The teaching team at Crownhill Elementary builds rigorous, high-quality lessons around curricula supplied by the Bremerton School District. The idea here is that single-source curricula guarantees consistency for students who move among district schools and eases the transition from elementary classrooms to middle school. Crownhill is one of five elementary schools that feed Mountain View Middle School.
Learn. Apply. Internalize. Move On
Teachers meet every week to review student performance. As close, supportive colleagues, they identify strengths and weaknesses across grade levels, and select teaching strategies that will challenge children at standard, and for those who are struggling, lead them toward mastery. High expectations are the norm at Crownhill.
Each Teacher Responsible for Every Child
These teachers expect children to apply themselves, internalize what they are learning and move on to the next academic goal. A six-year tutoring program is going strong — Tier 2 students who need extra help can get it before school. And, on Thursdays, teachers work with a local church in the Homework & Dinner Club.
The starting point for all instructional strategies and all instructional interventions is this: every teacher at Crownhill Elementary is responsible for the academic performance of every student. Teachers commit to this level of responsibility and accountability and the continuing path of improvement this high standard demands knowing that it takes an unrelenting dedication to optimize the learning potential in every student.
Core Curricula at the Center
At the highest level, we could outline Crownhill’s instructional approach through these operational principles:
- Every student receives instruction based on core curricula.
- Each grade level teacher works from a template that contours the elements of a good core subject lesson.
- Teachers have a highly-focused awareness of vocabulary development in young children and make sure that specific reading and writing skills integrate into math lesson units.
- Teachers take a stepped approach to the development of fact fluency from kindergarten through grade 5. They do not assess a child’s fluency until he or she has mastered the skills necessary to complete these important math activities.
Here are examples of the carefully considered curricula that guide instruction and assessment practices at Crownhill Elementary.
We Can Make the Connection
District curricula, based on state standards, provide a consistent platform for children making their way from kindergarten through the middle school grades in the Bremerton School District and form the core of the instructional framework at Crownhill Elementary. With this foundation in place, teachers customize and integrate strategies and interventions that stimulate the learning potential in each student. These two components are also central to the Nine Characteristics of High-Performing Schools.