BKW is committed to helping students prepare for higher education and the 21st Century workplace through challenging and engaging academic programs. BKW offers a curriculum designed to nurture student development both inside and outside the classroom.
A dedicated teaching staff
The BKW teaching staff is comprised almost entirely of "highly qualified teachers," or teachers who hold a bachelor's degree or higher and have passed rigorous state teacher certification tests for core teaching subjects. For both schools combined, 99 percent of teachers are highly qualified, with the remaining 1 percent on the proper pace to become highly qualified within time limits set by the state.
New York State Report Cards
Each year, the New York State Education Department releases school report cards for every public school and district in the state. Based on some key assessments taken by students in New York public schools, the report cards provide achievement data for districts and schools, as compared to their past years' performances and to other similar schools.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON NY STATE REPORT CARDS AND ASSESMENT SCORES
A new teacher evaluation system called the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) is mandated by SED/Regents
What is APPR? 10 things to know about new teacher evaluations (Oct. 2012)
BKW's APPR plan approved by NY State: Plan lays out teacher, principal performance evaluations and scores (Jan. 2013)
SED/Regents announce new initiative to raise student achievement
In July 2010, the New York State Education
Department and the Board of Regents announced a change in the "cut
scores" for the grades 3-8 assessments in an effort to raise student
achievement. Under the state’s testing system, “cut scores” are used to
classify students into one of four performance levels. Students at Level
1 are not meeting learning standards; those at Level 2 are partially
meeting learning standards; pupils at Level 3 are meeting learning
standards and those at Level 4 are meeting learning standards with
distinction.
SED has now raised the cut scores for Level 3, meaning students must achieve at higher levels than ever before in order to be considered proficient. In a report released by the Board of Regents in July 2010 titled: "A New Standard for Proficiency: College Readiness," [PDF] the Regents used a variety of academic performance statistics to justify this change, saying, "The Regents raised (academic) standards a decade ago. Now the Regents are embarking on a new era of reform to improve student achievement and better prepare graduates for college.
Download this document to view course offerings at the high school level for the 2012-2013 school year.
BKW accesses a number of courses via the Distance Learning Network, powered by the Northeastern Regional Information Center.
Annual Professional Performance Review Plan [PDF] *Updated on 1/17/13
Student enrollment papers [PDF]
New York State Report Cards and Assessment Information
Keep reading year round! Check out the events (and books) at the local public libraries: