Our District » Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Curriculum

Instruction

Assessment

Newport SD is committed to providing a comprehensive educational program that prepares students to be positive and contributing members of their community, both locally and as a part of an ever-changing, global society.
The Newport SD staff plans and coordinates instruction in order to meet the needs of all students.  Rigorous lessons are intended to engage students, develop both collaborative and independent skills, and become life-long problem solvers through authentic learning.
Newport SD utilizes assessments to verify student understanding and gauge progress toward the PA standards and the district approved curriculum.  Classroom and district-based as well as state/federally required assessments are utilized.

Elementary Curriculum Program

Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA)

CKLA is a comprehensive language arts program designed to teach skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking.  CKLA will build knowledge and skills including vocabulary through literature, history, geography and science. Please click on the image below to see the units of study included in our CKLA curriculum.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provided by PDE are Numbers and Operations, Algebraic Concepts, Geometry and Measurement, Data and Probability.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Big Ideas Math

Big Ideas Math is based on Universal Design for Learning and is intended to be a fun and use hands-on activities to engage students. Productive struggle and problem solving as well as practice is intended to create strong mathematic knowledge and lead to conceptual understanding.  This allows students to become strategic mathematical thinkers and understand real-life situations. Please click on the image below to explore our units of study.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provided by PDE are Numbers and Operations, Algebraic Concepts, Geometry and Measurement, Data and Probability.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Mystery Science (K-3)

Mystery Science is a flexible science curriculum that can be applied to both in person as well as flexible modes of instruction as needed.  Lessons are developed around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and are aligned to the Pennsylvania standards.  Core lessons, mini lessons, and anchor/enrichment lessons provide interactive videos, hands-on learning for the students to experience.

Full Option Science System "FOSS" (4-5)

FOSS is a has been used and continually developed for 40 years with the goal of bridging research and practice to engage students and teachers in an immersive experience.  Students are encouraged to observe, relate to information, test their ideas, generate explanations and more when looking at the world.  Active participation and meaningful experiences are at the core of this program.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Integrated Science Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The five categories of standards provide by PDE are physical science, life science, earth and space science, environment and ecology, and technology and engineering.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Core Knowledge History and Geography (CKHG)

CKHG is a comprehensive program looking at world and American history while integrating civics, the arts, and aligning with our English Language Arts program (CKLA).  This program builds knowledge of diverse civilizations, cultures, and concepts through the use of student readers, activities, visual aids, online vides, virtual field trips and more.

PA Academic Standards

The Pennsylvania Academic Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provide by PDE are Civics and Government, Economics, Geography and History.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Health and Physical Education

Health and PE provide students with knowledge and skills to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Students who maintain a healthy and physically active lifestyle often see increases in their ability to achieve academically as well as cope with stressful or hectic situations.  Newport's Health and Physical Education department has a goal of educating students so they are able to remain physically, mentally, socially and emotionally healthy in order to achieve their highest potential.

Computer Science

Computer Science and the technologies connected are an ever-changing and evolving world.  In order to prepare students as best as possible for careers in the 21st century and beyond we are dedicated to teaching the principles and practices outlined in the computer science standards.  Computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing are the focus areas of these standards and provide a guide as we develop our units of study and classroom lessons from K-12.

Middle School Curriculum Program

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The five categories of standards provide by PDE are Foundational Skills, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Writing and Speaking and Listening.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provided by PDE are Numbers and Operations, Algebraic Concepts, Geometry and Measurement, Data and Probability.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Integrated Science Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The five categories of standards provide by PDE are physical science, life science, earth and space science, environment and ecology, and technology and engineering.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Academic Standards

The Pennsylvania Academic Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provide by PDE are Civics and Government, Economics, Geography and History.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Health and Physical Education

Health and PE provide students with knowledge and skills to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Students who maintain a healthy and physically active lifestyle often see increases in their ability to achieve academically as well as cope with stressful or hectic situations.  Newport's Health and Physical Education department has a goal of educating students so they are able to remain physically, mentally, socially and emotionally healthy in order to achieve their highest potential.

