Teachers at the same grade level work as a team to develop interdisciplinary and differentiated curriculum. All grade level curricula are based on significant knowledge key points, which are directly related to the Tippecanoe School Corporation Curriculum Objectives for the grade level. These TSC objectives are correlated to the Indiana State Standards/Core Standards at each grade level. These significant knowledge key points serve as the target for what the participants are to understand after the instruction is completed.

Teachers are aware of the learning styles of their students. They strive to meet each of the individual students learning modalities. Collaboration is required between and among the grade levels to ensure that a proper scope and sequence of instructional opportunities exist and match the curricular objectives/standards. All instruction is connected to and integrated throughout the curriculum.

Special-area teachers also collaborate with classroom teachers, and each other, to connect their standards with the academic curriculum. They have coordinated grant proposals, family nights, and cross-curriculum activities.

The curriculum objectives/state standards/core standards have been organized into a meaningful, conceptually designed framework. Particular attention is focused on the core standards from the state of Indiana. Grade level teachers continually modify and enhance their instructional program in their integrated yearlong plan.

Within this structure, teachers use effective instructional techniques such as hands-on activities, visual aides, cooperative learning groups, differentiated instruction, note taking, and nonlinguistic representations to engage students in learning. Students are encouraged to be active participants in discussions and activities during lessons.

Programs that have been implemented in recent years to bolster instruction include:

ZooPhonics, UFLI Phonics, Prodigy Math, Reading Eggs, IXL, CAFÉ + Daily 5, Michael Heggerty, Accelerated Reader, Writer’s Workshop, Everyday Calendar Math, and Everyday Math Partner Games.

Staff members will utilize the results of NWEA and Scholastic Next Steps to set curricular goals for the students and adjust their instructional program to meet the needs of the individual learners. Teachers will provide differentiated curriculum for their students. Grade levels connect their instructional program to the Core Standards being taught within each subject area. Teachers utilize additional assessments to provide a more accurate picture of students’ progress and continuous growth such as end of unit tests, STAR Reading, and other web-based measurements.

Rubrics, checklists, conferring notebooks, tests, and rating sheets have been developed based on the criteria of finished products and are correlated to the standards and TSC curricular objectives.

Grade levels will communicate and articulate between and among each other to ensure that adjustments in instruction are occurring when the analysis of data necessitates it. Each grade level meets with the grade level above and below to analyze this data on an annual basis.

Since the opening of Wyandotte Elementary School it was evident that we will enjoy strong parental support and participation. Parents of Wyandotte Elementary are invited and encouraged to be involved in the instructional process. The Parent Volunteer program is quite active and provides support for teachers and students. Parent Volunteers assist teachers in the classroom. When they arrive at a Teacher’s classroom they will have materials and activities provided for tutoring. Some of these activities included: one-on-one or small group tutoring, field trip chaperone, assisting in the media center, completing clerical work, developing displays and bulletin boards, and assisting from home by creating instructional materials needed by the teacher.

Wyandotte has a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) that provides an array of school and community services, and provides financial assistance for several school projects. The structure of this organization is by committee. Individuals can volunteer for chairperson and/or members of these committees, which have specific job descriptions and time frames throughout the year. A number of the events that are offered through this organization include Family Reading and Fitness Nights, parent trainings, grandparent’s day, staff appreciations, fund raising, and advisory sessions.

There are many ways the school communicates with parents/guardians and the community at-large. Formal Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled twice annually. The “Hawk Talk”, Wyandotte Elementary’s monthly newsletter, is sent home to parents/guardians via e-mail. The school website is another source of communication for the Wyandotte community. Also, classroom teachers and the principal have webpages. Parents are encouraged to communicate with school personnel via e-mail or phone calls.

Beliefs

Effectively integrating technology into the instructional process has the potential to positively impact the educational experiences for students at the Tippecanoe School Corporation. The availability of technology and quality digital resources allows for students to demonstrate creativity and innovation, to communicate and collaborate, to research and evaluate information, and to think critically. Digital tools, resources, and practices are embedded into the curriculum to support the corporation’s instructional goals and enhance student achievement.

Budgeting & Sustainability

When implementing technology initiatives, plans for sustainability must always be taken into consideration. Historically, the TSC has been dependent upon Common School Loans and STAA Loans to sustain its 1:1 initiative. Because we view the device as an integral part of curriculum delivery, we have transitioned to a model that will ultimately enable the initiative to be self-sustaining as a result of a technology rental fee paid by students.

Stakeholder Collaboration

A great deal of collaboration takes place between curriculum leaders, technology staff, principals, and teachers at each stage of technology deployment. Both instructional and tangible goals (e.g. what do we want the students to do with the technology?) are taken into consideration, as well as a host of other factors. Before a large-scale implementation, we typically utilize a pilot group to gather input, identify professional development needs, and assess the overall scalability of the project.

Professional development activities are ongoing with our daily Instructional Improvement Block before school (8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.). Examples of how this time is used include: training and follow-up of new initiatives, assessment data review to identify areas of needed improvement, grade level planning to maintain curricular cohesion, and training in new hardware and software. Additionally, the building principal schedules staff activities during IIB that are related to the school’s specific goals and improvements.

The professional development activities in which Wyandotte Elementary teachers have been on-going and include Interactive Whiteboard Integration, iReady Math, Daily Café, Writer’s Workshop, Differentiated Instruction, PowerTeacher, Google Classroom resources, progress monitoring, and TRC/NWEA assessment progress monitoring.

TSC provides a number of professional development opportunities for our staff. All teachers are provided Internet sessions designed to help them effectively use the Internet as a teaching tool. They also receive a laptop to use in and out of the classroom.

TSC provides the services of an Instructional Liaison and Instructional Coach for each elementary school. Instructional Liaison serves as a resource for all newly hired teachers in the district as well as helping with district wide technology projects. The Instructional Coach is shared by six schools and provides customized staff development workshops and resources.

Additionally, professional development opportunities are provided by the school district after school and during the summer. Professional reading is generally in the form of electronically sharing articles concerning educational issues and initiatives.

The Tippecanoe County area is fortunate to have many businesses and organizations willing to support and collaborate with local schools. Wyandotte Elementary has formally involved itself with the following groups: Public Schools Foundation, Junior Achievement of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette Breakfast Optimist Club, Kiwanis, and many small businesses in the area.

Our affiliations with state universities bring us specific pride and unique programming to our school. We have hosted student teachers from Purdue University and other surrounding universities/colleges. We also have many teachers who are working on continuing education courses at Purdue, Indiana Wesleyan, Ball State, and Indiana Universities.