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 at the Tyrone Area School District to transition curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the Pennsylvania Core Standards. This transition requires staff to examine their current practices in order to make the shifts necessitated by the new standards. The shifts for English Language Arts include an emphasis on increased reading of informational texts and a growth in text complexity, text-based answers and academic vocabulary, and literacy instruction in the content areas. In Mathematics, the PA Core Standards call for a deeper focus of mathematical coherence, fluency, understanding, and application.

The TASD is a recipient of Pennsylvania’s Keystones to Opportunity (KtO) Grant, which is a sub-grant of the larger, federal Striving Readers Literacy Grant and focuses on literacy Birth – Grade 12. The foundational “keystones” of the grant are aligned to the literacy goals of the TASD for children Birth through 12^th grade and perpetuate the traits of effective schools, mentioned above. TASD also utilizes the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) framework, working to enhance classroom instruction that meets the needs of all students and determine target interventions for students who are in need.

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 21^st century learners.