Middle School Learning
Common Core Resources
Documents and resources aimed at helping parents understand the Common Core Standards.
There are revisions to the New York State standards. They are now called the Next Generation Learning Standards. Links to the overviews of the standards are below.
6-8 Next Generation ELA Standards
Mathematics
enVisionmath2.0 is a comprehensive mathematics program that supports coherent, focused, and rigorous mathematics. It is aligned to the New York State Standards through problem-solving, interactive experiences, and visual learning. It provides personalized practice problems, built-in interventions, and differentiated content that deepens student understanding and as a result will improve achievement.
Capstone
Grade 8
The Capstone project at AMD is a year long, authentic, cross curricular research project in the humanities courses (ELA and Social Studies) that will be supported by the AMD library curriculum. Students choose a topic of study to explore and research focused on the Hudson Valley. During this process, students direct their own learning with help and guidance from their teachers.
Assessments
Quizzes and tests are routinely administered as part of the on-going assessment process within classes at both the Middle School and High School. These assessments may be given at any time, but are commonly used at the end of chapters and units. Most classes also administer mid-term and final exams.
STAR:
Used for benchmarking and to diagnose student needs in reading and math in Grades 6-8. This test is an adaptive growth measure that is administered three times a year (fall, winter, spring) to identify each student's individual instructional strengths and needs.
Fastbridge:
Used only with students in Grades 6-8 receiving reading support. The test is administered a minimum of three times a year (fall, winter, spring) as a benchmark and more frequently for strategic monitoring. The test is used to identify at-risk students early, and to monitor and report student progress.
NY State Tests:
NY State administers ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core tests in grades 3-8 that are intended to measure student proficiency in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college and careers. These tests are administered in the spring.
NY State administers Science Performance and Written Assessments in grades 4 & 8 each year to determine how well students have learned the NY State Science Learning Standards. The Assessment in Science asks students to demonstrate scientific knowledge and to apply scientific concepts, formulate hypotheses, make predictions, or use other scientific inquiry techniques. These tests are administered in the spring.
Below please see a link to the Next Generation Learning Standards. Use the menu at the top to find necessary information.
PK-12 Common Core Learning Standards in ELA and Mathematics
To learn more about the state assessments, please use the link below.
Regents Exams:
NY State administers Regents Exams in many subjects in the High School. Beginning in 8th grade some advanced level students take Earth Science and Algebra Regents classes, which culminate with Regents Exams. All other Regents exams are administered in the High School. Regents courses and exams are administered in the following subjects: English Language Arts, Math (Algebra I, Algebra II/Trigonometry, Integrated Algebra, Geometry), Science (Earth Science, Living Environment, Chemistry, Physics), Social Studies (Global, U.S. History & Government), and World Languages (Spanish, French, Italian).
- January Regents Schedule - January 25-28, 2022
- June Regents Schedule 2022 - June 1 (the first administration of the new Regents Examination in U.S. History and Government)
- Tuesday, June 15 through Friday, June 24 (no testing on Monday, June 20th)
- August Regents Schedule 2022 - August 16th & August 17th
Thinking Maps
Thinking Maps are organizational tools that provide our students with a common language for thinking. They are tools that help our Ossining students organize their thinking visually and comprehend new information. There are eight thinking maps each representing the eight thinking processes of all learners. They are used to help children think and reconstruct new thinking by sharing their thinking with others. Children learn to define and brainstorm, classify and sort, describe, sequence and order, analyze whole objects and parts, see analogies, compare and contrast, and determine the cause and effect of events. Our entire district has been trained in Thinking Maps, pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
SIOP
SIOP, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol is a framework for teaching and learning. It has proven to be effective in addressing the academic needs of English New Learners. The eight components which include lesson preparation, building background knowledge, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice and application, lesson delivery and review and assessment are interrelated and have the power to meet all our student needs as well. Teachers in the Ossining School District have been trained in SIOP with the purpose of engaging not only our ENL students, but all students in meaningful learning opportunities.