Review & Development

Language Arts
Centennial Schools is committed to meeting the literacy needs of all learners. A Language Arts Advisory Committee comprised of K-12 teachers and administrators worked diligently to evaluating our learner outcomes, incorporate the MN Academic Standards benchmarks, and make decisions on district wide implementation of a consistent, rich integrated curriculum that follows the tenants of Best Practice. Following the recommendations of this committee, the Centennial School Board approved the implementation of new materials in incremental stages:
2007-2008 Kindergarten-Grade 2, Title I, Special Education, Middle School
2008-2009 Grades 3-5, ESL, High School English Grades 9-10
2009-2010 High School English Grades 11-12
More information about the Language Arts Program can be found on the Literacy Education page.

Science

The science review committee began meeting in 2006 and will continue their work to revise and update all science outcomes to align with state content standards by the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

Social Studies

Social Studies instruction, standards, and best practices will be reviewed by a K-12 committee beginning in the 2008-2009 school year.

Fine Arts

Students in grades 1-5 are provided with regular instruction in music with a music specialist. Kindergarten students have music incorporated into their daily activities with the classroom teacher. The elementary music staff will be reviewing all grade level learner outcomes beginning in the 2008-2009 school year.

Middle school students choose from either band or choir classes. Middle school staff will be working on revising course content and revising grade level outcomes to meet current academic standards beginning in the 2008-2009 school year.

High school staff will be working on strengthening connections between middle and high school course content and skill development. The wide variety of vocal and instrumental music opportunities allow students to develop their skills and talents in ways that best suit their interests.

Fine Arts: Visual Arts

Students receive instruction from art specialist beginning in grade 6. All students have an introduction to the elements and history of art in middle school. The art teachers have developed a series of grade level outcomes that allow students the opportunity to explore various techniques and study noteworthy artists and important periods in art history and will be revising instructional practices and aligning course work to academic standards beginning in the 2008-2009 school year.

The high school art department has worked to reinforce the connection with the foundational learning of the middle school students. The high school offers a wide variety of art electives for students, beginning with a foundational course, Introduction to Art, which serves as a prerequisite for all the specialized electives. All art courses, regardless of focus area, emphasize proper technique and materials, development of individual skill, application of analysis and critique and study of artists and art history.

Physical Education and Health

Physical Education is a required subject for students in elementary, middle and high school. Students in grades 1-5 meet regularly with physical education specialists; middle school students participate in a rotating schedule throughout the school year; and high school students participate in a required course in ninth and tenth grade.

Staff from all levels last reviewed the sequence of physical skill development and aligned the specific learner outcomes for each grade with the national standards for physical education in 2003-2004. Curriculum and instruction for physical education throughout the district is organized under the following broad standards categories designed to provide a foundation for healthy and active lifestyles.
*Knowledge/Concepts/Strategies
*Physically Active Lifestyle
*Responsible Behavior/Respect/Social Interaction

Health teachers at the middle and high school met in 2003-2004 to review and update learner outcomes and instructional materials for the health courses required in grades 6, 7, 8 and 10. Students will study a wide range of topics all centered on the core concept of improving personal health and reducing health risks.

In order to develop a curriculum that reflects the standards and values of our community parents, community members, and representatives of the faith community were invited to participate in a Health Curriculum Advisory Committee. This group met periodically with the teachers working on the health curriculum to provide input and assist in developing instructional guidelines for human sexuality units.

Physical Education and Health curriculums will again be reviewed and revised beginning in the 2008-2009 school year.