There is always excitement in the air at the start of a new school year. Administrators have spent the summer preparing for the 2010-2011 school term by participating in professional development and by determining the areas of focus for the new year. The administrative team agreed that our students would best be served by building on initiatives that were begun in 2009-2010 and before.
The commitment to educating students for the 21st century remains front and center. Each school had a leadership team trained in bringing the skills that have been identified as critical for a 21st century workforce directly to the classroom. Culpeper County Public Schools will continue to implement tiered instruction with the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) with the expansion of this model to middle and high school in the area of English instruction. Another initiative that has been in the planning stages for over a year is the commitment to individual academic planning for all students, beginning in middle school. Academic planning will help students realize the importance of having a plan for life after K-12 education, even if that plan changes several times prior to graduation. Planning will also help students take advantage of all the programs, courses, and supports that Culpeper schools have to offer. A final focus for 2010-2011 will be each administrator’s renewed commitment to be in classrooms beyond what is necessary for teacher evaluation.
The new school year begins with increased expectations for making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as well as a focus on our own local goals. We will continue to monitor our student’s post high school choices, promote increased numbers in AP and dual enrollment courses, monitor success rates on career and technical certification exams, and follow the progress of students who have preschool experience as the move through the elementary grades. These examples are just a few of the data points that are examined.
The faculty and staff of Culpeper County Public Schools work tirelessly to seek better ways to meet the needs of all students. A sense of teamwork is evident in individual schools and within departments. We are committed to building on the foundation of excellence in Culpeper County Public Schools.
