The Student-Centered Math Classroom

On the January 15, 2018 Professional Day, members of the Grades 6-12 Math Department will participate in a workshop called "The Student-Centered Math Classroom." Participants will explore best practices in creating a student-centered, inquiry driven 21st-century technology-enhanced math classroom. Teachers will take on a student role throughout the day and will walk away with dynamic math tools and instructional strategies to improve and highlight mathematical communication. They will also develop a formative assessment system that supports differentiation and flexible grouping and formulate an effective means to blend and flip math instruction. Teachers will explore student voice and how students understand more deeply when they can communicate their findings, wonderings, and thoughts through creation. The workshop focus is hands-on to develop a portfolio of strategies and tools for math classroom instruction. The goal is for each participant to complete the workshop with a toolkit of new instructional designs for their math classroom!

Reading and Writing Workshop

The district has contracted with Gravity Goldberg, LLC to conduct 29 days of professional development on the Reading and Writing Workshop Model with grades K-7 teachers this school year. During each session, the Gravity Goldberg coach introduces a workshop component to the teachers and then models it in an actual classroom. That way, our teachers are able to see the teaching strategies in action and can debrief what they observed with the consultant afterward. The efforts of the outside trainers are being supported by our own in-house Literacy Coach, Danielle Councilor. The district decided to move to the Reading and Writing Workshop approach after surveying parents/guardians and teachers during the last school year. The results of those surveys overwhelmingly supported a switch to this model of instruction.

Update on New NJDOE Science Assessments

We now have a little more information about the new science assessments that will replace the Science ASK 4 & 8 and the Biology Competency Test. The test will be called the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment - Science (NJSLA-S), and it will be given in grades 5, 8, and 11. The Grade 5 test will be cumulative, as it represents content from the grades 3-5 Science standards. The spring 2018 administration will be a field test, and results will not be included in a district's QSAC review. Instead, the spring 2019 administration will be a baseline year. The tests will be computer-based, and Pearson is the sub-vendor providing the testing platform. The administration of the assessments will be through the PearsonAccessNext web portal, which is the same platform used for the PARCC. The testing window is May 7 - June 8. The district is in the process of deciding the exact administration dates. The Grade 5 test will consist of four, 30-minute units. The Grade 8 assessment will feature four, 45-minute units, and the Grade 11 test will consist of four, 60-minute units. No more than two units can be administered in one day, so students will complete the NJSLA-S in a minimum of two days.

Mary Dominiczak

Westwood Regional Middle School Social Studies Teacher

Ms. Mary Dominiczak is a 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher for the Middle School. Her drive to engage her students with current middle school best instructional practices is exceptional and respected not only within Westwood Regional, but also on a larger level.

Last spring, Ms. Dominiczak presented at the Annual New Jersey Council of the Social Studies Conference on “Centers in the Social Studies Classroom”. Learning centers are best practices in middle level education as they provide students with a variety of engaging instructional techniques, allow for natural differentiation, and capitalize on the characteristics of a middle school age student. Ms. Dominiczak’s classroom is consistently one in which students are collaborating, communicating, and thinking critically about social studies. Through these practices, they develop skills like independence and responsibility while learning to successfully interact with their peers and teachers.