MONTANA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Transcription

1 MONTANA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Dicese f Helena Dicese f Great Falls- Billings SECTION 6000: ACCREDITATION, CURRICULUM & LONG-RANGE PLANS

2 Table f Cntents 6000 Accreditatin Preschl/Child Care Accreditatin Grade Schl (K 8) Accreditatin High Schl Accreditatin Curriculum and Instructinal Assessment Religin / Thelgy Curriculum High Schl Curriculum Grade Schl Curriculum Textbks Library Bks and Media Instructinal Assessments Lng Range Plan... 6 August 1, 2015 Accreditatin, Curriculum, and Lng Range Plan Page 2

3 6000 Accreditatin 6002 Preschl/Child Care Accreditatin All Cathlic schl prgrams that serve children in a Pre-Kindergarten envirnment (Preschl/Child Care) and thse prgrams serving schl-age children (Befre Schl / After Schl) are strngly encuraged t seek licensure, certificatin, and/r accreditatin Grade Schl (K 8) Accreditatin All Cathlic grade schls shall be accredited by the Western Cathlic Educatin Assciatin (WCEA) High Schl Accreditatin Dicesan Cathlic high schls will be accredited with The Western Cathlic Educatin Assciatin (WCEA) r actively wrking twards such accreditatin. The schl s missin statement shuld describe the schl s unique methd f carrying ut a Cathlic philsphy f educatin, in accrdance with the Dicese Curriculum and Instructinal Assessment The schl curriculum encmpasses all the learning experiences planned and directed under the leadership f the Principal. The curriculum will be cmpatible with dicesan plicy and the schl philsphy. Alng with religius instructin, each schl shall prvide a general educatin curriculum that satisfies the educatinal standards f Mntana. The curriculum shuld: Give witness t the message f Christ as it is revealed thrugh a frmal prgram integrating religius belief and practice. Prvide an infrmatinal framewrk that will prepare the student fr the future by develping the tls f cmmunicatin, prblem slving, and decisin making. Encurage each student t develp his/her ptential thrugh respnsibility and accuntability. Affirm ethnic pride, appreciate cultural values, and allw diversity when applying the principles f peace and justice. Integrate parent and cmmunity talent int the schl prgram thrugh specifically defined rles fr which they will be prepared, made respnsible, and held accuntable Religin / Thelgy Curriculum A Religin / Thelgy curriculum will be established by the Dicese and standards shall be distributed t the Cathlic Schls fr implementatin. Cathlic liturgy, sacraments, traditins, and prayer shall be taught as an integral part f the schl s curriculum. The liturgy shuld be celebrated regularly fr the schl, prayers said daily, and Cathlic traditins celebrated accrding t liturgical seasn. All cmpnents and instructinal materials used t implement the curriculum fr Religin / Thelgy will be cnsistent with the teaching f the Rman Cathlic Church, cnfrm t the guidelines f the Dicese, and be develpmentally apprpriate and relevant t the students lives. All supplementary material used in the curriculum will cnfrm t Cathlic mral teaching and dctrine and apprved, in advance, by the Principal. August 1, 2015 Accreditatin, Curriculum, and Lng Range Plan Page 3

4 Cathlic schls will prvide pprtunities fr students t participate in cmmunity service prjects r service learning that benefits the Christian cmmunity and/r lcal cmmunity. Teachers will participate in cntinuing educatin ffered by the Cathlic Schls Office High Schl Curriculum The high schl curriculum will be reviewed n a six-year rtating basis fr all subjects and cntent areas. The high schl curriculum will meet r exceed the requirements set frth by the Office f Public Instructin (OPI). The Cathlic high schl will ffer a brad-based prgram f liberal arts studies. The general nrm f a high schl curriculum shall be: Religin / Thelgy 4 years English 4 years Scial Studies 3 years Mathematics 3 years Labratry Science 3 years Freign Language 2 years Physical Educatin 1.5 years Fine Arts 1 year Practical Arts 1 year 6106 Grade Schl Curriculum The grade schl curriculum will be reviewed n a six-year rtating basis fr all subjects and cntent areas. The grade schl curriculum will meet r exceed the requirements set frth by the Office f Public Instructin (OPI). The general nrm f a Kindergarten thrugh Secnd Grade (K-2) curriculum shall be: Religin Language Arts Mathematics Music Art Physical Educatin Persnal Develpment Scial Studies Media-Art Technlgy Science Sensry-Mtr develpment August 1, 2015 Accreditatin, Curriculum, and Lng Range Plan Page 4

