The Bloomfield Public Schools provides a rich variety of academic experiences to all students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. The commitment to the success of our students is captured by our motto: “Every Student, Every Day, Every Classroom.” Simply put, the daily work of our teachers is to create learning conditions to master national and state standards, resulting in high academic achievement.
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Vision
The Bloomfield Public Schools bases all academic decisions on the vision created by our Stakeholders, a diverse group of 40 Bloomfield residents. The vision statement is
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Standards
In April 2012, teachers began the in-depth work of redesigning the English Language Arts and Mathematics curriculum for Kindergarten through grade 12.
- The purpose of the redesign of our current curriculum is to ensure all units of study and lessons align with the rigor of the Common Core State Standards.
- The process of the redesign includes comparing the present standards to the new standards, identifying broad themes of what students need to know and do by grade level, and connecting how students are assessed to deep levels of understanding and skill.
- The pay-off of the redesign is to ensure our students are fully prepared for the rigors of college and career.
To learn more, visit http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/ccss/latest_news/publishers_criteria_for_literacy_for_grades_3-12_revised_8_25.pdf
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Curriculum
Curriculum is now viewed as an all-encompassing term to include units of study, instruction, assessment, re-teaching materials and resources, and lesson plans. The Bloomfield Public Schools is updating its current curriculum to align with the Common Core State Standards. The focus of the curriculum will be based in Units of Study and Themes.
A sample of the draft curriculum template can be found at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=322592
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Instruction
Instruction is the term educators use to describe how they create learning conditions and experiences to ensure all students maximize the acquisition of knowledge, skill, and application in the most efficient and effective way. Instruction includes pedagogy (the process of teaching, i.e. lecture, debates), strategies, grouping patterns, pacing, re-teaching, and monitoring for understanding.
To learn more, visit the Document Library at http://www.bloomfieldschools.org/page.cfm?p=4473
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Assessment
Assessment, or evaluation, is now viewed as a way to monitor student understanding, skills, and application through a variety of methods. These methods include daily questions of increasing difficulty, exit tickets or reflections on a topic, common formative assessments, quarterly benchmark assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics, and state mandated Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), and the national Northwest Evaluation Assessments’ Measures of Academic Achievement (NWEA MAP). All levels of assessments are regarded as important to see if our students are learning. All educators across the district use this data to drive decisions about instruction.
To learn more about assessment, visit http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/assessment/index.htm
ACADEMIC STRUCTURE FOR LEARNING: Professional Learning
The Bloomfield Public Schools promotes the continuous learning of all employees on behalf of our students. In accordance with the National Standards for Professional Development, teachers and administrators have formed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to assess adult learning needs, to design relevant learning opportunities, and to evaluate its effectiveness in raising achievement for our students. Professional learning opportunities include full-day workshops, half-day seminars, and job-embedded workshops and training sessions.
To learn more about professional learning, visit http://www.learningforward.org/standards/index.cfm