Special Education in Our District
NEW READING CURRICULUM WILL ACCELERATE BWSD STUDENTS ’ LANGUAGE SKILLS
In 2023-24 , all students in Grades K – 8 will start using a new reading curriculum that is designed to improve students ’ comprehension , communication , critical thinking , and interaction .
Amplify CKLA is a research-based learning system that helps students develop foundational skills in reading and writing by integrating language lessons with other topics including science , history , and the arts . The system is currently used by over 2.7 million students in 38,000 classrooms across 50 U . S . states and Washington , D . C .
CKLA stands for Core Knowledge Language Arts , which are introduced in Grades K – 5 and then amplified in Grades 6 – 8 . The language-based lessons involve letters and sounds , phonics , word recognition , constructing words and building sentences , reading to obtain meaning , understanding and decoding text , and writing and communicating clearly and effectively . Students are encouraged to make connections across diverse content areas and build a robust knowledge base that helps them unpack , understand , discuss , and eventually explain complex texts and concepts in written essays and oral presentations .
“ The new reading curriculum helps teachers gain a deeper understanding of how students learn to read , which enables them
Special Education in Our District
to deepen their understanding of effective literacy instruction ,” said Andrea Huffman , BWSD Director of Instruction & Learning , Early Childhood . “ This , in turn , will ultimately help to improve student outcomes .”
“ We used to teach language skills in a more segmented way and they didn ’ t intertwine , which we determined was not helping students effectively build foundational communication skills ,” said Dr . Kara Eckert , BWSD Director of Instruction and Learning , Elementary Grades 1-5 . “ CKLA helps us be more strategic in how lessons are taught , and language learning becomes more automatic for students as they progress through the system because of its interwoven approach to building these skills together .”
BWSD will train literature and math coaches and administrators on Amplify CKLA in August , with teacher training taking place on October 9th and 10th . The new curriculum will then kick off for all K – 8 students on October 11th . “ The beginning of the year will help teachers get to know their students , review the CKLA materials , and identify opportunities where these new and very intentional lessons can help close the language and reading gaps for their students ,” says Dr . Eckert .
To see examples of Amplify CKLA being used in classrooms , visit https :// amplify . com /
The Baldwin-Whitehall School District is committed to meeting the unique needs of each student . We offer a wide variety of special education programs and supports that serve students in the most integrated way possible . This not only aids our children with particular considerations , but also enriches the learning environment for all of our students . aldwin-Whitehall BALDWIN-WHITEHALL SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
9-12 145
6-8 152
K-5 345
642 students served through special education programs
3 levels of special education support :
Itinerant Supplemental Full-time
BWSD is a 2022 recipient of
$ 25,000 in grants
to train the next generation of special education teachers .
Baldwin High School offers American Sign Language , allowing more students to communicate with one another .
We employ special education personnel in 17 different roles , from social workers to audiologists .
400 % increase in special education classrooms since 2017 .
Baldwin High School operates two student-led businesses utilizing the Partnerʼs Model , The Baldwin Bean Coffee Shop and The BHS Innovation Shop .
Follow @ BWStdentService on Twitter to see all of our amazing faculty , staff , and students in action !
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