5 The general nrm f a Third Grade thrugh Fifth Grade (3-5) curriculum shall be: Religin Language Arts Mathematics Music Physical Educatin Art Scial Studies Science Health and Safety Technlgy The general nrm f a Sixth Grade thrugh Eighth Grade (6-8) curriculum shall be: Religin Language Arts Mathematics Music Physical Educatin Art Scial Studies Science Health and Safety Technlgy Freign Language (if pssible) 6108 Textbks Textbks shall be selected in accrdance with a prcedure develped by the Principal and Cuncil / Bard / Cmmissin. Textbk purchases will be pre-apprved by the Cuncil / Bard / Cmmissin Finance Cmmittee and established in the schl s budget. It is imprtant that there be a unified, articulated prgram and a cnsistent methdlgy clearly agreed upn by all members f the teaching faculty. It is strngly advised that the same basal textbk series be used sequentially in grades K - 5 in cre curriculum subjects. The exceptin t this pertains t schls using an apprved individualized management system in reading, mathematics, r ther basic subjects. Principals shall prvide teachers' manuals and supplementary materials fr every basal textbk series. When financially pssible, supplementary materials used as part f the instructinal prgram, in cnjunctin with the textbk series, shall be included with the textbk purchase. Supplementary resurces shuld be selected in accrdance with the general curriculum plicy f schl Evaluatin and Adptin f Textbks Texts shall be reviewed and evaluated at least every 5 (five) years. Textbk series shuld be adpted after careful evaluatin accrding t specific criteria. Care shuld be taken t eliminate the use f utdated texts in classrm instructin Library Bks and Media An apprpriate selectin f printed materials and technlgy resurces in a central library is a vital part f a schl's instructinal prgram. If a schl des nt have rm fr a central library, prvisin shuld be made fr classrm libraries r centers. Lcal criteria shuld be established fr the selectin f schl and/r classrm library bks. The materials selected shall be cmpatible with the educatinal gals f the schl. August 1, 2015 Accreditatin, Curriculum, and Lng Range Plan Page 5

6 6112 Instructinal Assessments Student assessment prgrams shall be used each year at selected grade levels t ensure that students are mastering the skills and knwledge apprpriate fr their age grup. Cathlic Schl students will participate in the standardized assessments recmmended fr all students by Mntana s OPI. Cathlic Schl students in grades five (5), eight (8), and eleven / twelve (11 / 12) will participate in the ACRE (Assessment fr Catechesis Religius Educatin) Exam, frm the NCEA. A cpy f the schl s assessment results will be sent t the Superintendent. T ensure that parents are infrmed f the prgress f their child(ren), schls shall infrm the parents f their child(ren) s assessment scres in a timely fashin Lng Range Plan Each Cathlic schl needs a cherent and well integrated educatinal plan t ensure the quality f its prgram. It shuld have a current, frmal, lng-range plan, effective budget develpment and mnitring prcesses, and a dynamic public relatins prgram designed t reach the publics with which the schl deals n a regular basis. An effective Cathlic schl needs t lk nt simply at its current prblems, but als t develp creative ways t invlve the schl s lcal cmmunity in the cntinued develpment f the ministry f Cathlic educatin. A Cathlic schl s planning prcess needs t address the quality f educatin and Cathlicity f the schl and then build future plans that enhance these characteristics. The Cathlic schl is a peple-riented business, requiring effective ways t cmmunicate with its varius publics and braden its base f supprt. Each schl will perate frm a lng-range plan f three t five years. The lng-range plan shuld be reviewed n an annual basis, s that it cntinues t include a range f three t five years. The lng range plan shuld result frm in-depth self-study and/r accreditatin visiting team recmmendatins. August 1, 2015 Accreditatin, Curriculum, and Lng Range Plan Page 6