Well, the weather is still warm, but the mindset that is summer is ending and we are beginning another school year. Children on the journey of educational experience are leaving the port that they arrived at last June and are heading to a new destination. Little ones are entering kindergarten at Harley and you can predict bus stops will be a backdrop of numerous photo opportunities and tears – (Moms and Dads likely to have most of the tears.) Children in the James Boyd School will find a new Principal, Pam Fine, when they return, and while we will fondly remember Mrs. McCabe’s warmth and always-cordial style, Ms. Fine will hit the ground running and bring a new and positive energy to the building. She has already impressed many with her acumen as an educator at the August BOE meeting with her command of identifying effective literacy strategies. Last year’s 5th graders are moving down the road to the Elwood Middle School, which will probably be a completely new adventure for most of them, and some middle school kids are crossing the campus to John Glenn High School, which carries the moniker of just “GLENN”…
Glenn, like the little engine, is the little high school that could. Somehow, in the face of multiple challenges, this relatively small high school of barely 800 students seems to give our young people a competitive edge. The kudos for this success needs to be spread around to include dedicated staff, students with exceptional character and spirit, and parents that take a very active and passionate role in assuring high school is a successful educational experience for our young people.
Glenn students are creative, competitive, learners that find a way to succeed. Glenn graduates creative individuals, accomplished in visual arts and music. Performances are nothing short of amazing. The music and voices jump off the Glenn stage and seem to find their way right into your soul. Glenn is also a breeding ground for competitive, accomplished athletes and championship athletic teams that are renowned throughout Long Island and are a great source of community pride. Furthermore, this competitiveness not only exists in the athletic arena, the Glenn student is accomplished academically, as evidenced by more than 85% of the graduating class heading off to four-year, baccalaureate college programs; many headed to universities that are among the most prestigious in the country.
The Elwood School District has a tradition of great accomplishments; nonetheless, accomplishments are always a snapshot taken in the past, and we must refrain from looking back too often when we need to move forward. Constantly looking in the rearview mirror when you are driving forward puts you at great risk of encountering devastating consequences. We must look forward and continue to provide our children with an edge that will help them create, compete, and learn.
Undoubtedly, Elwood Schools excel in many areas, but to use the words of New York’s Commissioner of Education, John B. King Jr., “We can always do better.” We also have areas identified as growth opportunities for our academic program, especially in light of the greatly anticipated Common Core Standards that will assuredly invigorate the curriculum and garner positive results. However, the transition to this new paradigm will challenge school staff, students, and parents in Elwood – in New York State, and the rest of the USA.
“Common Core State Standards” have multiple goals and strategies that ultimately lead to one profoundly important objective of raising student achievement for the sake of providing America’s children, our children, with a competitive edge in a global economy, and “for the future of our democracy.” -John B. King Jr..
In addition to new curriculum standards, carefully designed assessments are a key component of the Common Core. The assessments, a tool to collect data, not create a box score to determine winners and losers, will drive instruction and the evaluative process, which in turn leads to fruitful professional development. Superintendent Scordo and Assistant Superintendent, Maryann Lewellyn, have drilled deeply into understanding the goals of the Common Core, and we are fortunate to have such dedicated educators and skilled administrators lead our schools into this new exemplar for English language literacy and math. Both Mr. Scordo and Mrs. Llewellyn will be presenting components of the Common Core Standards at future BOE meetings.
As a quick overview, the top design principles of the Common Core are evidenced-based and focused to align to the current standards of universities of higher education and the expectations of the 21st Century workforce. The driving force of the Common Core is college and career readiness. In other words, in the future children will transcend beyond requirements of graduating high school, and will be prepared to succeed after they enter college, and subsequently, the workforce.
The Common Core of English Language Literacy will begin to balance information literacy and literature text. Students will go beyond narrative text, and begin to comprehend and express informational text. This knowledge will also build in the disciplines - social studies, science, and the arts will share the load of reading and writing literacy with the English teacher. David Coleman, one of the architects of the Common Core described it this way: “… the significant shift in the paradigm within the Common Core of English language literacy is to read like a detective and write like an investigative reporter.”
The Common Core in math will have six goals that represent a significant improvement to the current math curriculum, with fluency, deeper understanding, and application being key components. K-12 education in the U.S. has been criticized for being a mile wide and an inch deep, while international leaders in education have a much narrower curriculum in common and drill down to achieve a much deeper comprehension of math that promotes higher order thinking skills.
The Common Core is an unfunded mandate that will raise the bar on everyone in the school community and ultimately improve education and college and career readiness. We must embrace this upgrade to education with a commitment to re-invent our strategies from an academic and economic perspective – the new Common Core strategies as well as strategies that were successful in the past that are no longer applicable in the new reality of public education. Elwood must maintain a competitive edge for our children.
I would like to embrace the “EDGE” as a local initiative that can brand the identity of the culture in Elwood and provide focus to the cultural bond that the community has with its schools. The EDGE is an acronym for Elwood’s Dedication to Great Education and can be applied as a Common Core Standards initiative unique to Elwood that also provides a full breadth of opportunities for learning, creativity, and competitiveness that result in high-level student achievement. Moreover, because of the new reality stemming from a sour economy and legislative restrictions, (not to mention political rhetoric that seems to be the only thing in abundance these days) we must re-invent ourselves utilizing greater efficiency in all that we do. No person or group should take it personally – no thin skins allowed, the bottom line is we all have to step up, raise our game, and do it selflessly.
We have a comprehensive and complex objective that is vital to achieve. Every student needs the EDGE, every teacher, administrator, staff member, parent, guardian, and taxpayer. I agree with the Commissioner of education that giving children a competitive edge to succeed and lead the next generation of Americans is vital to our economy and democracy; and, this success is greatly dependent on everyone’s involvement and Elwood’s Dedication to Great Education.
Glenn, like the little engine, is the little high school that could. Somehow, in the face of multiple challenges, this relatively small high school of barely 800 students seems to give our young people a competitive edge. The kudos for this success needs to be spread around to include dedicated staff, students with exceptional character and spirit, and parents that take a very active and passionate role in assuring high school is a successful educational experience for our young people.
Glenn students are creative, competitive, learners that find a way to succeed. Glenn graduates creative individuals, accomplished in visual arts and music. Performances are nothing short of amazing. The music and voices jump off the Glenn stage and seem to find their way right into your soul. Glenn is also a breeding ground for competitive, accomplished athletes and championship athletic teams that are renowned throughout Long Island and are a great source of community pride. Furthermore, this competitiveness not only exists in the athletic arena, the Glenn student is accomplished academically, as evidenced by more than 85% of the graduating class heading off to four-year, baccalaureate college programs; many headed to universities that are among the most prestigious in the country.
The Elwood School District has a tradition of great accomplishments; nonetheless, accomplishments are always a snapshot taken in the past, and we must refrain from looking back too often when we need to move forward. Constantly looking in the rearview mirror when you are driving forward puts you at great risk of encountering devastating consequences. We must look forward and continue to provide our children with an edge that will help them create, compete, and learn.
Undoubtedly, Elwood Schools excel in many areas, but to use the words of New York’s Commissioner of Education, John B. King Jr., “We can always do better.” We also have areas identified as growth opportunities for our academic program, especially in light of the greatly anticipated Common Core Standards that will assuredly invigorate the curriculum and garner positive results. However, the transition to this new paradigm will challenge school staff, students, and parents in Elwood – in New York State, and the rest of the USA.
“Common Core State Standards” have multiple goals and strategies that ultimately lead to one profoundly important objective of raising student achievement for the sake of providing America’s children, our children, with a competitive edge in a global economy, and “for the future of our democracy.” -John B. King Jr..
In addition to new curriculum standards, carefully designed assessments are a key component of the Common Core. The assessments, a tool to collect data, not create a box score to determine winners and losers, will drive instruction and the evaluative process, which in turn leads to fruitful professional development. Superintendent Scordo and Assistant Superintendent, Maryann Lewellyn, have drilled deeply into understanding the goals of the Common Core, and we are fortunate to have such dedicated educators and skilled administrators lead our schools into this new exemplar for English language literacy and math. Both Mr. Scordo and Mrs. Llewellyn will be presenting components of the Common Core Standards at future BOE meetings.
As a quick overview, the top design principles of the Common Core are evidenced-based and focused to align to the current standards of universities of higher education and the expectations of the 21st Century workforce. The driving force of the Common Core is college and career readiness. In other words, in the future children will transcend beyond requirements of graduating high school, and will be prepared to succeed after they enter college, and subsequently, the workforce.
The Common Core of English Language Literacy will begin to balance information literacy and literature text. Students will go beyond narrative text, and begin to comprehend and express informational text. This knowledge will also build in the disciplines - social studies, science, and the arts will share the load of reading and writing literacy with the English teacher. David Coleman, one of the architects of the Common Core described it this way: “… the significant shift in the paradigm within the Common Core of English language literacy is to read like a detective and write like an investigative reporter.”
The Common Core in math will have six goals that represent a significant improvement to the current math curriculum, with fluency, deeper understanding, and application being key components. K-12 education in the U.S. has been criticized for being a mile wide and an inch deep, while international leaders in education have a much narrower curriculum in common and drill down to achieve a much deeper comprehension of math that promotes higher order thinking skills.
The Common Core is an unfunded mandate that will raise the bar on everyone in the school community and ultimately improve education and college and career readiness. We must embrace this upgrade to education with a commitment to re-invent our strategies from an academic and economic perspective – the new Common Core strategies as well as strategies that were successful in the past that are no longer applicable in the new reality of public education. Elwood must maintain a competitive edge for our children.
I would like to embrace the “EDGE” as a local initiative that can brand the identity of the culture in Elwood and provide focus to the cultural bond that the community has with its schools. The EDGE is an acronym for Elwood’s Dedication to Great Education and can be applied as a Common Core Standards initiative unique to Elwood that also provides a full breadth of opportunities for learning, creativity, and competitiveness that result in high-level student achievement. Moreover, because of the new reality stemming from a sour economy and legislative restrictions, (not to mention political rhetoric that seems to be the only thing in abundance these days) we must re-invent ourselves utilizing greater efficiency in all that we do. No person or group should take it personally – no thin skins allowed, the bottom line is we all have to step up, raise our game, and do it selflessly.
We have a comprehensive and complex objective that is vital to achieve. Every student needs the EDGE, every teacher, administrator, staff member, parent, guardian, and taxpayer. I agree with the Commissioner of education that giving children a competitive edge to succeed and lead the next generation of Americans is vital to our economy and democracy; and, this success is greatly dependent on everyone’s involvement and Elwood’s Dedication to Great Education.
