School District Name:
Eastern Carver County Schools (Chaska)
Website:
()
Contact Information
| (952) 556-6100 11 Peavey Road Chaska, MN 55318 |
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PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES
Thinking about moving to the area?
Eastern Carver County Schools is a school district leading personalized learning. This sounds like a buzz-word, but it is not.聽聽that we are putting in place across the district. Instead of passive learning where students 鈥渟it and get,鈥� students play an active role in shaping their learning, guided by knowledgeable, caring teachers.
We provide the best personalized education.
We are replacing the factory model of education by asking the question, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 best for the academic and social growth of each learner?鈥� Our students are given the power to shape their education, supported by high academic standards and guided by caring and knowledgeable staff. Personalized learning created learners who are motivated and excited about coming to school. Students have opportunities to develop passion projects where they can make connections between school and topics that they care about. High-achieving students are never held back, but are encouraged to go as far and as fast as they can. Students who need additional support can choose to learn in the ways that work best for them. We are student-centered with teaching practices that adapt to the student. Eastern Carver County Schools is a model for a 21st聽century education.
Elementary School
More than 900 elementary students district-wide work above grade level 鈥� because we challenge all students their learning level, removing artificial barriers to authentic learning.
Middle School
Students are carefully guided as they explore their evolving interests and build independence. Our middle schools go beyond the core curriculum with more choices to suit their individuality and their interests.
High School
Three high schools allows each student to be in the limelight. While other high schools in our area have been expanding beyond 2,500 students, residents of Eastern Carver County Schools voted for smaller high schools 鈥� doubling the opportunities for your student while maintaining small-school environments.
Equal Opportunities
Eastern Carver County Schools is, and has been, committed to providing students聽. Over the last decade our district has engaged in a variety of initiatives with the shared purpose of creating communities of belonging and success. Our commitment to equity is reflected district wide in work designed to:
- acknowledge and check our racial and cultural biases;
- utilize data to understand what is working and where we must improve;
- implement best practices related to engaging and supporting learners in achieving their personal best;
- provide stakeholders in our community with opportunities to engage meaningfully and guide our vision for equity.
What are standards?
Academic standards identify what students should know and be able to do in the classroom within a given subject or content area. Standards serves as goals for student learning, guideposts for classroom instruction, and a framework for assessment.
聽are among the highest in the nation. Our Teaching and Learning department, in collaboration with teachers, works within those standards and identifies the most essential for our students to learn and understand.聽 These are called Power Standards. Power standards are those pieces of information a student should know when they complete a class. Teachers spend most of their instructional teaching and assessing time on these standards because it is important for all students to learn them.
Examples:
At the elementary school, a standard in a 4th grade language arts class might be the ability to describe the main events of a story using specific details from the text. A 3rd grade math student will be able to add and subtract multi-digit numbers.
During middle school, a student would not just recap the main events, but be asked to make connections between the theme of a story and the characters and setting. Once they get to Algebra in grade 8, the student would practice writing equations to represent real-world situations.
What are targets?
Learning targets are concrete goals that clearly describe what students should learn and be able to do by the end of a class, unit, project, or even a course.
If a Power Standard is a larger piece of information critical for a student to understand and demonstrate knowledge of, then learning targets are the lessons 鈥� or building blocks 鈥� that build that understanding.
Examples:
- I can make predictions using information from what I read to guess at what will happen next.
- I can summarize text with a short statement of the main ideas and most important details from a passage I have read
- I can analyze geographic information from a variety of sources.
- I can describe and classify cubes, prisms, pyramids by the number of edges, faces, and vertices.
How does that connect to Personalized Learning?
No two learners are alike, and so how students reach those standards may not look the same, either.聽 Personalized learning strengthens the relationship between teacher and student as they work together to achieve learning goals.聽聽to highlight learning best-practices. Eastern Carver County Schools believes that each student needs access to the resources and tools to be successful and meet those standards.聽 Our work around personalized learning strives to ensure all students鈥� interests and identities are recognized, embraced and celebrated through this learning journey.聽 This helps create engaging, equitable and relevant learning experiences for all students.
Role of the School Board
Setting the Goals for Student Success
Communities served by Eastern Carver County Schools聽hold these expectations for their schools:
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relevant, rigorous academic program,
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high expectations for student behavior and,
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opportunity to pursue interests through activities and enrichment programs
It鈥檚 the job of the School Board to ensure that community resources target those expectations. In selecting the superintendent, setting goals, and developing the district鈥檚 budget, the Board oversees the direction of the District, ensuring community expectations are reflected in everything we do.
The Eastern Carver County School Board is known for its commitment to involving the community in important decisions such as boundary changes, funding for new schools, and policy development.