Department Mission
The Teaching & Learning Department's focus is on creating a positive learning experience through an engaging, relevant, and rigorous curriculum that ensures all students excel.
How the Teaching & Learning Department Supports Staff & Students
- Content Areas Expertise– Provide collaborative opportunities through a Professional Learning Community structure for deep analysis of local and state standards and benchmarks to ensure aligned curriculum and assessments that meet the needs of all students.
- Professional Development- Deliver high-quality professional development and coaching so that staff members are fluent in curriculum development, the use of current technology skills, the implementation of digital resources, and the inclusion of 21st-century skills in their approach to teaching and learning.
Current Academic Agenda
Student learning at the Prescott School District is the focus of our organization. This learning is supported by teaching practices that ensure students master the knowledge and develop the skills and habits needed to become successful future learners in our communities and in life. Since 2016 we have been working towards developing, designing, and implementing a daily desired student learning experience that has brought us closer to our vision of Visible Learning. We are building classroom learning communities where students are doing the thinking and student learning is heard, seen, and felt. This work has led to Prescott School District being ranked in the Top 10% of all school districts in Wisconsin in Academic Progress and the Top 15% in Student Growth in 2023.
The next few years will be transformative for our students and staff at Prescott School District. Our K-5 staff will engage in training, curriculum review, and resource adoption around early literacy. WI Act 20 of 2023 mandates that all teachers be trained in using science-based early reading instruction in reading and language arts, a shift we had already started in Prescott. We will also be working to refine our screening and targeted intervention processes to help fill skill and knowledge gaps. Students must learn to read before they can read to learn.
As we move towards Visible Learning, educators will be learning and infusing Thinking Classroom practices into all classrooms. Led by a group of teacher leaders, and starting in mathematics, all K-12 staff will be trained in the 14 Building Thinking Classroom practices and work to incorporate and refine them into the classroom. These practices will bring student learning to the forefront and make learning visible. These practices also lead to learning experiences where students will have more autonomy, authentic engagement, and responsibility for their learning and therefore a more motivating and rewarding learning experience.
Supports for Learning
In addition to strengthening our teaching and learning practices, we also launched important initiatives to create school environments where all students can thrive and address any challenges that many young people face to their mental health and well-being. Collaboration by the student services team with teachers and administration, and a review of data trends, both nationally and within our schools, has led to new initiatives and refinements at PSD. Last year, a partnership with Northwest Journey Guidance and Counseling started to provide services to Prescott grades 3-8 students at the intermediate school. Previously families had few, if any, viable options for getting these services within driving distance. We also were supported through grants from the Prescott Foundation and St. Croix Valley Foundation to provide on-site services to our 6-12 grade students with minimal disruption to their learning day. We are happy to have been awarded an additional grant for the 24-25 school year to continue this important work. Additionally, our screening assessments will be expanded to include more grade levels and pair students with interventions to meet their needs. We will continue to use Second Step curriculum and Zones of Regulation within our classrooms to meet social-emotional needs and teach children self-regulation and emotional control.
Contact Information
| 
