Content and Engagement

Dalton Public Schools is Committed to the Vision of “world-class Learning That Prepares Students for Success in College, Career, and Civic Life.” Curriculum and Instructional Practices Are Designed to Support Three Goal Areas of the District’s Strategic Plan:

Improve Student Mastery of Standards
Improve Student Social Emotional Learning Competencies
Consistently Engage Student in Work With High Levels of Cognitive Demand

the Georgia Department of Education Provides the Georgia Standards of Excellence to All School Districts Which Clarifies What Georgia’s Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do at Each Grade Level, in Each Subject. These Performance Standards Provide Clear Expectations for Instruction, Assessment, and Student Work in the Areas of English Language Arts, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Literacy in Social Studies, Science, Ctae, and Physical Education. for a Listing of the Standards by Grade Level and Content Area, Visit Www.georgiastandards.org.

How We Teach

in Recent Years, Dalton Public Schools Has Invested Heavily in Professional Learning Opportunities for Teachers. for Teachers to Design Engaging, Quality Work for Each Child So That All Children Learn What They Need to Know, the School District Must Provide Learning Opportunities and Resources for Teachers. at Dalton Public Schools, You May Hear the Phrase “framework Versus Program” From Our Teachers Who Are Participating in These Professional Learning Opportunities. Simply, Instructional Programs Prescribe How Teachers Should Teach and What Resources They Should Use No Matter the Children in Their Classrooms; Frameworks Free Teachers to Pull From Multiple Resources and Strategies to Design Lessons Specific for the Children in Their Classrooms, Making “differentiation of Instruction” a Reality. Here Are a Few of the “frameworks” You Might Hear Mentioned by Our Teachers:

Balanced Literacy

Dalton Public Schools Has Implemented a Balanced Literacy Framework in All Elementary Schools.

Balanced Literacy is a Philosophical Orientation That Assumes That Reading and Writing Achievement Are Developed Through Instruction and Support in Multiple Environments Using Various Approaches That Differ by Level of Teacher Support and Child Control (Fountas & Pinnell, 1966). There Are Five Different Components of Balanced Literacy: the Read Aloud, Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, and Word Study. Sustained, Job-embedded Professional Development for Teachers Supports the Balanced Literacy Implementation. School-based Academic Coaches Are Trained in Research-based Methods and Provided With Ongoing Professional Development That is Then Redelivered to Classroom Teachers. the Goal of This Effort is to Raise the Level of Literacy Achievement for All Students.

Engaging Work

the District’s Mission is “to Develop Trusting Relationships and Provide Quality Work That Engages Students in Profound Learning.” When Students Are Authentically Engaged in Meaningful, Quality Work, the Likelihood for Them to Learn Something New and to Remember What Was Learned Increases (Hancock & Betts, 2002). Phillip Schlechty (2002) Wrote That, “when Teachers Work on the Quality of Work They Give Students, the Work Will Engage More Students More of the Time. Improved Student Academic Performance Will Result From Increased Student Engagement Because Students Work Harder to Achieve Desired Results.” This Approach Provides the Foundation for the Design of Instruction and Much of the Professional Learning That Takes Place in the District. Use of Schlechty’s Ten Design Qualities and Measures of Student Engagement Continue to Serve as Resources for Teachers as They Design Work for Students in Their Classrooms.

Grading and Homework

Pre-k

During the School Year, Parents Will Receive Progress Reports of Their Student’s Progress.

K-5 — Standards Based Grading/ Reporting

Recognizing That Literacy is Essential to All Learning, Dalton Public Schools Has Set Goals in Reading, Writing and Listening for Every Elementary Child. Simultaneously, the District Has Researched and Developed Standards Based Reporting for Literacy and Numeracy in Grades K-5.

When Parents Think About Grading, They Often Ask, “what Grade Did He or She Get?” in Standards-based Systems, the Questions Parents Are Encouraged to Ask Are: “what Has He or She Learned About?” or “how Well Can He or She Reason, Write, Communicate, Work With Others or Problem-solve?” Each of These Questions Arises From the Shared Knowledge of What Constitutes Achievement or Mastery of a Standard or Set of Standards.

