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From the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Assessment
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Dear Families:
It is my pleasure to complete my 14th year working in the Natick community--supporting teachers, students and families as they grow and learn in our schools. It is hard to believe Memorial Day has come and gone and we are a few weeks shy of summer vacation. The Office of Teaching, Learning and Innovation in the Natick Schools has been busy this year.
We have:
- offered all staff over 20 hours of personalized and district-led professional learning,
- developed and piloted an entirely new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum PreK-8, reviewed our fine and performing arts curriculum for all levels PreK-12,
- completed curriculum writing for all computer science and engineering classes grades 5-12,
- refreshed our grades 3-4 math curriculum with new resources and curriculum outcomes,
- trained all K, 1 and 2 teachers in unified best practices in early literacy/reading development,
- collaborated with the YMCA to develop additional after-school child care programs,
- developed intervention curriculum for grades 5-10 centered around each grade level and subject's key learning standards,
- developed and piloted a new K-5 report of student progress (ROSP) --read below for more details.
- piloted 32 new practices, products and resources through our district-wide teacher leadership innovation teams.
I am proud of the work of our educators and leaders. The combined expertise of our colleagues in this district continue to push Natick to the forefront of excellence in our region, state and country.
Included in this memo is our summer learning brochure for families to use to guide their children over the summer. Please know that relaxation and down time is of primary importance for students in the summer. However, research does indicate that engagement in summer reading and some other academic review work assists students in an easier transition back to school routines in the fall. We offer these resources to support your child in holding on to the learning they obtained this past year and to prime them for the upcoming year. However, only the reading expectations are mandatory for K-12 students. When students arrive back to school in the fall, teachers will be using the texts in classes and in writing prompts to get to know the students' capabilities. The common texts at each grade level are also used in introductory conversations as teachers and students get reacquainted with each other in the fall. Please support your child as he/she reads these texts. We have made outreach to local book sellers and libraries to ensure access for students.
Best,
Dr. Anna Nolin
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Revised Report of Student Progress (ROSP)
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It is my pleasure to share with you that the school system, in partnership with our teachers, principals, and districts across the Commonwealth, has created a revised report of student progress (ROSP) for grades K-5, which will replace the current standards-based report starting in Fall of 2017.
This new report was developed by canvassing the state for sample reports responding to the new state English language arts and math curriculum standards adopted in 2013 and recently revised and the 2016 Science, Technology and Engineering and Digital/Computer Literacy Standards sets.
Our teachers reviewed the most comprehensive and user-friendly of these sample progress reports and every teacher was given the opportunity to give feedback to Dr. Nolin who compiled results by grade level on preferred format, standards language, reporting periods and habits of mind. The resulting report was piloted by 25 teachers this school year. Additional feedback was then sought through survey and discussion from all piloting parents and teachers and at faculty meetings at each school in May/June 2017.
We hope you find the reports more user-friendly and specific about skill and curriculum content as well as the student habits of mind we seek to cultivate in the Natick Schools. The reports will be open for parent viewing in January and June and teachers will share goal and skill development areas at conferences in November and March in person, but not online. We hope that this new tool enhances communication between home and school and is a more family and learner-friendly tools.
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2017 Summer Learning Guide
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This guide shares free and school-provided resources with Natick parents to help kids experience great educational opportunities during the summer months.
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Lest you think that students are the only ones expected to be learning and working in the summer, I share with you the
summer learning plans
for our district and educators. I have to laugh when I hear the old idea discussed that teachers are "off" for eight weeks in the summer. Most of our educators work with me to create new curriculum units, take classes to hone their instructional skill or read and write to find the best resources to use with our students. We offer on-site regional conferences and host five graduate courses here in Natick. We also partner with groups like Research for Better Teaching, MIT, MASSCUE, the
Friday
Institute, and Primary Source to provide on-site conferences and workshops for our teachers. So while we'll miss seeing the kids this summer, we'll all be here getting stronger, smarter, and more skilled each day!
Have a wonderful summer and we will see you in late August!
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Natick Public Schools is a community dedicated to all students achieving high standards in a safe, trusting, respectful environment where learning is exciting, dynamic, and engaging.
Our mission is to educate all students to high levels through high-quality instruction
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NATICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS
13 East Central Street, Natick MA 01760
ph: 508-647-6500 fax: 508-647-6506
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