Purpose: Westwood Regional students have the right to an education that promotes development into productive citizens through a variety of academic, social, and emotional supports.

It is the policy of the Board of Education to ensure equal and bias-free access to all school facilities, courses, programs, activities, and services, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, or disability. See more information with policy 5755.

Curriculum Descriptions

Art

The Westwood Regional School District offers a visual art curriculum that is rigorous in meeting all visual art standards. Exposure to visual art is expanded with the introduction to well-known artists, cultures, and various art media. Specialized art terms are taught throughout all art lessons. Oral and written expression is required in addition to the creation of projects. Art lessons are student-centered and embrace the principles of constructivist learning; students feel safe to explore their own unique creative expression. The overall goal of the art program is to give students confidence in their own skills and instill a lifelong interest in the art of all countries and cultures.

English as a Second Language

The Westwood Regional School District offers English language instruction and support services to English Language Learners (ELLs – students for whom English is a second language). The primary educational objectives are to develop students’ social language as well as essential academic knowledge and skills. Instructional support is also provided to students in their regular education classes before and after they exit the program. The state-endorsed ACCESS for ELLs assessment is the primary measure by which students are admitted to and exited from these programs.

English Language Arts

The district's English Language Arts curriculum is reflective of a Readers/Writers Workshop approach to ELA, which aims to strike a "balanced" approach to literacy, while developing in students a love of reading and writing. Reader's Workshop is a framework for literacy instruction that provides students with a supportive environment and involves them in authentic reading experiences that focus on the strengths and needs of each individual student. Writer’s Workshop uses authentic, interdisciplinary writing techniques, which build students’ fluency through continuous, repeated exposure to the process of writing.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Department of the Westwood Regional School District is dedicated to providing coherent and focused opportunities for students to develop mathematical competencies essential for a wide range of educational and career options. Our K-12 program follows the new common core math standards that support students’ understanding of concepts and acquisition of reasoning habits, in addition to developing fluency with math skills. Instructional practices include relevant and rigorous learning experiences that focus on essential content in an active and engaging format. Our programs include 21st century skills and technologies to provide rich opportunities and experiences for a student population with diverse needs and a wide range of abilities.

Media Center

The Media Center program provides a community of academic learning and literacy that enables superior educational accomplishment, independent research, and lifelong learning for every student. Students may borrow a maximum of three items from the library media center for two weeks. Students will not be charged a fine for late materials, but will be required to replace with a new copy an item that is lost or severely damaged. If a student has not returned an item at the end of a marking period, his/her report card will be held until the item has been returned.

Music

The instrumental music curriculum focuses on the development of skills through applying learning to the playing of a musical instrument. All students work individually and as part of small (lessons) and large (band) groups to learn the elements of good musicianship. The mechanics of reading pitch and rhythm, the structure of music, the ability to express through playing, and the development of vocabulary are developed through work on drills and exercises.

The vocal program, combined with elements in general music, introduces the many forms and styles of music, along with music terminology, to develop in students an understanding and appreciation of the content of quality music. The course content will provide students with the vocabulary necessary to continue the understanding of music and the wide range of choices available within their musical and enrichment training.

Physical Education and Health

The purpose of the Westwood Regional School District's physical education program is to foster participation in physical activities by applying movement concepts and skills that students can appreciate for the rest of their lives. In the process, students will use related, age-appropriate, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills. Emphasis will be placed on developing personal attitudes, behaviors, and values in addition to addressing health-related fitness concepts and their application towards a lifetime of physical activity. Rules, strategies, and tactics of both individual and team sports will be included.

The district's comprehensive health program assists students in developing a safe and healthy lifestyle. Age-appropriate lessons help students make good choices and develop positive habits.

Science

The Westwood Regional School District’s science program is designed to create an exciting learning environment that fosters a spirit of wonder and curiosity. Students learn to use the scientific method and engage in hands-on inquiry to acquire an understanding of fundamental concepts in life, earth, physical, and environmental sciences.

Social Studies

The Westwood Regional School District’s social studies program enables students to develop a sense of self-identity as it relates to their school, community, country/society, and world. Emphasis is placed on civic education/responsibility and diversity, as transitions are gradually made to instruction on more specific historical topics/themes. Technology, presentations, and project-based learning are also central components of social studies teaching focusing on 21st century skills.

World Languages

The Westwood Regional School District’s Elementary World Languages program provides Spanish instruction to students in grades K-5 in. Songs, games, visuals, and instructional strategies such as Total Physical Response (TPR) are used as emphasis gradually shifts from language exposure to acquisition. Cultural enrichment is an ongoing and central component of the curriculum. The program focuses on oral and written communication and prepares students for continued World Language study at the Middle School and Jr./Sr. High School.

