Office of Curriculum & Instruction
Kristen Pinter
Mrs. Pinter started her career as a middle school teacher in 1996 in Durham, NC as her husband was earning his doctorate at UNC (Go Heels!). After a short couple of years in Seattle, Mrs. Pinter and her family, including two sons, moved to PA, and she became a member of the Tyrone Area Middle School staff. After several very rewarding years as a middle school and then high school teacher, she moved into the Principal position of TAMS in 2012. When the opportunity to be the Director of Curriculum & Instruction became available in 2020, Mrs. Pinter transitioned to Central Office to accept her dream job. She is passionate about curriculum and instruction as the foundation of all education areas and believes the Tyrone Area School District is as successful as it is because of its commitment to constant excellence in both of those areas.
- Message from the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
- PA Core Standards
- Comprehensive Plan
- Educating English Learners
- Gifted Education
- Homeschool Information
- GO Math!
- Math Resources for Students/Parents
- Curricular Materials
Message from the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Message from the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
The Tyrone Area School District believes in the overwhelming research findings of the characteristics of effective schools. Although each source ranks them differently, the common threads among them identify characteristics such as: shared ownership by all staff for all students; implementation of standards-aligned, data-driven instruction; classrooms that are caring, positive, cooperative, and engage students at high levels; teachers who provide specific feedback for student learning, emphasize higher order thinking skills, and ask high level questions; staff participation in professional learning communities that emphasize and value high quality professional development and life-long learning; family and community partnerships that are valued and engage all in the learning process.
Currently, work is underway to create a written curriculum for each content area. This is an arduous process that takes several years and is a collaborative effort between teachers, the Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and Administration.
TASD is proud of the commitment of its staff to the success of its students. District personnel strive to create opportunities in all subject areas for students to thrive. A high expectation for all students to achieve is our goal, and we will continue to change and improve to meet the growing challenges of the 21st century.
PA Core Standards
In 2010, voluntary model standards were developed in math and English by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) that became known as the Common Core State Standards. The motivation behind this project was a need, articulated by the business community, for more rigorous academic standards to produce high school graduates who were immediately ready for college or the workforce. Over the last two years, Pennsylvania is one of several states to use the Common Core State Standards as a guide to the adoption of a revised set of math and reading standards tailored to Pennsylvania’s specific educational needs. Public school districts across the Commonwealth will be accountable to the new “Pennsylvania Core Standards” beginning in the 2014-15 school year. As with the original PA Academic Standards, it will be at the discretion of the local districts to determine the day-to-day curriculum and the instructional tools that teachers use to assist students in meeting the new standards.
Here in the Tyrone Area School District, administrators and teachers have been working diligently to make the transition to the new PA Core Standards. Staff is working to realign the Mathematics and English Language Arts curricula, in addition to ensuring that the tasks and assignments utilized in the classrooms address the shifts in teaching and learning in ALL content areas. In English Language Arts and other core subject areas (ex. Science and Social Studies), an emphasis on building knowledge through content-rich informational text, reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, and regular practice with complex text and academic vocabulary highlight the major shifts in the PA Core Standards. In Mathematics, a more narrow focus and deep understanding of concepts, along with real-world application, is emphasized. Students are encouraged to persevere and attend to precision in solving mathematical problems, as well as construct arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
The staff and students of the Tyrone Area School District are up for the challenge of the new standards and look forward to the coming months as they re-examine current materials and practices.
Additional Information:
PA Standards for every grade and subject
This site allows anyone to search and view the standards for any subject and grade.
Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan for 2022-2025 is available.
Gifted Education Plan Assurances
Academic Standards and Assessment Requirements
Educating English Learners
Gifted Education
This collection of pages has information specific to the TASD gifted program as well as general information about gifted students.
If you have questions or would like your child to start the screening and identification process, please contact Kristen Pinter, Coordinator of Gifted Services. (814) 684-0710 ext. 4137 knpinter@tyrone.k12.pa.us
Homeschool Information
Board Policies
137 – Home Education Programs
137.1 – Extracurricular Participation by Home Education Students
137.2 – Participation in Co-curricular Activities and Academic Courses by Home Education Students
137.3 – Participation in Career and Technical Education Programs by Home Education Students
PA Dept. of Education - Homeschool Information
This site has information about homeschooling in PA and the required paperwork.
Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities
Per Board policy, in order for a homeschool student to participate in allowable activities, they must meet the same eligibility requirements as TASD students. In addition, any paperwork or forms required must also be completed.
Information about Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities can be found on each building's webpage.
GO Math!
Think Central
Math Resources for Students/Parents
Recommended Math Resources for Students and Parents
District Subscriptions
Tutorials
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics and Illuminations
Links to articles about helping your child succeed in school, homework tips, math education, and family activities (in English and Spanish). http://illuminations.nctm.org/default.aspx
Figure This! Math Challenges for Families
Online resources, ideas, and activities parents can use to support their children’s math understanding (in English and Spanish). http://www.figurethis.org/fc/family_corner.htm
Khan Academy
Paul’s Online Math Notes
Math Levels: 9-12th+ (Algebra through Calculus III)
The intent of this site is “to provide a complete set of free online (and downloadable) notes and/or tutorials for classes that [Paul teaches] at Lamar University.” He has written out notes / tutorials on Algebra, Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, and Differential Equations. The notes are simple and easy-to-follow. Another great feature is there are practice problems for students to solve. The solutions let you click to reveal each step one at a time! http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/
Algebra Help (Math Levels: 7th - 11th)
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
Online materials that students can manipulate to promote math understanding as well as challenging math games. http://nlvm.usu.edu
From Discovery Education…
PBS Learning
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
Multimedia Math Glossary
Math terms and definitions. http://www.harcourtschool.com/glossary/math2/index_temp.html
Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System
Pennsylvania Department of Education resource portal http://www.pdesas.org/
Math.com
Math tutorials and practice from basic arithmetic to calculus. http://www.math.com/
Adapted Mind
Videos and practice activities. http://www.adaptedmind.com/gradelist.php
Engage NY
New York State Department of Education – resources to support math and ELA.
https://www.engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources
TumbleMath
TumbleMath is a great resource that combines math and reading! Choose books that are math-skill related and have TumbleMath read them to you
Math Facts Practice
Online games and activities for students to provide math skills practice, math facts practice and enrichment.
http://www.mathplayground.com/
http://www.gamequarium.org/dir/Gamequarium/Math/
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/
https://www.funbrain.com/
http://www.fun4thebrain.com/index.html
http://www.coolmath4parents.com/
Curricular Materials
- SAVVAS Macgruder's American Government Textbook
- Cengage Working
- Cengage Algebra II Textbook
- Cengage Geometry Textbook
- IXL
- Boardworks
- Discovery Ed
- Newsela
- Go Math Think Central and Personal Math Trainer
- Go Math
- iReady
- SAVVAS K-2 Foundational Program
- Savvas - K-8 Reading Program
SAVVAS Macgruder's American Government Textbook
Cengage Working
Cengage Algebra II Textbook
Cengage Geometry Textbook
IXL
Boardworks
Discovery Ed
Newsela
Go Math Think Central and Personal Math Trainer
Think Central is the digital platform for the Go Math program. In Think Central, students and teachers have access to the student interactive textbook and other resources to specifically target skills and provide practice to strengthen skills.
Personal Math Trainer (PMT) is within Think Central. Much like iReady for reading, PMT is an adaptive workflow platform that gives students practice for targeted skills.
Go Math
Go Math is the primary math program for grades K-8. It was implemented in 2015 because of its emphasis on developing higher level thinking skills as well as alignment to the PA Standards. Students focus on the process and concepts of math as much as finding the answers to a problem.
Go Math has an interactive digital textbook for students to access online.
iReady
iReady is an online reading program that begins with an adaptive diagnostic to determine a student's reading level. The program then loads lessons for that student specific to the student's reading level and skill need. Students take benchmark tests mid-year and at the end of the year to track progress and reading growth.
We have been using iReady since 2015.
SAVVAS K-2 Foundational Program
Savvas - K-8 Reading Program
The SAVVAS Reading Program was adopted K-6 in 2022 after a committee completed a comprehensive exploration of options. After successful implementation, it was adopted for 7th and 8th grades in 2023.
The SAVVAS program is organized by theme and has reading and writing skills blended with different types of non-fiction and fiction reading.
The Reading program has an interactive student book available to students online.