Annual Report on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Achievement

2004-2005 has been a year of significant accomplishment for our school district. Through the collaborative efforts of our school board, administration, faculty, staff and parents, we remain committed to working toward the common goal of providing exceptional learning opportunities for the improvement of student performance and achievement. 

This report will address progress on the following 2004-2005 School District Goals:

o Complete the next stage of Chester Academy’s comprehensive written curriculum covering all subjects in grades 1-8.  Ensure that the curriculum is aligned with the State and Pinkerton standards, employs motivating and effective instructional practices and is measured through timely, relevant assessments.

o Identify, evaluate and implement services and instructional programs that improve and supplement current practices in order to better evaluate the capabilities and requirements of individual students and measurably improve educational achievement by students.

The first phase of Chester Academy’s written curriculum has been published in curriculum overview booklets. These grade level overviews are now available electronically via a newly created curriculum webpage.  The webpage was launched this fall and can be viewed through the Chester Academy website at www.chesteracademy.org. The webpage includes information about the curriculum mapping process, links to state standards and all completed curriculum documentation. To date, Chester Academy’s science and social studies curriculum has been topically mapped and by this summer, math and language arts topical maps will be completed.  Currently, we are in the process of outlining the content of the science and social studies curriculum and will be continually linking all completed documentation to the curriculum webpage. 

The focus this year has been on our school-wide “Literacy Initiative”. High emphasis has been placed on using the “Grade Level Expectancies” that were recently published by the state to guide reading instruction. Through the implementation of a new 3 tiered instructional delivery model in grades 1-4, we have been able to provide all students with a core reading block of time; coordinated with supplemental support for students who need strategic or intensive intervention.  To work in conjunction with the new instructional delivery model, the Scott Foresman reading program was purchased through a school improvement grant. This research based program offers more consistent, explicit, systematic instruction while providing students with the opportunity to practice reading at their instructional and independent levels. The program includes embedded assessment and resources for teachers and special educators to address specific learning needs. The preliminary feedback and review of this new program confirms the high need for a change and the positive impact it is having on student performance in reading.

To consistently and accurately measure student progress and the effectiveness of instructional practices, new assessment measures have been put into place. Training on administration and interpretation of these new assessments was provided last summer and during the beginning of the school year. The collected data is analyzed by administration, grade level teams and specialists on a monthly basis to differentiate instruction and guide the improvement and performance of all learners. New reading assessment data has also been used to identify any students who may be performing below grade level in grades 5-8 to target specific reading instruction needs.  Extra tutorial support has been offered during guided study to help these students improve their reading skills.  At this time, we are very encouraged at the growth all our students are demonstrating and look forward to sharing the results of the spring benchmark assessments.

With new assessments in place, along with the annual NECAP state testing results, we will continue to review and analyze data to identify trends. This analysis will help direct future initiatives and curriculum needs. In the upcoming months, we will be increasing our data analysis capabilities through the acquisition of new test reporting software. With this new system, we will have the instant ability to disaggregate the data and create electronic student profiles to monitor achievement and standardize how progress is reported.

To ensure the efficacy of our improvement efforts, the work of curriculum development takes place within a coordinated network of teams and committees, including the newly formed Parent Advisory Council.  Through this network, we strive for broad-based involvement in curriculum decision making and review of district, state and NCLB requirements. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to and supported these efforts. We have remained steadfast in our dedication to providing a high-quality educational program for the students at Chester Academy and look forward to reporting the impact and effectiveness of these curriculum initiatives throughout the coming years.

~ Submitted by Deb Farrington, Curriculum Coordinator