Sayville district outlines curriculum overhaul, moves toward more performance-based assessments

Good evening. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to talk to you tonight about the work we've been doing in curriculum and instruction," Assistant Superintendent Amy Dimiola told the Sayville Union Free School District Board of Education at a workshop presentation that focused on curriculum frameworks, assessment changes and professional development plans.

Dimiola said the district has adopted a curriculum framework based on backward design and aligned work to New York State's Portrait of a Graduate, with an emphasis on cultural responsiveness and performance-based assessments that go beyond traditional tests and quizzes.

The presentation outlined how building-level roadmaps and department curriculum maps are intended to produce coherent learning progressions from pre-K through grade 12. Dimiola said teachers are cataloging dozens of curriculum maps districtwide and expanding the use of performance tasks as authentic evidence of student learning.

Dimiola described literacy as a priority…