IA Policy - Instructional Goals and Learning Objectives

The school district is established by the community to serve the community and is dedicated to fostering in each student the ability and the character to fashion a worthy and successful life. The schools share with the home and society the task of preserving the values and wisdom of the past, while building the capacity to meet the future, by providing equal educational opportunity for all. It is the joint responsibility of the Board of Education, the staff and the community to maintain an educational program of excellence.

Recognizing the diversity of the needs and gifts of their students, and mindful that each must find his place in society, the schools strive to help every student develop his intellectual capacities fully, with due regard for emotional, mental, physical and social growth.

Our schools affirm the democratic concept of the worth of each person. Each pupil is entitled to the education which most nearly meets his needs and capacities. It is incumbent upon the entire staff to be sensitive to and to provide for personal differences, and to assume the responsibility for guiding and encouraging all students.

The educational process is directed toward helping each student to acquire a foundation of knowledge, skills and a love of learning; to assume an increasing responsibility for his self development; to become actively involved with ideas, people and things; and to learn responsible behavior as an individual and as a citizen.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY:

The schools share responsibility with the home and other institutions for the total education of the individual. In educating the student, the schools must consider their responsibility to the student, the community and the profession. The District shall involve parents, community and professional staff in developing student performance standards in the common core of knowledge and skills and in implementing programs which will improve student results. WDE, Chapter VI, Section 9 (a).

Responsibility to the Student

· A student needs to be equipped with essential skills to grow and develop in a changing society.

· A student should come to know and appraise himself realistically and act accordingly.

· A student needs to learn to be purposeful, to plan and organize for his immediate and future objectives.

· A student needs to learn to solve problems rationally.

Responsibility to the community

· Education serves the community well when it instills respect for the moral and ethical values of our society.

· The schools should play an active role in coping with the problems of youth in the community.

· The school should maintain active communication and dialogue with the community and shall involve the community in developing student performance standards in the common core of knowledge and skills and in implementing programs which will improve student results. WDE, Chapter VI, Section 9 (a).

Responsibility to the Profession

· It is the school’s professional obligation to encourage, develop, select, and maintain a highly skilled professional staff.

GUIDES TO PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT:

Establishing the Foundation of Continuous Learning

During his school years the student should master the tools of learning and acquire a body of basic skills and fundamental knowledge.

Students should leave school with the realization that education growth continues throughout life and doesn’t end with formal schooling.

Developing Critical Thinking

The underlying purpose in all instructional areas will be the development of thinking processes so that every learner will be able to cope intelligently with problems.

Developing Self Regulated Behavior

The schools should aim toward developing self-regulated behavior which is dictated by independent thought and decision on the part of each learner.

Developing Citizenship

Through the instructional program, our schools should foster individual responsibility for participation in effective constructive citizenship in a democratic society.

*Students should be given a knowledge of the evolving, continuing and developing ideals of our society.

*Students should be made aware of social forces and trends and be helped to analyze and understand current issues.

*Instruction should prepare students to make informed decisions regarding contemporary problems and to have the necessary skills and knowledge to implement their decisions.

INSTRUCTION:

The Board of Education hopes to make its finest contribution to education in our community with regard to the instructional program. The Board sees itself supporting and supplementing the efforts of the faculty, not trespassing.

Teachers, administrators and other instructional personnel need several kinds of important help from laymen. Most important of all, they need to know what we expect our students and youth to learn. Accordingly, we set up and keep an eye on purposes for our schools.

How school is to be taught is, we believe, strictly the prerogative of the staff. Our contribution to the operation is to provide the needed equipment, materials of instruction, and such other facilitating action that they may request.

We are interested, too, in supporting the staff’s continuing efforts to improve the instructional program--assuming that there is always room for improvement.

Finally -- and of extreme importance --we wish to have the staff present us with evidence of achievement, or lack of achievement, of our students in the light of our schools’ goals. It is clear that factual evidence of the productivity of our schools is the Board’s best device for evaluating our educational system, for guiding improvement efforts, and for fostering approval of schools.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The Board of Trustees will adopt a comprehensive set of performance objectives in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Wyoming Department of Education. These performance objectives may be contained in a separate manual or included herewith as an exhibit. The performance of objectives shall demonstrate, how student performance standards have affected planning for facilities and annual budget priorities. The Board of Trustees will approve the process in which student performance standards are identified, monitored and reported. The process shall include an annual report card disseminated widely to patrons of the District [see Wyoming Department of Education Chapter VI, School Accreditation, Section 9 (b), (c)].

Each school within the District shall adopt District students performance standards and cite specific student performance standards.

**Each district will have its own performance objectives.

Adoption Date: December 1999