Teaching & Learning

Virtual meeting to discuss the Fifth to Sixth Grade Transition Process

On Tuesday, January 17, Middle School Administrators, School Counselors, and the Academic Coordinator Team presented on the Middle School Transition Process. This informational meeting details social, emotional, and academic shifts at the middle level. Presenters also describe the differences in course offerings and support available.

Video links to these presentations, as well as the slides used, are available below:

Slides: English Slides, Spanish Slides

Full Session Videos: English Session, Spanish Session

Video of Q&A portion from evening sessions: English Session, Spanish Session

Consolidated Q&A: English

Fifth to Sixth Grade Parent Input Request

In order to provide input for your student’s middle school placement in ELA, Math, and Science, we give you an opportunity to provide the committee with your insights via our Parent Input Form. Before completing the form, we highly recommend reviewing the Transition Information for Parents. Please note: completion of this form does not guarantee placement into the selected courses.

Grade 6 teachers and administrators constantly monitor student progress and achievement to ensure their needs are being met in their courses. Adjustments to course schedules are made on a case-by-case basis and can happen at any time throughout the school year. Parents are a key factor in the decision to make movements in classes. The middle school philosophy for the district ensures that all parents are notified early and often when schedule or course changes are recommended.

Greenwich Public Schools believes in creating the conditions for a coherent and aligned PK-12 continuum of learning for all students and assuring consistency of implementation. Greenwich believes in providing a future ready curriculum that is agile enough to match the instructional practices in all classrooms.

The district provides support to all educators in their implementation of:

a standards-based curriculum
high impact instruction (aligned research-based instructional practices)
making learning personal
personalized professional learning

The Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional learning supports the teaching and learning process by providing support to all Academics and Professional Learning.

Greenwich Public Schools Office of Academics recognized by CAPSS as implementing Innovative Practices to make learning personal through a flexible curriculum resource while increasing learner voice and choice.

Meet the Academic Team

Standards-Based Curriculum

GPS believes that a coherent, articulated PK-12 Standards-Based Curriculum supports all learners (adults and students) in creating and engaging in high impact learning tasks that ensure students develop and demonstrate the Vision of the Graduate capacities.

State and National Academic standards define the knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn in a subject in each grade. Academic standards are designed to provide a clear path for students to gain the proficiency that is required to learn increasingly complex material in the next grade. Students who learn the knowledge and skills defined by the academic standards, year after year, are on track to graduate from high school on time and ready to enter college or the workforce.

Academic Core Standards in Connecticut

Next Generation Science Standards

National Core Arts Standards

Greenwich Public Schools Kindergarten Handbook

High Impact Instruction

High-Impact Teaching Practices is a framework for developing learner experiences that help all learners develop the capacities of the Vision of the Graduate. The research-based, high impact instructional and teaching practices are:

Content Planning

Guiding Questions
Formative Assessment - Checks for Deep Understanding
Specific Proficiencies
Teaching Modifications to Make the Learning Personal

Instruction

Thinking Prompts to Make Thinking Visible
Effective Questions for Deeper Learning
Cooperative Learning - Parters in the Learning
Stories - Telling and Honoring our Stories

Authentic Learning Community Building

Learner-Friendly Culture
Power With, not Power Over
Freedom Within Form
Articulated Clear Expectations
Witness to the Good
Corrections - Provide Time to Make Corrections Towards Mastery

Making Learning Personal

Personalized Learning in Greenwich is defined as a "teacher facilitated process that provides each student with meaningful choice, guided by a standards based curriculum, in what, where, how and at what pace and appropriate depth, they learn, based on individual strengths, needs, motivations, interests, goals and cultural backgrounds”

Each person in GPS has a role in personalizing student learning, so that each student can demonstrate the capacities of the Vision of the Graduate through increased choice and voice.

The critical elements necessary for any teacher and student to realize personalized learning in GPS include:

Partners in Learning
Student Ownership
Student Regulation

Combined, all play a part in developing student agency.

When implemented, students are engaged in the process and are empowered to manage their own learning in partnership with their teachers, peers, parents, principal, and community at large.

Learner-centered paradigm and community-based education work hand in hand.

Review the Greenwich Public Schools PL Playbook for Parents for information on what PL in our schools looks like, feels like and sounds like.

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Standards-Based Curriculum

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