Gifted and Talented

The Westwood Regional School District's Gifted and Talented program fulfills the requirements expressed in the New Jersey Administrative Code. The Westwood Enrichment model identifies students with gifted and talented abilities and provides them with a pullout program beginning in kindergarten. This ongoing identification process uses achievement test scores, student products, intelligence testing, teacher recommendation, and other appropriate measures. Student information is recorded on a rubric and rated accordingly. The Gifted Program Standards of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) were considered and used to guide the development of curriculum for gifted and talented students. Students are encouraged to develop their higher-order thinking through discussions of abstract ideas, use of logic, and exercises in creativity. Criteria are available upon request.

Remedial Program

The Academic Support supplemental program provides individual or small group assistance to children requiring support with math and literacy skills in the regular education program. Assistance is provided to children who demonstrate a need for support as assessed through various measures including, but not limited to, standardized tests and teacher recommendations. Children who fall below established minimum levels of proficiency are considered candidates for this program. Criteria are available upon request.

Assessment

The Westwood Regional School District recognizes the value of using assessment to drive instruction. Assessments provide students with opportunities to practice skills and demonstrate understanding of content and provide teachers with valuable information regarding student progress that can be used to address issues and raise student achievement. Some assessments are formal, such as tests, quizzes, projects, and standardized assessments, while some are informal, such as class participation, discussion, and student surveys. Moreover, there is an important distinction between formative assessments, which enable teachers to closely monitor student progress, and summative assessments, which enable students to demonstrate their learning of a particular subject matter.

Homework

We believe homework is an important part of school. We keep to the guidelines as recommended by the National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association (2000):

• Kindergarten and first grade: 5-15 minutes per day, on average

• Second grade: 20 minutes per day, on average

• Third grade: 30 minutes per day, on average

• Fourth grade: 40 minutes per day, on average

• Fifth grade: 50 minutes per day, on average

We make every attempt to be respectful of holidays and long weekends. These times are approximates, since the actual time spent on homework may be dependent on the assignment and/or student.

Research has clearly indicated that homework is most effective when it corresponds with what the child has learned that day in class. With this in mind, no homework will be given to those students who will be absent for an extended period of time due to vacation. In place of formal homework, the classroom teacher will design assignments on a case-by-case basis.

Parent/Guardian Requests for Homework

Parents/Guardians should be able to check up-to-date assignments and homework on individual teacher websites. For some reason, if the work is unavailable or the parent/guardian is requesting work beyond the scope of what is available on the websites, they may contact Guidance.

At the request of a parent/guardian, homework assignments will be sent to a student who will be absent from school for a period of more than three (3) days. The procedure for this request is as follows:

• Parents notify main office of student absence. At that time, parents may request that homework be provided for student.

• The Main Office will notify teachers of the request and the necessary details.

• The Main Office staff will collect and forward the assignments and/or books to the parent/ guardian.

Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS)

The I&RS team process is a collaborative effort between district-wide instructional personnel and parents/guardians to intervene when a student has been identified as making minimal academic and/or emotional progress in the general education setting. The team collects and evaluates relevant data to determine or identify specific barriers hindering student performance. Once these barriers have been identified, individualized interventions are determined and implemented through an action plan designed to alleviate the concerns. The progress of the identified student will be monitored throughout the remainder of the school year.

Special Services

The Westwood Regional School District continues to remain dedicated to addressing the diverse learning needs of all students. As part of the array of services and curricular options listed in this handbook and in order to adhere to state mandates, all schools provide for the following: child study team assessments, collaborative support, restrictive classroom settings, speech therapy, curricular modifications and adaptations, as well as other supports necessary to assist students identified as having special needs.

The need for specialized support services is determined by each student’s individual educational needs. Students referred for special services are evaluated by the child study team, with a parent’s/guardian’s consent, and a specific plan is developed that outlines the student’s individual goals and objectives and the support service to be applied to assist the student in attaining these goals and objectives.

Access to these services is through the Department of Special Services. Additional information on specialized support services can be obtained through the Director’s office by calling 201-664-0880, extension 2048. It is strongly suggested that academic concerns be discussed initially with the child’s teacher and principal.

District Testing Schedule

Access for ELLS (English Language Learners only)

• All grades; all schools: Feb-March

InView Assessment

• Grades 3 and 5: TBA

NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) ELA, Math

• Grades 3 –10: May

NJSLA (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment) Science

• Grades 5: May