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Teaching & Learning

Teaching & Learning

 

The Williams Bay School District is committed to empowering all students to achieve and excel academically, socially, and civically to reach their individual goals through continuous improvement in four key priority areas: Continuous Student Learning & Success, Staff Retention, Operational & Financial Stewardship, and Community Engagement.

 

Wisconsin Academic Standards

The Williams Bay School Board has adopted Wisconsin Academic Standards to serve as the foundation for their curriculum. This strategic decision reflects a commitment to providing students with a well-rounded and high-quality education aligned with the rigorous standards set by the state. By aligning with the WI state standards, the school board aims to ensure that students receive an education that meets and exceeds the benchmarks established for their academic growth and success. 

To better inform our parents, we have furnished curriculum information that outlines the alignment of our educational programs with the Wisconsin Academic Standards. This initiative aims to keep parents informed about how our curriculum adheres to the established academic standards in Wisconsin, promoting transparency and facilitating a clearer understanding of the educational experience we offer to their children.

 

Academic Standards & Annual Notices

Strategic Plan

To learn more about the steps the Williams Bay School District is taking to continuously improve, please review the District’s Strategic Plan.

 

District Strategic Plan

 

Assessments

The US Department of Education, State of Wisconsin, and the Williams Bay School District each require a variety of assessments for a variety of purposes. The linked document lists the assessments, their subject matter, purpose, mandate, schedule for assessing, and distribution of results.

 

Assessment Information - Required Assessments

 

The Wisconsin State Assessment System is comprised of the ACT, DLM Assessment, Forward Exam, and preACT Secure. The expanded information for each test discusses the state required assessment in more detail and provides information about the assessment for families.

  • The ACT® test is the nation's most popular college entrance exam accepted and valued by all universities and colleges in the United States. The ACT is based on what students learn in high school and provides personalized information about their strengths for education and career planning.

    This test is administered to all 11th Graders.

    ACT High School Assessments: Information for Families

  • The DLM assessment measures the academic progress of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the subject areas of English language arts and mathematics for students in grades 3-11, science for students in grades 4 and 8-11, and social studies for students in grades 4, 8, and 10.

    DLM Assessment: Information for Families

    Parent Guide to the Essential Elements

  • The Forward Exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards.  These standards outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be college and career ready. The Forward Exam is administered online in the spring of each school year at:

    • Grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics,
    • Grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
    • Grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies.

    Forward Exam: Information for Families

  • preACT Secure is a readiness assessment given to all 9th and 10th graders.

    ACT High School Assessments: Information for Families

Federal and state laws require that students identified as English Language Learners (ELs) be assessed annually to determine their level of English language proficiency (ELP) and ensure that they are progressing in achieving full English proficiency. Most ELs will take the ACCESS for ELLs assessment annually.

Parents will be notified of student qualification via letter.

Title I Parent/Guardian Right to Know

Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA/ESEA) is a federal funding program designed to close achievement gaps and ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. The largest part of the Title I program, part A allocates funding to districts and other local educational agencies (LEAs) according to a formula based on numbers/percentages of children from low-income families. This makes it possible to expand the basic educational programs schools and districts offer with services and interventions that support struggling learners. There are two kinds of programs that schools can fund through Title I, Part A — schoolwide and targeted assistance. 

  • Schoolwide means that all students—based on academic need—are eligible to receive the additional instruction this federal program will fund.

  • Targeted assistance makes it possible to provide the same benefits but only to selected students based on academic need.

At this time Williams Bay Elementary and Williams Bay Middle School receive Title I funds to operate Targeted Assistance Programs, which provide services to a subgroup of identified students. Students at these schools that have demonstrated a need for additional support qualify for services under the Title I grant.

 

Board Policy 342.4 Title I Programs for Disadvantaged Students

To request more information, please contact Ali Bond, Principal Williams Bay Elementary School at abond@williamsbayschool.org

ESEA directs schools and districts to notify parents about the following key requirements of a Title I, Part A program.

What will Title I do for my child?

  • Title I will provide instructional support in Reading and Math beyond that of the regular classroom.

How does my child qualify for Title I Services

Students who are identified as “at-risk” and/or “failing to meet expectations” as identified by the district reading and/or math assessments, as well as classroom curriculum based common formative and summative assessments are eligible for supplemental reading and/or math services. Parents of identified students are informed and consulted concerning services and targeted interventions.

What programs and services could my child receive?

District schools that qualify for Title I services use the Title I funds to provide highly qualified teachers who provide student support through small group and individual instruction outside of the core reading and/or math instruction. Student progress and growth on monitored on a regular basis.

  • Reading interventions may include: Early Reading Intervention (Wright Group), Leveled Literacy Intervention (F&P), Heggerty Phonics, Corrective Reading, and other strategy based and research based programs.
     
  • Math interventions may include: Focus Math Intensive intervention, Number Worlds, Touch Math, reteach lessons from Go Math and other research based programs.

Parents of children, who attend schools that receive Title I, Part A funding, have the right to request and receive information about the qualifications of the educators who teach their children core subjects—reading, English language arts and mathematics. The same applies to paraprofessionals who instruct. At a minimum, the information you receive must explain these 3 essential components of an educator’s qualifications.

1. Whether or not the teacher met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject(s) he or she is teaching.

2. Whether or not the teacher has an emergency or conditional certificate by which state qualifications were waived.

3. What undergraduate and graduate degree(s) the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration.

Districts employ paraprofessionals to provide instructional support— consistent with the instruction provided by the classroom teacher or teachers. In schools that operate a schoolwide program, all paraprofessionals who instruct must have special qualifications. In schools that operate a targeted assistance program, the paraprofessionals who instruct students served by the Title I, Part A program must also have earned these same qualifications.

1. Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education, or

2. Obtained an associate’s or higher degree, or

3. Meet a high standard of quality either through a) the ETS ParaPro Assessment, or b) an paraeducator apprenticeship program approved by Wisconsin.

ESEA directs schools to send timely notice to parents and guardians if their child has been assigned to, or taught for more than four consecutive weeks by—a teacher of a core academic subject—who is not highly qualified.

You have a right to know how well your child is progressing. Schools that operate Title I, Part A programs must generate a report card for every student that explains how well that student scored on the state assessment in, at least, reading, English language arts and mathematics.

The Office of Public Instruction—Wisconsin’s education agency—publishes a State Report Card online. Use this website to find important information about your school and district, such as the results of state testing, enrollment numbers, facts and figures about the teachers in your school and much more. These reports explain ESSA identifications and their calculation and also compare school and student group performance to that of other schools and student groups statewide. 

  • What will Title I do for my child?

    • Title I will provide instructional support in Reading and Math beyond that of the regular classroom.

    How does my child qualify for Title I Services

    Students who are identified as “at-risk” and/or “failing to meet expectations” as identified by the district reading and/or math assessments, as well as classroom curriculum based common formative and summative assessments are eligible for supplemental reading and/or math services. Parents of identified students are informed and consulted concerning services and targeted interventions.

    What programs and services could my child receive?

    District schools that qualify for Title I services use the Title I funds to provide highly qualified teachers who provide student support through small group and individual instruction outside of the core reading and/or math instruction. Student progress and growth on monitored on a regular basis.

    • Reading interventions may include: Early Reading Intervention (Wright Group), Leveled Literacy Intervention (F&P), Heggerty Phonics, Corrective Reading, and other strategy based and research based programs.
       
    • Math interventions may include: Focus Math Intensive intervention, Number Worlds, Touch Math, reteach lessons from Go Math and other research based programs.

  • Parents of children, who attend schools that receive Title I, Part A funding, have the right to request and receive information about the qualifications of the educators who teach their children core subjects—reading, English language arts and mathematics. The same applies to paraprofessionals who instruct. At a minimum, the information you receive must explain these 3 essential components of an educator’s qualifications.

    1. Whether or not the teacher met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject(s) he or she is teaching.

    2. Whether or not the teacher has an emergency or conditional certificate by which state qualifications were waived.

    3. What undergraduate and graduate degree(s) the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration.

  • Districts employ paraprofessionals to provide instructional support— consistent with the instruction provided by the classroom teacher or teachers. In schools that operate a schoolwide program, all paraprofessionals who instruct must have special qualifications. In schools that operate a targeted assistance program, the paraprofessionals who instruct students served by the Title I, Part A program must also have earned these same qualifications.

    1. Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education, or

    2. Obtained an associate’s or higher degree, or

    3. Meet a high standard of quality either through a) the ETS ParaPro Assessment, or b) an paraeducator apprenticeship program approved by Wisconsin.

  • ESEA directs schools to send timely notice to parents and guardians if their child has been assigned to, or taught for more than four consecutive weeks by—a teacher of a core academic subject—who is not highly qualified.

  • You have a right to know how well your child is progressing. Schools that operate Title I, Part A programs must generate a report card for every student that explains how well that student scored on the state assessment in, at least, reading, English language arts and mathematics.

  • The Office of Public Instruction—Wisconsin’s education agency—publishes a State Report Card online. Use this website to find important information about your school and district, such as the results of state testing, enrollment numbers, facts and figures about the teachers in your school and much more. These reports explain ESSA identifications and their calculation and also compare school and student group performance to that of other schools and student groups statewide.