Policies and Initiatives

Class Size Task Force Policy

Adopted by the Woodbridge Board of Education
July 21, 1997

The purpose of establishing a policy on class size is not simply to establish numbers of students per classroom, but to define conditions that promote and support acceptable learning environments, instructional approaches, teacher/student interactions and teacher/parent communications; and to insure that the classroom learning environment is structured to promote the continued implementation and advancement of resource based learning principles.
Class Size: Beecher Road School

Grades K - 3 17 Students with a Maximum of 19 per Class

Grades 4 - 6 19 Students with a Maximum of 21 per Class

Acceptable class sizes are subject to several variables including the actual numbers of students registered at the start of the school year per grade, safety, fiscal resources to address unanticipated discrepancies in actual student numbers, availability of instructional areas for teachers, and the needs of the children.

The principal is charged with the responsibility for monitoring class sizes and reporting to the Superintendent at the start of each school year, and at any time, when class size is in danger of being compromised. If student enrollment increases on or after the start of the school year, the Superintendent may exercise his judgment in exceeding class sizes noted above. Administrative exceptions will be exercised to safeguard the educational continuity of students.

When a class reaches the maximum, the Superintendent is required to report to the Board of Education and the Board of Education will review recommendations to address class sizes that exceed the approved figures and act accordingly.

Resource Based Learning Policy

Adopted by the Woodbridge Board of Education
April 28, 1997

"Resource-based learning places students at the center of the learning environment which uses as many resources as possible, including teachers and textbooks." - Carol-Ann Haycock

The following statement, RBL - A Workable Comprehensive Definition, was developed by Beecher Road staff on November 30, 1996.

Students learn best through a wide variety of primary sources, personal relationships, cooperative explorations and print/non-print media. The Resource-Based Learning program at Beecher Road School is a system of study that encourages inquiry and enables learners, both students and teachers, to acquire and use information from multiple sources.

To meet increasing demands to learn new skills and solve problems in the 21st century, students must not only learn basic information and skills but also learn how to find and use information they will not be committing to memory. Today, vast amounts of information are available from a range of sources, and the rate at which new information is generated requires students to have the knowledge and high level skills to extract, process and use this information. With these skills in hand, students will be better prepared to lead productive, responsible, healthy and satisfying lives and ultimately will contribute to society both today and in the future. The resource-based learning (RBL) approach is designed to develop these high level skills while supporting well established educational goals which include:

* Making schools more personal and relevant by actively involving the student in the learning process.
* Making learning more meaningful
* Accommodating individual learning styles in the classroom
* Developing more useful and accurate assessment of learning
* Utilizing an interdisciplinary curriculum such as theme projects which address multiple subjects (language arts, social studies, math, science, art, music etc)
* Providing all students with a process for learning that is transferable not only among all subjects but also from the academic environment to real life.

The RBL approach is student centered, and structured by the teacher and Library/Media/Teacher/Specialist (LMTS) Team. This partnership guides, monitors and assesses learning using the widest range of teaching materials available. In a RBL classroom the Teacher/LMTS partnership:

* Designs a learning environment to support lessons created with 'suitable' resources and the individuals' interests and abilities in mind
* Guides or coaches the student by devising ways to direct students to needed information in a meaningful way
* Optimizes opportunities for student learning and
* Assesses learning progress, evaluate portfolios, records and measures proficiency and communicates regularly with parents and children regarding expectations for learning and performance.

In the RBL environment the student:

* Experiences learning through inquiry, investigation, problem-solving, decision-making, hands-on projects, presentations.
* Learns specific objectives because expectations and objectives are predetermined, individually appropriate, well defined, well monitored and assessed.

The RBL approach utilized developmentally appropriate practices:

* Tasks are age appropriate and individually appropriate.
* Learning for every child is not exactly the same thing, at the same time, the same way.
* Instruction allows for small groups and individual learning experiences and does not rely on whole class teacher-directed instruction (while teacher directed instruction is necessary but to a lesser degree).
* Education involves the whole child and not just the memory system (physical, social, emotional and cognitive systems are also involved).

Teaching materials in a RBL curriculum include: original literature texts and reference materials from the Library Media Center as well as technology, field trips, guest visitors, and projects. The assortment of resources allows for a variety of learning situations such as small and large groups or whole classes. It encourages and reinforces inquisitiveness and promotes higher levels of self-motivated learning.

In order to successfully implement RBL there must be an ongoing commitment to

* Provide the recommended space, staffing and necessary funding.
* Provide staff with a coherent agreed upon philosophy and approach to RBL.
* Review and evaluate curriculum and programs relative to teaching and learning goals of RBL.
* Provide the necessary professional development and training.
* Share the RBL philosophy with parents and the Woodbridge community.
* An expectation of the highest levels of excellence from professional staff who develop and provide individualized and challenging educational programs for all students.

RBL should not be considered educational reform. Rather it is a basic commitment to transform the educational system to meet the increased demands of teaching children today. It is a commitment to improve the learning environment by making it much more interactive, collaborative, vivid and relevant for children. Students should be given opportunities in classrooms and schools to learn and practice habits and skills for managing themselves and becoming self-sufficient, followed by those habits and skills which enable them to form successful interrelationships. It is these characteristics which support life long learning and are a main component of RBL. High expectations for student performance and quality instruction are attainable in the context of the highly individualized, developmentally appropriate, demanding environment of the RBL approach. These goals reflect a commitment to teaching students the process of learning as well as the content, a basic survival skill for the 21st Century.

Adopted by the Woodbridge Board of Education
April 28, 1997