The four most important questions that we ask are:

1. What do we want our students to know and be able to do?
2. How do we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and skills?
3. How will we respond when some students do not learn?
4. How will we extend and enrich the learning for students who are already proficient?

At PCSD all teachers are part of at least one Core Instructional Team designed to grapple with the four questions. All four essentially are curriculum and assessment questions. Beyond identifying essential standards and effective assessment strategies, the challenge inherent in all of this for each teacher is to create engaging lessons for students.  This is the art of teaching, and is the focus of professional development within the District. During this school year we will continue to devote resources to increasing our overall awareness of best practices in teaching, we will share resources and expertise internally, and we will invite experts from the larger educational community to share their learning with us.