Over the past several years, I have seen our schools, teachers, staff, students, and District achieve state and national recognition in many areas. And while we are one of the highest performing districts in the state, we will never stop working to be better. The children of MBUSD deserve nothing less.
I think that the best way to summarize our efforts to consistently improve is to say that we are working to personalize learning to the highest degree possible. That is no easy feat in classrooms with 24 to 34 students, and it takes extraordinary teaching to accomplish it. Every day, our teachers address the needs of English Learners, students with special needs, Gifted and Talented (GATE) students, and every other student, all of whom have their own particular sets of needs. Our teachers are skilled practitioners who embrace the challenge of meeting the individual needs of every student who walks through our doors.
We have already made personalized learning a priority through:
I think that the best way to summarize our efforts to consistently improve is to say that we are working to personalize learning to the highest degree possible. That is no easy feat in classrooms with 24 to 34 students, and it takes extraordinary teaching to accomplish it. Every day, our teachers address the needs of English Learners, students with special needs, Gifted and Talented (GATE) students, and every other student, all of whom have their own particular sets of needs. Our teachers are skilled practitioners who embrace the challenge of meeting the individual needs of every student who walks through our doors.
We have already made personalized learning a priority through:
- Providing increased STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) opportunities for students through classroom instruction and Maker Spaces
- Increasing our Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings
- Implementing CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction) techniques to help students develop and deepen their approaches to mathematical thinking
- Coaching students through Readers’ and Writer’s Workshop
- Supporting students with tiered and individualized intervention strategies
- Assessing student stress levels and emotional learning needs through groups like Mira Costa and MBMS Families Connected and programs like MindUp
- Developing a plan to expand our use of GATE strategies to reach all students in grades K through 12
Please click here if you would like to read more about the extraordinary work done by our remarkable staff and about our plans to continue to move forward in the coming years. As always, I I am so proud to work in a community of dedicated teachers, parents, and of course, students.
Michael D. Matthews, Ed.D.
Michael D. Matthews, Ed.D.
MBUSD Superintendent