Principal Karen Trimboli
Hello and Welcome to my Web Page!
On this site I have posted information that I believe you will find helpful as we move through the school year.
I will try to update information regularly and I encourage you to contact me with any questions you may have.
Be sure to check out our school website at brhsms.trsu.org for current information, events, pictures and more!
GENERAL INFORMATION
Black River is Transitioning to Proficiency-Based Education
What is a Proficiency-Based Curriculum?
Proficiency based education is based on broad, system-wide curriculum aligned with specific learning standards. The curriculum is created as a way to prescribe the specifics of what to teach at each grade level. The curriculum is aligned with learning standards that have been developed, or adopted by, the Vermont Agency of Education. Under a proficiency-based curriculum, these learning standards must be presented in a clear, prescribed sequence to our students.
What are the benefits of proficiency-based education?
Students report that they understand expectations more clearly and can identify their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to those expectations. Students are better able to connect what they are doing in a classroom activity or assignment to the acquisition of skills and knowledge. What educators are seeing is increased students engagement, increased personalization of instruction, and increased targeting of interventions to the specific needs of students. Educators also report that implementation of a proficiency-based system leads to greater collaboration within and across schools, more reflective practice, and a greater capacity to respond to the individual needs of students.
How will this impact learning in the classroom?
The teacher communicates essential questions and learning targets that relate to the standards in a transparent way so that student, teacher and parent can all be active participants in the learning process. The teacher relies heavily upon daily formative assessment techniques as a means of directing the course of instruction for the individual student and the class. The teacher uses formative and summative assessment methods to monitor student progress and measure achievement of the learning standards. .