Curriculum and instruction are the essential components of any school
district. At Marlboro we consistently strive to revise and improve our
curriculum and our instructional program. Our district focus this year is in
the areas of Mathematics and English/Language Arts.
We have begun several initiatives aimed at better preparing students for
success. A District wide Math Initiative facilitated through Orange/Ulster
BOCES has allowed our teachers to take a closer look at delivery and
instructional practices as well as an analysis of the State Math
Assessment.
Another initiative we have focused on is a Standards Based Curriculum Unit
Design across all of the content areas. Teachers are developing an
integrated unit in which they help develop student skills in all subjects.
This professional development will directly impact our students this year and
in the future.
Our students are receiving quality instruction by highly qualified and
dedicated teachers using programs that are aligned to the N.Y.S. Standards.
Our curriculum maps, (which can be viewed on this web-page), have been used
by teachers in the planning and implementation of lessons. These curriculum
maps are closely correlated with the New York State Standards. This past
school year we have also begun using a new text series in math, social
studies and science at the elementary level. These new programs are
consistent with the K-5 curriculum maps in both social studies and science
and will assist students in preparing for the state assessment in grades 4,
5, 8 and for high school regents.
Curriculum and Instruction initiatives are also occurring in our high
school. The mathematics program is now better aligned to the new math A and B
Regents assessments. Our goal is to consistently grow and improve and to
provide every student with a program to meet his/her needs and to provide
for an opportunity to excel.
Our technology program continues to grow and assist in the acquisition of
knowledge and skills in all of the content areas. Integrating technology
into instruction is a district priority.
Marlboro Central School District has also made a substantial commitment to
professional development for its staff members. Teaching and learning are
complex processes, and we are constantly investigating ways to strengthen the
connection between what we teach, and how we teach, and what students learn.
Our professional development programs focus on this connection, primarily
through the differentiated instructional process.
Another focus is on assessment. Assessment happens on several levels:
student learning in the classroom; faculty effectiveness; school
effectiveness; program effectiveness and district effectiveness. Data
gathering and analysis is an increasingly important aspect of our decision-
making process for instructional improvement. We currently use data from the
New York State Assessments grades 4, 5, and 8 as well as local standardized
testing in other grades. We derive further information on the effectiveness
of our schools from the New York State Regents scores and statistics
regarding college admissions and other post-secondary choices of our
students.
All of this information has been useful in helping us identify the strengths
and weaknesses in our educational program.
This is a brief overview of the program initiatives throughout the district
at the present time. For more detailed information about your child’s
program, you should contact your child’s teacher or the school principal.
Sincerely,
Raymond A. Castellani
Director of Curriculum, Instruction
& Assessment
