Curriculum and Instruction Services
Princeton Regional Schools
Bonnie Lehet, Assistant Superintendent
609-806-4203
Dear parents, students, colleagues and friends,
The Princeton Regional School District, along with every other district in New Jersey, has faced significant budget cuts for the 2010-2011 academic year. Rest assured, however, that our teachers and staff are committed to revitalizing their professional skills and curriculum development services on behalf of our students. Many members of our staff have already been engaged in multiple programs to enhance learning opportunities for students and all others will join in staff development programs as the year unfolds.
A goal of the Curriculum and Instruction Office is to provide frequent updates regarding the work of our teachers and colleagues within the district and to describe how it will impact our students from Pre-Kindergarten through High School. If you click on the "Focus on Professional Development" link on the navigation bar to the left, you will find a newsletter with many updates regarding the professional learning of the adults in our educational community. During the 2010-2011 school year, teachers will organize much of their professional development around Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The big ideas of PLCs are highlighed in the newsletter along with our major goals for professional development this year.
WRITING: One major area of focus for our professional learning this year is writing. At the elementary level, we have started work with the Columbia University Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP). We began with a limited set of trainings during the 2009-2010 school year and provided a Summer Institute for K-2 and 3-5 teachers in July and August. During the upcoming school year, we will provide a series of workshops and classroom visits to study and apply the TCRWP approach to writing. At the secondary level, our English teachers will continue to focus on student writing portfolios among other topics related to writing. Many other departments are working on writing within their content areas as well.
APPLYING NEW KNOWLEDGE: As with the student writing portfolio work, many of the professional development offerings will involve instructional technology. In the newsletter, you will notice several "Flex PD" sessions that utilize technology for a particular instructional focus. The Flex PD model typically includes four one-and-a-half hour after school sessions spread over time. This cycle allows teachers to collaborate in learning a new instructional strategy or technique during one session, applying it in the classroom before the next session and returning to debrief the successes and challenges with a group of colleagues. We introduced the model during the 2008-2009 school year and have continued to add offerings that focus primarily on technology, formative assessment
and inclusive strategies for instruction.
KEEPING LEARNING ON TRACK (KLT): Fifteen groups of teachers across all of our schools began meeting as learning communities during the 2009-2010 school year to learn about and apply formative assessment strategies and techniques. The main thrust of KLT is that students and teachers use evidence of learning to adapt teaching and learning to meet immediate instructional needs minute-to-minute and day-by-day. The content and process for these learning communities is grounded in a large body of research and was designed by our neighbor, Educational Testing Service (ETS). We were
fortunate to receive the initial training for our teacher leaders at no cost! See the June 2010 Board meeting on our website for a presentation about the KLT program at Princeton Regional Schools.
TRI-STATE CONSORTIUM: In the newsletter, you will also see references to the Tri-State Consortium. Our district is one of 43 member districts in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The model has been designed to enhance student performance in already high-performing districts. The Consortium assists member districts in using student performance data to develop a rigorous framework for systemic planning, assessment, accreditation, and continuous improvement. Over 90 PRS teachers and administrators have been trained in the model and nearly a dozen have participated on evaluation site visits in other districts. These have been some of our most beneficial professional learning opportunities.
IN-DISTRICT EXPERTISE: Two subtle "thank you" messages appear on page eight of the newsletter. We have involved many more of our own faculty in the professional development offerings for our teachers and instructional aides. During the September 1 & 2 professional development days, teams of teachers provided training in the "Focus" period at the elementary level and in the PowerTeacher grading program at the secondary level. These teams of teacher leaders have stepped up to create important learning opportunities designed by teachers for teachers. One special "thank you" that was not specifically named in the newsletter does need mention. Liz Lien, the District Instructional Technology Coordinator, provides ongoing training to our teachers,
instructional aides, support staff and administrators in the area of technology. She had a full schedule of training through the summer and continues to embed her work during and after the regular school day schedule.
Finally, you may wonder how this all relates to student learning. Across all areas of professional development, teachers in our district are being asked to look at student work in old and new ways. Most importantly, as teachers review their students' work, they will be collaborating in their professional learning communities to identify instructional strategies that meet the needs of all students.
All the best for a wonderful 2010-2011 school year!
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