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School for the 21st Century <br />Mission and Goals <br />The mission of the model school is to provide an enriched, supportive, and stimulating <br />environment for elementary students which promotes the development of the whole child including <br />the acquisition of skills that are essential for future academic success. The school is committed to <br />the development of every child and will hold all parties accountable: teachers and administrators for <br />implementing best practices; parents for providing a supportive home environment; and students <br />for demonstrating mastery of essential skills as they progress through the grade levels. <br />The narrative section of major program areas describes the manner in which the mission <br />will be carried out. The mission statement will be discussed and further defined in each -area of our <br />practice by the planning team and staff. Supporting belief statements, along with the mission, will <br />serve as a guide for our decisions and actions. <br />Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development <br />A common, consistent, and enriched curriculum will be selected for each major discipline <br />with necessary modifications made to align them with the North Carolina Standard Course of <br />Study. Spanish has been selected as the World Language. Using the work of the Edison/Model <br />School Curriculum subcommittee, the planning team curriculum subcommittee will have the <br />following responsibilities: <br />-selecting curriculum and/or curriculum framework for each discipline which will be <br />implemented consistently through all grade levels <br />•selecting supporting materials for curriculum areas <br />-developing a character education program <br />-outlining the staff development (and time line) required for teachers and teacher assistants <br />to successfully implement each curriculum and other curriculum related staff development: <br />differentiation, constructivist theory, thematic planning, flexible grouping <br />-outlining how the curriculum will be clearly articulated to parents <br />-matching curriculum with best teaching methodology and assessment for that content area <br />-outlining a plan for working with the staff to develop clear academic standards for each <br />discipline <br />-developing strategies for supporting non - proficient students <br />-developing a gifted programming plan <br />In the model school, teachers will serve as the facilitators of learning and students will be <br />actively engaged in developing and applying new skills while constructing knowledge through <br />carefully conceived projects and units. Multi- disciplinary planning can be integrated within the <br />reading/language arts and math time blocks. Differentiated instruction is expected with students <br />being regrouped across classes and/or grade levels to ensure that they are working at an appropriate <br />level of challenge in reading and mathematics. Plans are being made for the planning team to work <br />with Carol Tomlinson on differentiation for one session on January 15th. Classroom observations <br />by administrators and peers will support teachers in their development in the areas mentioned <br />previously with additional staff development provided as needed. <br />The schedule for the school day supports the curriculum by providing for 120 minutes for <br />reading/language arts, 60 minutes for mathematics, 45 minutes for science, and 45 minutes for <br />social studies. Other subject areas, art, music, physical education, Spanish, and media center, will <br />consume 70 minutes per day. Lunch and transitions are estimated at 50 minutes. Ninety-three <br />percent of parents surveyed stated that these allotments of time for reading/language arts and <br />mathematics were important. <br />