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Curriculum and Instruction Services
Bonnie Lehet, Assistant Superintendent
609-806-4203
It is the goal of the Office of Curriculum and Instruction to work with administrative leaders and professional staff to design, implement and deliver a core curriculum that fulfills the district’s mission to serve each student’s unique learning requirements. For all students to be successful means that they must achieve across a broad spectrum of intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs. By analyzing the cognitive and affective needs of our students and guiding them continually to seek learning opportunities to unlock their potential talents, develop global perspectives, make reasonable, ethical and informed decisions and to become responsible citizens, we consistently endeavor to strengthen our curricular programs, instructional strategies and assessment practices at all levels.
Our efforts this year will center on articulated instructional planning; well-defined curriculum standards; strengthened formative, summative and data-driven assessment of student progress; and on-going professional learning activities with the goal of improving achievement for all of our students. This work will be guided by the Board of Education goals, the district’s guiding principles for equity, the Language Arts and Mathematics Achievement Councils’ frameworks, the initiatives of our Local Professional Development Committee and the district’s plans for state-of-the-art instructional technology.
Because the children in our schools today will be the leaders of our world tomorrow, students, teachers, parents, administrators and community partners must work together to ensure that each individual in every classroom develops the inner motivation and external inspiration to value learning at every step of school life and beyond. It is our shared responsibility to provide our children and young adults with the experiences which will enable them to develop their skills, confidence and curiosity to become lifelong learners in a world that will continually change.
THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
The primary-level program focuses on developing higher-order thinking skills, cooperative learning, literature-based reading and writing processes, math and science applications, and a global perspective. The program begins with a full-day kindergarten experience for children whose fifth birthday falls on or before September 30 of the school year in which they wish to enroll.
We hold an early spring registration for children entering kindergarten the following fall. Parents register children at the elementary school serving their current school-attendance area. Parents must establish proof of Princeton residency at registration. Children do not need to be present at registration, but parents do need to bring their child’s birth certificate and health records--particularly immunization records. By New Jersey state law, children must have the following vaccinations to be admitted into school: DTP, four doses; oral polio, three doses; MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) 2 doses; and hepatitis B, 3 doses.
Kindergarten children must have a physical examination within six months prior to the first day of school.
Housed in Community Park School, Johnson Park School, Littlebrook School, and Riverside School, the elementary program serves more than 1,400 students.
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Centered around the needs of students between the ages of 11 and 14, our middle school program offers a smooth transition between the elementary level and the high school. Through balanced curriculum, counseling, cooperative planning, and a positive school climate, students engage in academic and other experiences that enrich skilled learners and provide remediation for those who need it. John Witherspoon Middle School serves a population of approximately 700 students in Grades 6 through 8.
THE HIGH SCHOOL
Princeton High School reflects the lifestyle of a community that takes pride in its continuing tradition of academic excellence and cultural diversity. The richness of our high school’s academic program, alternative options, and extracurricular activities exemplifies the belief that learning is not bound to the classroom. We encourage students to view themselves as valuable citizens of our community.
More than 1,300 students choose from 243 course offerings, and more than 60% participate in Advanced Placement or accelerated classes. These honor courses are supplemented by extensive offerings in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
Princeton High School fields 20 athletic teams and sponsors various student publications, acclaimed performing-arts groups, mathematics, and debating teams, and special-interest clubs. Approximately 20% of the senior class achieves National Merit semifinalist or commended scholar status, and approximately 80% of our graduates continue their education in four-year colleges. The mean combined SAT score last year was 1237.
Title IX
Princeton Regional Schools, as a recipient of federal aid, continues to abide by the provisions of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in schools, whether it is in academics or athletics. No individual in the Princeton Regional Schools system shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity.
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