Friday, December 18, 2009

Science Visiting Team Comes to Town

A team of fifteen educators completed their assessment of Bronxville's K-12 science program in early December. Comprised of teachers and administrators across the region, and appointed by our accrediting body, the Tri-State Consortium, the team spent three days in the district. They reviewed examples of student work - including lab journals and project displays, curriculum pacing guides, test results, and materials related to eight assessment indicators. They also spent time in classrooms and interviewed teachers, parents, and students. The visit culminated in a group dialogue between the Bronxville faculty and the visiting team that consisted of clarifying questions, probing questions, and commentary.

The assessment was organized around essential questions developed by the faculty and endorsed by the Board of Education:


To what extent does the K-12 science curriculum at Bronxville:

  • Support scientific questioning and reasoning?
  • Foster critical thinking?
  • Integrate technological skills?
  • Encourage applications of scientific knowledge?
  • Balance high standards of achievement with the needs of all learners?

Bronxville teachers spent over a year preparing for the accreditation process. They reviewed
the scope and sequence of the course of study and completed pacing guides for each course. They gathered and organized classroom materials to help the visitors understand our program. The written report is expected in five or six weeks.

For the Tri-State indicators, click below.

District Leaders Present Overview

Superintendent David Quattrone, Assistant Superintendents Dan Carlin and John Kehoe, and Pupil Personnel Services Director Rachel Kelly provided a overview of district wide services to the Board of Education at its December meeting. Following three earlier reports - one from each school principal, this final presentation completed the overall picture of staffing, current programs, and recent progress.

The Board has charged the administration with preparing a zero-increase budget. Quattrone said, "It would be fair to say that the Board is reexamining the relationship between resources available and educational excellence. This series of presentations has been designed to provide the information and background needed to decide what constitutes a model of excellence that is sustainable in a time of economic scarcity, not just this year but in the years to come."

This most recent review touched on various elements of district management and leadership, including communications, fiscal stewardship, technology, facilities, quality of teaching, and student services. It referred to the strategic plan recommendations of 2005, international indicators of excellence, and the status of various improvement efforts.

The report can be viewed by clicking on the picture above.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Board Reviews High School Programs

Continuing a series of school reviews, Bronxville High School Principal Terry Barton gave the Board of Education and the public a comprehensive overview of school programs and services. He described the core subject areas, new electives, technology progress, and many features of the school climate and extracurricular/leadership opportunities. Barton stated, "Within a successful high school we all know that an important key to success is our faculty. Not only do we have teachers who have a tremendous command of their content area, but also we have teachers who care about students: Teachers make the difference. Relationships made during the high school years often prove to be long lasting and enduring."

Questions from the Board of Education focused on technology instruction and educational software, the role of colleges in improving our curriculum, extra-help opportunities, on-line courses, the daily schedule, and world languages.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Construction Update

At a special meeting earlier this month, the Bronxville Board of Education voted to terminate its general construction agreement with Xavier Construction, one of the District’s four contractors involved in the boiler room project. This action was taken as a result of the contractor’s failure to perform its work on the project in accordance with the terms and conditions of its contract with the District. In addition, the Board was concerned about significant and persistent safety issues at the work site.

Since taking this action, the District has taken steps to secure the construction site, eliminate all safety issues identified by our construction manager and architect, and ensure that the site is protected from the weather.

All the school’s utilities and heating infrastructure are in place and operational, and the District believes that this suspension of activity will not affect the normal operation of the school through the rest of the year.

The District and its representatives are currently engaged in discussions with the contractor’s bonding company concerning completion of this project in a timely manner. We will keep the community apprised of these discussions as we work toward a satisfactory resolution.