Curriculum and instruction are the essential components of any school district. At Marlboro we consistently strive to revise and improve our curriculum and our instructional program. Our district focus this year is in the areas of Mathematics and English/Language Arts. We have begun several initiatives aimed at better preparing students for success. A District wide Math Initiative facilitated through Orange/Ulster BOCES has allowed our teachers to take a closer look at delivery and instructional practices as well as an analysis of the State Math Assessment. Another initiative we have focused on is a Standards Based Curriculum Unit Design across all of the content areas. Teachers are developing an integrated unit in which they help develop student skills in all subjects. This professional development will directly impact our students this year and in the future. Our students are receiving quality instruction by highly qualified and dedicated teachers using programs that are aligned to the N.Y.S. Standards. Our curriculum maps, (which can be viewed on this web-page), have been used by teachers in the planning and implementation of lessons. These curriculum maps are closely correlated with the New York State Standards. This past school year we have also begun using a new text series in math, social studies and science at the elementary level. These new programs are consistent with the K-5 curriculum maps in both social studies and science and will assist students in preparing for the state assessment in grades 4, 5, 8 and for high school regents. Curriculum and Instruction initiatives are also occurring in our high school. The mathematics program is now better aligned to the new math A and B Regents assessments. Our goal is to consistently grow and improve and to provide every student with a program to meet his/her needs and to provide for an opportunity to excel. Our technology program continues to grow and assist in the acquisition of knowledge and skills in all of the content areas. Integrating technology into instruction is a district priority. Marlboro Central School District has also made a substantial commitment to professional development for its staff members. Teaching and learning are complex processes, and we are constantly investigating ways to strengthen the connection between what we teach, and how we teach, and what students learn. Our professional development programs focus on this connection, primarily through the differentiated instructional process. Another focus is on assessment. Assessment happens on several levels: student learning in the classroom; faculty effectiveness; school effectiveness; program effectiveness and district effectiveness. Data gathering and analysis is an increasingly important aspect of our decision- making process for instructional improvement. We currently use data from the New York State Assessments grades 4, 5, and 8 as well as local standardized testing in other grades. We derive further information on the effectiveness of our schools from the New York State Regents scores and statistics regarding college admissions and other post-secondary choices of our students. All of this information has been useful in helping us identify the strengths and weaknesses in our educational program. This is a brief overview of the program initiatives throughout the district at the present time. For more detailed information about your child’s program, you should contact your child’s teacher or the school principal. Sincerely, Raymond A. Castellani Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment