Director of Curriculum & Instruction - Mark C. Wilson

PreK-6 Curriculum and Instruction Director -  Moira Rodgers

Administrative Assistant - Virginia Rabesa

508-548-0151, ext. 130

Click HERE to read the School Committee updates and learn what's happening in the Office of Curriculum and Instruction.

MA District Literacy Action Plan - Spring 2011

Literacy Action Plan Presentation to the School Committee - May 14, 2011

MA Curriculum Frameworks and the Integration of the Common Core Standards

Curriculum and Instruction Presentations to the School Committee:

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction directs the development and implementation of all PK-12 academic programs. With the assistance of the principals, assistant principals, department heads, curriculum leaders, curriculum committees, and teaching staff, our academic curriculum is reviewed and updated each year to ensure that it is aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, based upon best teaching practices and consistent with the mission and core beliefs of the Falmouth Public Schools.

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction oversees the following:

• PK-12 curriculum development and dissemination

• Textbook and instructional resource adoption

• District-wide assessment initiatives including MCAS

• Implementation of research-based programs and strategies

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and competitive grants

• Title I

• Program accreditation (NAEYC, NEASC, school improvement)

• District-wide Professional Development Program (in-service)

• The Mentor and Induction Program

CURRICULUM: What will students learn?

The Falmouth Public Schools provide a comprehensive standards-based curriculum designed to maximize individual student growth and success. Our mission is to educate students so that they are engaged in their education in a way which develops their capacity to pursue their goals and fosters life-long learning.

INSTRUCTION: What instructional practices will we use to teach?

We seek to provide innovative and inclusive programs that engage and challenge all students to move to a deeper, more complex level of knowledge and understanding along a developmental path that is age-appropriate. Our curriculum is designed to promote curiosity, inquiry and active learning and to help students feel empowered in the learning process through rigorous preparation and to prepare our students with the 21st Century knowledge and skills needed to achieve success in school and in life.

ASSESSMENT:  How will we know when each student has learned what was taught?

Assessments are teaching and learning tools used to evaluate and monitor individual student progress in mastering the curriculum. Teachers use a range of classroom assessments to gather data to monitor student progress and measure growth including:  classroom observations, student conferences, oral and written student responses to reading, performances, presentations, notebooks, journals, projects, portfolios of student work, quizzes and tests. Teachers use a blend of formative and summative assessments to gather evidence of student learning.

K-12 Administered Assessments

This resource provides information on what assessments are used at each grade level.

Progress Reports and Report Cards

The district uses standards-based progress reports (report cards) in grades K-6 and a traditional grade based transcript in grades 7-12.  The district utilizes the PowerSchool student information database to collect and communicate student assessment information.

Click on the links below to view sample grade level Progress Reports:

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System - MCAS

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is a statewide student assessment designed to meet the requirements of the Education Reform Law of 1993. This law specifies that the testing program must test all of the students in the district to measure their performance in relation to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework learning standards. As required by the Education Reform Law, students must pass MCAS exams in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science/Technology Engineering in addition to fulfilling our local requirements to attain a high school diploma. You can click on this link to find detailed information about MCAS data for the district:  DESE District Profile.

Professional Development

Our district's Instructional Development Program contains a variety of opportunities for Falmouth educators to acquire content knowledge and understanding and to develop and adopt innovative research-based instructional strategies designed to promote active learning, reflection, creativity and inquiry. Through staff meetings, in-service workshops, after-school and online courses, conferences, study groups and committee meetings we are working hard to implement the goals of the district . Our ongoing professional development program promotes research-based teaching methods, standards-based content-specific curriculum and assessment improvements, differentiated instructional strategies, support of second language learners, the use of instructional technology in all content areas and effective models of inclusion to support all students.

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