It Will Be Important for Parents to Work Closely With Their Child’s Teacher as the Teacher Articulates the Standards and Expectations as They Appear on the District’s Rubrics. the Rubrics Will Be Distributed to Each K-5 Parent at the Beginning of the Year and Full Explanations Will Be Given Explaining the Standards Based Reporting Process. It is Also Important That the Parent Understand That Their Child Will Have Multiple Opportunities to Perform at His/her Highest Level Through the School Year. the Child Will Have Until the End of the Year to Meet Grade-level Standards. the District Pledges to Communicate With Students and Parents as to a Student’s Progress Towards Meeting Identified Standards and Benchmarks. the Standards Based Report Card is the Primary Tool That Will Be Used to Communicate to Students and Parents Regarding Student Academic Progress. Ideally, Report Cards Will Be Used in an Ongoing Conversation Between Teachers, Students and Parents About What is Expected of Students and How to Help Them Be Successful in a Rigorous Academic Program.

Fifth Grade Only

Students in Fifth Grade Will Receive Both a Standards-based and a Numerical Grade in Reading, Language Arts and Math Each Reporting Term.

Report Card Dates

See the Calendar on Previous Pages. Elementary Grading Periods Are Nine Weeks.

Homework

the Assignment of Homework is Encouraged When It Enriches the School Program. the Amount of Homework Shall Be Reasonable to the Extent That It Benefits the Child and Does Not Interfere With the Student’s Health, the Student’s Assuming Responsibilities in the Home or Take So Much of the Student’s Time as to Deny Opportunities to Engage in Activities of the Student’s Own Choosing.

Web-based Student Reports

Infinite Campus Parent Portal

All Dps Students and Parents Are Assigned Accounts on Infinite Campus, the District’s Online Grade Reporting and Messenger System. Activated Accounts Allow You to Access Password-protected, Customized Web Pages With Links to Online Grade Report and Attendance Reports for Your Child as Well as District /school Messages.

There Are Two Types of Activation Codes—one for Students and One for Parents. Students May Request Their Codes From Homeroom Teachers. to Obtain a Parent Activation Code, Please Email Your Request to Parentportal@dalton.k12.ga.us.

Promotion and Retention

the Dps Guidelines for Promotion and Retention, Approved by the Dalton Board of Education, Comply With Georgia Law. This Law Directly Impacts All Georgia Third-graders, Fifth-graders, and Eighth-graders. if Students Do Not Meet Reading and Math Standards as Measured by the State’s Georgia Milestone End-of-grade (Eog) Test as Well as District Requirements, the Student Will Not Receive Automatic Promotion to the Next Grade. to View a Copy of These Guidelines, Visit the District’s Website at Www.daltonpublicschools.com.

Assessing Student Progress

Kindergarten

the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills Readiness Check and the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (Gkids) is Used by Teachers So They May Learn What Level of Instructional Support Your Child Needs as (S)he Enters Kindergarten and Progresses Throughout the Year.

Grades 1-8

Dalton Public Schools Complies With the Georgia Department of Education’s Requirements for Administering Both State and National Standardized Tests. in Addition to Testing Students in Grades 3-8 With the State-mandated Georgia Milestone End-of-grade (Eog) Tests and Nwea’s Map Growth Assessment (Grades K-8) Will Be Used to Formatively Assess Student Progress Throughout the Year, Providing a District Bridge of Classroom Performance to State Annual Assessments. a Testing Schedule is Available Online at Www.daltonpublicschools.com. (Note: the Testing Schedule is Subject to Revisions Based on Changes Made by the Georgia Doe During the School Year.)

Parents May View the Results of All Tests Administered to Their Child. Standardized Test Results Will Be Shared With Parents Through Parent Conferences and/or Report Cards. School-wide Results Are Available Online at Gosa.georgia.gov/report-card.

Hammond Creek Middle School