Curriculum/Assessment & Staff Development
The Curriculum of the Beatrice Public Schools is divided into the following areas; language arts, math, science, social studies, practical living, vocational, technology/media, and the arts. The District Curriculum Council meets throughout the school year to lead their peers through the district curriculum and assessment review process. The BPS Curriculum Guide identifies what is to be taught and outlines targets or Essential Skills for student learning. Curriculum and assessment changes are researched, developed, and discussed by each curriculum committee. Each year, Essential Skills tests in language arts, math, science and social studies, along with other curricular areas, are administered to determine student progress in elementary, middle, and high school.
Beatrice Public Schools has established a comprehensive district assessment and accountability system to ensure student learning. The district assessment program has three primary purposes.
¨ Assessment to Improve Achievement: Teachers use our
assessments as a diagnostic tool to determine what students know
and are able to do and to improve classroom instruction.
¨ Assessment to Determine Success: Assessment provides information
on how Beatrice Public Schools compares with state, national, and
international levels of achievement.
¨ Assessment to Communicate Results: Another purpose of the
district assessment program is to create a process for reporting
the strengths and the areas of concern on student achievement to
the public.
Since the purpose of assessment is the gathering of information in order to guide instruction, it is important to have additional pieces. In addition to the locally developed tests, the district has adopted the TerraNova to measure our students` performance against students from across the nation. Students in elementary, middle, and high school may take a Cognitive Ability Test, which aids in understanding of student ability. Additionally, students in elementary and middle school take reading assessments that closely match the intended curriculum.