Computer Science

Computer Science and the technologies connected are an ever-changing and evolving world.  In order to prepare students as best as possible for careers in the 21st century and beyond we are dedicated to teaching the principles and practices outlined in the computer science standards.  Computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing are the focus areas of these standards and provide a guide as we develop our units of study and classroom lessons from K-12.

High School Curriculum Program

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The five categories of standards provide by PDE are Foundational Skills, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Writing and Speaking and Listening.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Core Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provided by PDE are Numbers and Operations, Algebraic Concepts, Geometry and Measurement, Data and Probability.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Core Standards

The Pennsylvania Integrated Science Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The five categories of standards provide by PDE are physical science, life science, earth and space science, environment and ecology, and technology and engineering.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

PA Academic Standards

The Pennsylvania Academic Standards drive our program and describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through our curriculum program.  The four categories of standards provide by PDE are Civics and Government, Economics, Geography and History.  Please click on the link below to explore details about these standards.

Health and Physical Education

Health and PE provide students with knowledge and skills to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Students who maintain a healthy and physically active lifestyle often see increases in their ability to achieve academically as well as cope with stressful or hectic situations.  Newport's Health and Physical Education department has a goal of educating students so they are able to remain physically, mentally, socially and emotionally healthy in order to achieve their highest potential.

Computer Science

Computer Science and the technologies connected are an ever-changing and evolving world.  In order to prepare students as best as possible for careers in the 21st century and beyond we are dedicated to teaching the principles and practices outlined in the computer science standards.  Computing systems, networks and the internet, data and analysis, algorithms and programming, and impacts of computing are the focus areas of these standards and provide a guide as we develop our units of study and classroom lessons from K-12.

Assessment

The Newport School District engages in a variety of assessments throughout the course of the school year.  Assessments are provided to verify student understanding gauge progress in regard to attainment of the Pennsylvania adopted standards and the district's adopted curriculum.  We use a variety of assessments to measure this progress and achievement including classroom assessments, district based assessments and state/federally required assessments.

Classroom Assessments

Classroom based assessments are integrated into the structure of each individual classroom and provide the teachers, students, and parents with ongoing feedback on the student's level of understanding.  These assessments will provide small snapshots of achievement as well as ongoing progress for the student.  These assessments include, but are not limited to, items such as informal/oral feedback, assignments, quizzes, tests, projects/products, written work and performance based assessments.  Classroom assessments provide feedback through discussions, rubrics, and graded activities culminating in reporting through the gradebook and report card process.

District Assessments

District Assessments are included throughout the school year and have been adopted at the district level to evaluate curricular programs as well as student progress and achievement across the school district.  These diagnostic and benchmark assessments will be common across level at which they are administered and provide valuable feedback for individual students, class level evaluation, grade level evaluation and district level evaluation.  These assessments are standards driven.

Exact Path Diagnostic Assessment

This diagnostic assessment gives students an opportunity to answer questions and show what they know.  Students are not expected to get all the questions right as the difficulty will raise and lower based on the students' answers.  This will ultimately target exactly where the students are academically and create a learning path to help develop skills to grow!  This diagnostic will be given 2-3 times per school year.

Study Island Benchmark Assessment

This benchmark assessment provides students an opportunity to show what they know in comparison to the standards.  Students will have more difficulty at the beginning of the year as this assessment will provide them with feedback on what they need to learn by the end of the year when they take the PSSA or Keystone exams.  These benchmark assessments will be given 2-3 times per year.

State/Federal Required Assessments

 

Newport School District administers, in accordance with state and federal law, state-wide assessments that are standards based and state developed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  These tests include the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams (PSSA's) and the Keystone Exams.

 

The PSSA exams are required for grades 3 through 8 and include both English Language Arts and math.  Every student in grades 4 and 8 are also administered a PSSA exam in the area of science.

 

The Keystone Exam are required for students in high school and are assessed based on the state standards in Algebra, Literature and Biology.  Students must complete this exam at the end of the course aligned to those standards, no later than the end of their junior year.

 

The following sites can be utilized to view information about these mandated exams:

 

PSSA

Keystone Exams

PASS Survey (Click Below to Enter Your Code)