James Przepasniak,  Assistant Superintendent For Instruction

·         Our highest priority is our students.

·         All students are valued and unique individuals.

·         Diversity is valued.

·         A safe and inviting environment promotes student learning.

·         Students benefit from positive relationships and mutual respect among and between students, faculty, and staff.

·         Student learning and achievement are the focus of our school district.

·         Quality education is the key to success.

·         Students learn best when they are actively engaged in a learning process that allows them to apply their learning in meaningful contexts.

·         Students maximize their potential when instruction meets their needs, interventions to improve learning are timely, and high expectations are held for all.

·         Students, faculty and staff, members of the board of education, parents, and the community share the responsibility for advancing our school district’s mission.

·         Parent/family support is essential to student success.

·         Our commitment to improvement is critical to our professional learning community. 

·         Life-long learning opportunities must be afforded to all members of our district. 

Student achievement must increase at every grade level. Our times demand that our citizens have greater skill and more knowledge than was required of our students in the past. We will accomplish our goal of increasing what students know and can do at each grade level through implementation of our Comprehensive District Education Plan (CDEP).  As the reality of higher standards and high stakes testing continues in New York State, it is important to maintain our focus and remain vigilant. 

The New York Learning Standards and core curriculum guidance documents are the state’s expectations of what students should know and be able to do as the result of skilled instruction.  They are the foundation upon which local school districts develop curricula and implement instruction.  Every public school student in New York State must be provided an opportunity to receive instruction in order to achieve the State Learning Standards. 

The latest details about the states curriculum may be found on the NYSED Curriculum Instruction & Assessment web site.   This site will provide opportunities to access publications, view the New York State Learning Standards as well as obtain information about the Assessments.  Content specific information and resources to support classroom instruction are found under the headings: English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, The Arts, Physical Education, and Languages Other Than English (LOTE). 

New York State recommends that students read a minimum of 25 books per year across all content areas and standards. Lake Shore students are asked to read for: information and understanding, literary response and expression, critical analysis and evaluation as well as social interaction.  To promote reading, the Lake Shore Central School District has provided Recommended Reading Lists for grades K-12.

The most effective way to improve the achievement of our students is to improve the quality of teaching.  Effective professional development makes the connection between subject matter and pedagogy.  It expands teacher repertoire of reserach-based instructional models to teach content and help students master skills.  Lake Shore Central Schools offers many opportunities for Professional Development.  Our district catalog provides teachers with many workshops to choose from as they increase their repertoire of teaching strategies and to heighten their understanding of content.  Additional Teacher Resources are provided for teachers to explore current educational issues and offer insights and support for teachers, parents and students as they reach the higher standards.