BURKEonBOARD

(Oct. 2, 2008) – Last week I wrote to ISD 192 Assistant Superintendent for Education Services, Christine Weymouth, asking for an explanation of the staffing situation in the district’s Department of Teaching and Learning (DTL). I questioned the top level staffing in that department which includes Weymouth and two department directors, one a person who was formerly the director of curriculum for the district before Weymouth’s appointment and the creation of the DTL.

I asked Weymouth for an explanation of the staffing in DTL and promised her I would publish her answer in its entirety, unedited and without comment. Here it is.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Farmington Area Public Schools
A Focus on Teaching and Learning

Farmington Area Public Schools, Department of Teaching and Learning is organized in the effort to lead all staff, students, and administrators, district-wide, in training, planning and program support for teaching and learning.  It is a systemic response, by design, to match up teaching and learning policies, structures, governances, resource allocation, instructional, curriculum, and assessment programs and practices with the District’s mission, beliefs, and strategies. This is done by applying these strategic principles in the schools with teachers, students, parents, and administrators. What’s more, I feel that the Department of Teaching and Learning serves as the instructional CEO of:

1.    Where do we want to go?  (our Strategic Plan)
2.    How are we doing?  (our data collection and student achievement measures)
3.    How will we get to where we want to go?  (our School Improvement Plans)
4.    How will we know we are getting there?  (our School Improvement Plans and ongoing evaluation plans)

The Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services supervises Department of Teaching and Learning staff, building principals, the Director of Special Services, and the Community Education Coordinator.  With this arrangement, communication and planning helps the District reach its goals more effectively.

The historical development of teaching and learning in the District has been committed to many improvements over time. It is fair to say that just five years ago, the then curriculum department struggled with established and systemic approaches to curriculum and instruction, not to mention assessment, as the District contemplated its response to standards-based teaching and learning in a high stakes testing environment. In fact, in 2004, no new curriculum had been adopted by the District for seven years. Shortly after 2004, a curriculum and staff development coordinator position was created and after that a data and accountability position was designed to respond to the increasing need to be data accountable to the public and to our students.

In December 2006, Farmington Area Public Schools, Board of Education approved a mission statement, set of beliefs, objectives, and strategies that now serve as the District’s overarching design for its deliberate approach to improved schooling and increased student achievement. The Assistant Superintendent position was developed to serve as the supervisory and leadership link between principals, directors, their schools and programs and deliberate improvements in teaching and learning for students. As school districts across the state grow and change, one of the most important resources it can provide students, teachers, and parents is a purposeful, well designed district-based teaching and learning construct aimed at building effective schooling practices.

Strengthening the District’s Responsibilities for Student Improvement

Strengthening the teaching and learning in the District is a priority for the District.  The Department of Teaching and Learning serves as the vehicle for planful collaboration between district technology, staff development, curriculum, instruction, assessment, special education, federally supported programs, other special programs like Literacy and gifted and talented, data and accountability, NCLB program and community education.

Recent innovations in student management, curriculum mapping software, curriculum improvements in Reading and math specifically, school improvement planning, and concentrated professional development has set the stage for the Department of Teaching and Learning to work with teams of teachers, parents, and administrators while planning for improvement

The District has had a curriculum specialist and director for the past four years.  This fall, these two individuals (positions) were reorganized to reflect two directors so that the job functions could reflect specific responsibilities of the directors by design.  Each of the directors has specific core areas of responsibilities in:

• Curriculum Design, Evaluation, Budget and Policy
• Student Assessment
• Training
• Professional Development
• Technology Instructional Integration
• Curriculum Technology Training
• Federal and Other Programming
• District-wide Teacher Evaluation
• School Instructional Transitioning

Both directors work with other administrators within the teaching and learning network and both directors work closely with the Assistant Superintendent to set goals, orchestrate, and collect evidence of best practice strategies to improve instruction for students.

Along with other departments across the District, the Department of Teaching and Learning looks forward to evolving and changing as staff, parents, and students grow and respond to the community, state and world around them, now, and in the future.  Our progress and effectiveness will be measured by student data, feedback and data from teachers, parents, and community and continued and ongoing planning and evaluation at every level of our work.

Thank you for the opportunity to share the District’s attention to teaching and learning.

Submitted By:

Christine M. Weymouth, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services