Student Development and Program Evaluation
Student Development is the school department that coordinates and insures high quality programming in the areas of Guidance, Health Services, Special Education, Integrated Preschool, the Metropolitan Council of Educational Opportunity, Inc. (METCO) program and Community Education. Further information about each of these departments can be reached through the links on this page.
An overarching goal of Student Development is to support the social/ emotional learning and growth in all students.
Social/Emotional Learning
The Needham Public Schools is a leader in developing and implementing a Preschool-12 approach to social and emotional learning (SEL). The SEL programs in the district are guided at the district level by the SEL Steering Committee, with representatives from each school in the district. The Needham School Committee has committed itself to the development of strong SEL programs within the schools.
District Goal #2: Develop the social and emotional skills of all students: To ensure that students have the social and emotional competencies that enable them to be self-aware, to have social relationship skills, to self-manage, and to make responsibile decisions. |
Objective #1: All students will have a meaningful connection to an adult in the school system. |
Objective #2: Healthy school cultures will promote a sense of participation, wellness, safety, and security for all students. |
Objective #3: Schools will partner wtih parents to provide consistent social and emotional experiences for students. |
Objective #4: Students will improve social and emotional skill development through consistent, layered, and effective instruction at all levels. |
Research to determine the effect of SEL on academic outcome (Zins, Weissberg, Wang, and Walberg, 2004) demonstrates three positive outcomes associated with SEL:
1. Student attitude towards learning improved. There was increased motivation and commitment.
2. There were behavioral changes in participation and study habits.
3. SEL led to improved grades as well as greater mastery of material.
Bullying Prevention and Intervention
The Student Development Office has recently led the development of a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan for Needham Schools. Foundational SEL skill development and practice are requisite to creating a school where bullying will not be tolerated by either staff or students. A new webpage, Bullying Prevention and Intervention, with school and parent resources, is now available.
Student Registration
The Student Development Office also administers the registration of new students in our district. A new, on-line process for student registration was launched in September, 2010.
Program Evaluation
Needham Public Schools are committed to collecting and studying data related to student learning, educational program effectiveness, stakeholder perceptions, budgetary trends and other aspects of our school district's functioning in order to determine how to improve our educational programs. Each year the Needham Public Schools produce a number of reports summarizing this data collection. Sometimes these reports result from the work of a study committee or task force. On other occasions, they provide information about survey or test results or the evaluation of a program. Reports
The majority of the reports are in PDF format, and you will need Acrobat Reader to view them.
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