WCSU curriculum and assessment development is an on-going process. Many factors contribute to the need for curriculum to be seen as an on-going process of development and not a finished product. These include constant changes in state and federal guidelines. The Vermont Standards and Grade Level Expectations as well as the tests used to assess student learning have changed over time and will likely continue to evolve. In addition, the world and our knowledge in every academic discipline are changing rapidly. Our curriculum needs to prepare students for the challenges of a changing world and provide content that reflects new knowledge. We also want our programs to be responsive to new understandings
of how students learn. When we adopt commercial programs, we look for programs that are supported by high quality research both in terms of their development and effectiveness. Finally, we support the concept of local and place-based education as a component of our curriculum. This means that we expect each of our schools to have some unique experiences woven in with the common experiences. These local or place-based experiences may be integrated units that are interdisciplinary and help students achieve the Standards in alternative ways. Each of our elementary schools has a local curriculum document for parents. These documents reflect the blend of WCSU and local curriculum for that school.
Literacy
The WCSU Literacy Curriculum Guide for grades K-8 is a working document for teachers providing both an overview of the thinking and beliefs that guide program development in each of our schools and detailed suggestions for methods and materials that will help them guide students to achieve the Vermont Standards and Grade Level Expectations. It is a working document that will be updated regularly. It is presented both in its entirety and in sections to facilitate its use by teachers.
Click here for the complete Literacy Curriculum & Assessment Guide, grades K-8 (pdf)
Click below for Literacy Curriculum & Assessment Guide sections (pdf):
Introduction and Beliefs
Program Guidelines
Reading and Writing GLE Charts by Grade Level for Grades K-4
Reading and Writing Standards Charts for Grades 5-8
Unit Template, Sample Units, and Lessons
Assessment Overview
Glossary
Bibliography & Web-based Resources
Appendix 1 Vermont GLEs for Reading and Writing Grades 5-8
Appendix 2 Grades 5-8 Literacy Toolkit
Appendix 3 WCSU Early Literacy Screening
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Math
The WCSU Math Curriculum and Assessment plans are under development. WCSU elementary schools are undertaking a two year process of adopting Investigations in Number, Data, and Space as the common math program. In 2007-2008, all schools will be using Investigations in grades K-2 with some teachers in grades 3-5 piloting the program as well. In 2008, all teachers in grades K-5 will be using Investigations. Teachers in grades 6 will be using the Connected Math program that is also the program used in grades 7 and 8 at U-32. As Investigations and Connected Math are fully implemented in WCSU schools, we will be updating our local common assessments. The U-32 math programs for grades 7-12 are addressed in the U-32 program of studies accessible on the school’s website.
For more information about these programs, please visit the program websites:
http://godigital.scottforesman.com/investigations/
http://connectedmath.msu.edu/
In addition, we provide teachers with the study done by Investigations to demonstrate its alignment with the Vermont Standards and GLEs.
Investigations K-5 Correlation to Vermont Standards (pdf)
Science is under development
Students Exceeding the Standards
The Students Exceeding the Standards documents reflect the WCSU intention to meet the needs of all students. They outline a process for using each school’s Educational Support Team to establish individual plans for students who demonstrate the need for educational challenge beyond that provided by the general curriculum and our expectations that all teachers provide opportunities for differentiated instruction within the regular classroom program. The Report of the WCSU Students Exceeding the Standards Committee (pdf) provides the framework for schools in developing a process to meet the needs of Students who Exceed the Standards. The WCSU EST Handbook of Resources for Students Exceeding the Standards (pdf) provides schools with forms, meeting protocols, and tools for parent communication. Together these two documents provide schools and teachers with the tools for identifying students and developing programs to meet their needs.
Click here for 2006 Report of the WCSU Students Exceeding the Standards Committee (pdf)
Click here for Educational Support Team Handbook for Students Exceeding the Standards (pdf)
Tips and Extensions
WCSU students exceeding the standards teacher leader, Carol Wells, and teachers are working together to develop activities that extend or enrich the curriculum. We are collecting the activities here to share across WCSU schools. These are excellent resources for differentiation and can be used both at school and at home.
Local Assessment Plan is under development.
DRA Results
The Vermont Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is administered to second graders each year in the spring. DRA results are reported for all students and by major student subgroups. Assessment results can be found in the School Reports below.
NECAP Results
The New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) reading, mathematics and writing tests are administered annually during the first three weeks of October in grades 3 through 8 in reading and mathematics, and in grades 5 and 8 in writing. Assessment results can be found in the School Reports below.
NECAP Samples
Measured Progress releases test items each year for teachers to use in analyzing their students' results and to give teachers a picture of what test items look like. These are actual items from the assessment that year. They release 25% of the reading and mathematics items. They release the entire writing assessment. In addition, Measured Progress provides materials that explain how individual items are scored and rubrics for the extended response items. The release items and support materials can be accessed through the links provided here.
Grade 3 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 3 Mathematics Questions
Grade 3 Reading Support Materials
Grade 3 Reading Questions
Grade 3 Student Work Samples
Grade 4 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 4 Mathematics Questions
Grade 4 Reading Support Materials
Grade 4 Reading Questions
Grade 4 Student Work Samples
Grade 5 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 5 Mathematics Questions
Grade 5 Reading Support Materials
Grade 5 Reading Questions
Grade 5 Student Work Samples
Grade 5 Writing Support Materials
Grade 5 Writing Questions
Grade 6 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 6 Mathematics Questions
Grade 6 Reading Support Materials
Grade 6 Reading Questions
Grade 6 Student Work Samples
Grade 7 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 7 Mathematics Questions
Grade 7 Reading Support Materials
Grade 7 Reading Questions
Grade 7 Student Work Samples
Grade 8 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 8 Mathematics Questions
Grade 8 Reading Support Materials
Grade 8 Reading Questions
Grade 8 Student Work Samples
Grade 8 Writing Support Materials
Grade 8 Writing Questions
Grade 11 Mathematics Support Materials
Grade 11 Mathematics Questions
Grade 11 Reading Support Materials
Grade 11 Reading Questions
Grade 11 Writing Questions
Grade 11 Writing Support Materials
Grade 11 Student Work Samples
School Reports (pdf)
Berlin Elementary
Calais Elementary
Doty Memorial Elementary
East Montpelier Elementary
Rumney Memorial Elementary
U-32 Middle/High School