Terri Fanta terrifanta@getschools.k12.wi.us (608)525-4571 ext. 4100
Dyslexia Guide
In February 2020, the Wisconsin legislature passed Wisconsin Act 86 (Act 86). This bi-partisan legislation, with support from Governor Tony Evers, resulted in the creation of this informational guidebook on dyslexia and related conditions. Act 86 stipulated:
- that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), under the leadership of State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor, work with co-chairs and an advisory committee composed of equal membership from the Wisconsin Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA WI) and the Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA);
- that the guidebook work from a specific definition of dyslexia;
- that the guidebook includes information about screening processes and tools, instruction and intervention, and resources;
- a timeline for the creation and on-going revision of the guidebook; and
- that DPI host the guidebook on their website and that all Wisconsin school districts include a link to the guidebook on their respective websites.