Curriculum

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Central Elementary School works hard to surpass the academic guidelines established by the California Department of Education by providing a challenging and engaging curriculum for our students.

Central Elementary School Curriculum

Central Elementary School follows California State and Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary District guidelines. The school district has adopted content standards and Multiple Measures assessments. These assessments allow teachers, students and parents to see where individuals are in reaching and/or exceeding District Standards. The measures will determine whether the student has successfully learned grade level standards. The results of these measures will enable our teachers to teach to your child's individual needs and strengths. Copies of the State Content Standards can be accessed at the links provided below.

The English-Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve represents a strong consensus on the skills, knowledge, and abilities that all students should be able to master in language arts at specific grade levels during 13 years in the California public school system. Each standard describes the content students need to master by the end of each grade level (kindergarten through grade eight) or cluster of grade levels (grades nine and ten and grades eleven and twelve). In accordance with Education Code Section 60603, as added by Assembly Bill 265 (Chapter 975, Statutes of 1995), the Leroy Greene California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act, there will be performance standards that "define various levels of competence at each grade level . . . [and] gauge the degree to which a student has met the content standards." The assessment of student mastery of these standards is scheduled for no later than 2001.

A high-quality mathematics program is essential for all students and provides every student with the opportunity to choose among the full range of future career paths. Mathematics, when taught well, is a subject of beauty and elegance, exciting in its logic and coherence. It trains the mind to be analytic - providing the foundation for intelligent and precise thinking.

To compete successfully in the worldwide economy, today's students must have a high degree of comprehension in mathematics. For too long schools have suffered from the notion that success in mathematics is the province of a talented few. Instead, a new expectation is needed: all students will attain California's mathematics academic content standards, and many will be inspired to achieve far beyond the minimum standards.

The California State Board of Education has worked hard with the Academic Standards Commission to develop history-social science standards that reflect California's commitment to history-social science education. These standards emphasize historical narrative, highlight the roles of significant individuals throughout history, and convey the rights and obligations of citizenship.

In that spirit the standards proceed chronologically and call attention to the story of America as a noble experiment in a constitutional republic. They recognize that America's ongoing struggle to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution is the struggle to maintain our beautifully complex national heritage of e pluribus unum. While the standards emphasize Western civilizations as the source of American political institutions, laws, and ideology, they also expect students to analyze the changing political relationships within and among other countries and regions of the world, both throughout history and within the context of contemporary global interdependence.

Physical education significantly contributes to students' well-being; therefore, it is an instructional priority for California schools and an integral part of our students' educational experience. High-quality physical education instruction contributes to good health, develops fundamental and advanced motor skills, improves students' self-confidence, and provides opportunities for increased levels of physical fitness that are associated with high academic achievement. The Physical Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve affirms the standing of physical education; rigor is essential to achievement, and participation is not the same as education. Mastering fundamental movement skills at an early age establishes a foundation that facilitates further motor skill acquisition and gives students increased capacity for a lifetime of successful and enjoyable physical activity experiences. Similarly, the patterns of physical activity acquired during childhood and adolescence are likely to be maintained throughout one's life span, providing physical, mental, and social benefits.

The Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve represents the content of science education and includes the essential skills and knowledge students will need to be scientifically literate citizens in the twenty-first century. By adopting these standards, the State Board of Education affirms its commitment to provide a world-class science education for all California students. These standards reflect the diligent work and commitment of the Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards (Academic Standards Commission) and the commission's Science Committee to define the common academic content of science education at every grade level.

The arts are a dynamic presence in our daily lives, enabling us to express our creativity while challenging our intellect. Through the arts, children have a unique means of expression that captures their passions and emotions and allows them to explore ideas, subject matter, and culture in delightfully different ways. Achievement in the arts cultivates essential skills, such as problem solving, creative thinking, effective planning, time management, teamwork, effective communication, and an understanding of technology. The visual and performing arts standards presented here are comprehensive and pro- vide important guidance for schools to pre- pare curricula for students in prekindergarten through grade twelve. For the four disciplines of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts— each with its own body of knowledge and skills—the standards are organized into five strands that are woven throughout all artistic experiences. The standards incorporate both traditional means of artistic expression and newer media, such as cinematography, video, and computer-generated art.

The English–Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools (1998) and the Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools (1999), both adopted by the State Board of Education, define what all students in California, including students learning English as a second language, are expected to know and be able to do. The English-language development (ELD) standards are designed to supplement the English–language arts content standards to ensure that limited-English proficient (LEP) students (now called English learners in California) develop proficiency in both the English language and the concepts and skills contained in the English–language arts content standards.