By Dustin Shipman BSSD Superintendent
“The Ram’s Horn” is a regular column by Big Sky School District Superintendent Dustin Shipman, offering news and insight from the district.
Schools across the U.S are faced with many challenges while working to ensure the leaders of tomorrow are prepared for the rest of their lives. One of the most important and widely discussed facets of education in the 21st century is curriculum.
Loosely defined as the courses an educational system offers, this definition falls short of the operational aspects, because curriculum is an all-encompassing concept. Curriculum also refers to the skills a student must demonstrate; the assessments an educator uses to judge those skills; the resources used to reach the institution’s standards; and the teaching strategies used to impart the skills and knowledge needed for students to be successful.
As schools examine curriculum, many questions are raised. First and foremost, it’s important the school system creates programming that’s reflective of community desires regarding student development, and how to ensure the wellbeing of its graduates. A school district also must analyze curriculum to ensure its approaches to learning are contemporary – the content should be organized on a k-12 spectrum with respect to child development, with content and skills that flow seamlessly from year to year.
An additional key to successful programming is to ensure emerging world issues are addressed, incorporating those issues in the curriculum, and presenting them in a way that positively impacts student growth.
One of the greatest challenges facing schools is keeping the curriculum flexible enough to address the ever-changing needs of the 21st century learner. BSSD is committed to providing our students the best education in Montana, and will consider each of these curriculum facets to reach that goal.
Switching gears, Lone Mountain Land Company has graciously offered the use of the private Jack Creek Road for Lone Peak High School sports fans attending events in Ennis. We will announce details of the road access and provide authorization specifics before any competition with Ennis . Requirements will include a waiver of liability, proof of insurance and a copy of a valid driver’s license.
