Power Standards, Grading Practices, and full day kindergarten are just a sampling of the numerous conversations here in Cumberland that have been occurring since the arrival of Superintendent Thornton in July.
In Cumberland - New leader sweeps in with promise of better schools
Recently the committee collectively read Results Now by Mike Schmoker with Dr. Thornton. I encourage everyone to read it. The first section describes the reality and illusion occurring in public schools and the stresses the importance of a well-executed, guaranteed and viable curriculum. The author is pretty blunt - in order to move past the mediocrity and accelerate student achievement we need to be vigilant about correcting our educational shortcomings - anything less is criminal. The ASCD link provides a good general summary and a study guide: ASCD Study Guide for Results Now
To have an understanding of where we "truly" are with our instruction, since October the Achievement Subcommittee has met with content area (science, math, ELA, arts, physical education, social studies world language etc) leaders and educators in order to gain a firm understanding of the status of each curricular area and to establish short and long term goals to accelerate achievement for all students. Some of the issues are easily solved - like a course lacking sufficient text books - and have been. Others issues, such as the gaps in K-8 science instruction, have required a more comprehensive series of discussions and action steps. The meetings have also allowed the subcommittee to learn more about successful initiatives such as the K-5 ELA improvements that have resulted in significant short-term gains in reading outcomes for students. In addition, classroom walkthroughs have provided members with a first-hand opportunity to see instruction in action.
Presentations from our discussions can be found here: CPS Presentation Links
Once we complete our initial face-to-face meetings in January we will regroup with each content area to review progress and potential budget impacts.
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