Learning & Teaching

Every school and every employee in the Central Valley School District has made a commitment to our primary focus -- learning and teaching. Embracing the Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools, we remain focused on providing a supportive learning environment for our students and staff.

Learning and teaching improvements in Central Valley schools support educational reform driven by the Washington State Education Reform Act (1993) and the national No Child Left Behind Act (2002). Read more about statewide education reform in the 2004 booklet, Reaching Higher – Improving Learning and Teaching for Washington Students (pdf). 

Click here for a detailed list of Central Valley Learning and Teaching contacts.

Curriculum

• Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) – Washington State’s standards for learning and teaching, EALRs broadly explain what students should know and be able to do  
• Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) – Established by Washington State, the GLEs describe the specific knowledge and skills student should acquire in each grade, from kindergarten through high school 
• Grades K-8 – Central Valley schools are adopting “Curriculum Frameworks” summaries of what is taught at each grade level from kindergarten through 8th grade 
• Grades 9-12 – Central Valley high schools are developing descriptions and outlines for each course to establish consistency and clearly define student learning objectives
• Graduation Requirements (pdf) – Based on the new Washington State graduation requirements, Central Valley School District has further defined requirements for our own students. 
• Curriculum Committees – More than one dozen district-level committees are working to develop grade-specific curriculum for Central Valley schools.  Content areas include art, music, math, science, social students, language arts, health and fitness, world languages and career and technical education

Career and Technical Education 

• Overview
• Course Offerings

Assessment

• No Child Left Behind – Signed into law in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act is a national extension of the standards-based education reform efforts undertaken in Washington State since 1993.  
• Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) – Measures how well students master state learning requirements in reading, writing, math and science  

Staff Development 

• Certificated Staff Development 
• Classified Staff Development 

K-12 Education Links 

• Educational Service District (ESD) 101
• Partnership for Learning
• U.S. Department of Education
• Washington State Board of Education
• Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)