Superintendent Linda Langevin proposed creating two half-time curriculum coordinators to oversee curriculum development at the Voorheesville Central School District.
A full-time teaching position will be split into two half-time curriculum coordinator positions, one at the elementary school and one at the middle-high school.
Langevin said that due to the increasing dependence on data obtained from the testing and assessments that impact school curriculum, the need for staff devoted to curriculum, assessment and data is very important.
We look to see if our students are learning as much as last year, Langevin said.
She said parents and the whole community are always looking for more support for their children.
The curriculum coordinators will work directly with their building principals and will be responsible for coordination of curricular initiatives, state test coordination and value-added assessment analysis.
Value-added assessment is a new way of analyzing test data that can measure teaching and learning. Based on a review of students’ test score gains from previous grades, researchers can predict the amount of growth those students are likely to make in a given year.
In addition, the curriculum coordinator at the middle school and high school level will assume responsibility for the coordination of the Advanced Placement and University in the High School program responsibilities.
The position will also assist the principal in the coordination of professional development in support of the annual professional performance review and the districtwide professional development plan.
`The coordinators will look at estimates of how grades exceed over time. It will then help our teachers,` Langevin said.
Langevin said because of new state initiatives to data, the district clearly needs training in teachers and they need someone to oversee curriculum development.
`We will look at the areas in which teachers need support,` she said.
These positions would be held by members of the Voorheesville Teachers Association.
The cost to the district would be an additional full-time teacher needed to teach the classes formally taught by the coordinators with a reallocation of resources in support of the position in the amount of $36,000. The remainder of the cost would be new district monies.
School administrators will meet with the VTA at a later date and Langevin will present the proposal to the Voorheesville Board of Education at its January meeting for a vote. The district voters must then either approve it or not during the school budget vote next year. Langevin said she hopes to have curriculum coordinators in place by school year 2008-09.
“
