Curriculum

Teaching & Learning Standard

Curriculum

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Executive Summary

Bristol Central High School's curriculum is purposely designed to ensure that all students ultimately practice and achieve the school's 21st century skills. The six 21st century skills - global awareness and civic responsibility; critical thinking and problem solving; communication; collaboration; media and information literacy; and life and career skills - were first articulated by the Common Core Values Creation Committee in June 2011, and then approved by the staff during a professional development day in August 2012. Curriculum coordinators, working out of the Board of Education's Office of Teaching and Learning, ensure that curriculum is written in a common format that adheres to Common Core State Standards and emphasizes depth of understanding, inquiry, problem-solving, and higher order thinking skills. The curriculum, explicitly and implicitly, encourages authentic learning opportunities for students in and out of school. As indicated by the Endicott Survey responses from staff and students, Bristol Central has a clear alignment between the written curriculum and the taught curriculum.

Although there is somewhat of a curriculum disconnect between Bristol Central and the sending schools, there is an effective coordination and vertical articulation between and among academic areas within the school. Reduced staffing levels, in particular in the CATE department, have hindered the capacity to teach vital courses beyond the core curriculum to all students in need. Technology components such as copy machines, SMART Boards, computers, and printers that break down and are not repaired in a timely manner, adversely impact the ability of faculty to effectively teach curriculum in all departments. Because of limited building space, some teachers are forced to travel between classrooms or to vacate their own classrooms during prep time, making it difficult to touch upon all aspects of the curriculum. A limited number of printers make it difficult for teachers to fully implement all aspects of the curriculum. Although professional development is offered to all teachers, the board policy which limits the amount of teachers allowed out for conferences presents problems for some teachers who are approved for a conference, then denied the day before or the day of because of a lack of substitutes.

Bristol Central High School has demonstrated adherence to the standard of Curriculum ACCEPTABLE.

Strengths:

  • Curricula across disciplines that reflect 21st century skills.
  • A clear alignment between the written curriculum and the taught curriculum
  • Curriculum across disciplines that emphasizes
  • depth of understanding (DOK levels)
  • higher order thinking skills
  • authentic learning opportunities in and out of school
  • ethical use of technology
  • Curriculum coordinators from the Office of Teaching and Learning who ensure a common, detailed curriculum that includes essential questions, skills, and instructional strategies
  • Effective curriculum coordination and vertical articulation between and among all academic areas within the school
  • Availability of Chromebook carts for department use
  • Variety of Advanced Placement courses offered
  • Authentic learning opportunities beyond the classroom

Needs:

  • Provide more cross disciplinary learning opportunities
  • More efficiently coordinate and articulate curriculum with sending schools in the district
  • Explicitly state the 21st century learning expectations in all curriculum documents
  • Maintain and repair all technology resources in a timely manner
  • Provide additional building copy machines; computer labs; classroom printers and white boards
  • Ameliorate the restricted space issues to fully implement all components of the curriculum
  • Upgrade computer labs and software
  • Reconfigure CATE labs that presently face the front of the classroom
  • Accelerate the software approval process
  • Soundproof the video production lab presently located directly under the band room
  • Outfit science labs with appropriate seating and ventilation.
  • Provide essential materials in special education classes (calculators, lab equipment, textbooks)
  • Increase staff in elective courses, particularly in the CATE area.
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