English Department

We believe that providing every student with a rigorous curriculum designed to advance students through the grades and master the Common Core State Standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language will prepare them for the complexities and increasing demands of the 21st Century. From Kindergarten through grade 12, students will increasingly:

• Assume responsibility for their learning
• Build strong content knowledge
• Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline
• Comprehend as well as critique
• Value evidence
• Use technology and digital media strategically and capably
• Come to understand other perspectives and cultures

Goal 1: Decrease the D/F rate by 5% for the ELA department, from 27.3% to 22.3% by increasing teacher clarity and cohesion, teachers within a grade level team will collaboratively develop and agree to use a minimum of two common assessments.

Goal 2: Increase the ELA SBAC met/exceeded standards rate from 33% to 38% overall, and from 22% to 30% for African-American students. Teachers will focus on the implementation of standards-based Gradual Release of Responsibility lesson plans through the use of skills tracing.  They will provide practice tests for students, and collaboratively analyze test results to establish best practices and next steps.

Goal 3: Cultivate an increased focus on Single Subject Integration of career domain-aligned resources into the English curriculum at all levels. Teachers will participate in professional development and collaborate with grade level teams to create a minimum of four SSI lesson plans for use throughout the school year.