Teaching & Learning

https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/health/2023-09.docx

The 2023 Framework reflects several key developments and shifts in the fields of comprehensive health and physical education. These shifts are necessary for student success into the future and include: 

• A stronger emphasis on practices – the processes and skills needed to promote and maintain lifelong physical, mental/emotional, and social health. Practices are emphasized both in the overall organization of the standards as well as in individual standards, resulting in more active and rigorous performance expectations that reflect real world application.
• A more explicit representation and integration of physical education that recognizes the contribution that physical education makes to overall student health and well-being. Specific attention has been given to aligning with national standards.
• A clear articulation of social and emotional competencies that can apply across the school curriculum and be integrated into any content area.
• Updates to reflect current and ever-changing technology, social media, and other influences on health and well-being (e.g., vaping, opioid–use, health during a crisis). 
• While specific references are kept somewhat generic because each can change quickly, the standards emphasize critical analysis and strategies to evaluate health issues and their potential impact on individuals and the community. 
• Updates to acknowledge that students are increasingly using media and technology to access information and services related to health and health care and emphasizing the importance of including media literacy as a component of health and well-being. More explicit inclusion and articulation of standards that support and affirm the well-being and educational outcomes of various student populations. The standards offer an opportunity for schools to integrate work related to equity directly into the classroom.
• A more deliberate integration of skills for personal safety, maintaining personal boundaries, and child sexual abuse prevention through a trauma-informed lens. The standards help students to understand that abuse is never their fault, and that trauma is something that people may experience but does not define who they are.
• A trauma-sensitive perspective that supports and encourages students in their learning while recognizing that students bring individual and unique needs to the classroom.
• Updated guiding principles that encourage a whole school, whole community, whole child approach and emphasize the application of the practices across disciplines, throughout school programming and coordinated planning across the curriculum. 
• An emphasis on key skills and content to support students to understand, identify and seek help for mental health concerns in themselves or others.
• Inclusion of specific family and consumer science standards only where there is overlap with the outlined skills and practices. Fewer and fewer school districts report including family and consumer science in their Comprehensive Health and Physical Education programs, and many of the technical skills in the discipline are beyond the scope of this Framework.

• Educating the whole student through a robust and rigorous Wellness program that includes
• health education, physical education and social emotional learning
• Ongoing review and revision of Wellness curricula in order to ensure that we are meeting the changing needs of students
• Creating safe, supportive, positive, inclusive learning environments that embrace diversity and meet the needs of all learners
• Providing opportunities for self-challenge, growth and development, and success
• Addressing multiple dimensions of wellness, all of which are interconnected and equally important in students’ overall health and well-being
• Valuing physical activity for its contributions to students’ physical health and also to students’ mental health and academic success
• Promoting lifelong fitness, physical activity and movement
• Empowering students to be personally and socially responsible and to make a difference in the world
• Engaging families, along with the school and broader Holliston community, in addressing student wellness
• Collaborating across disciplines to support student learning

• Hire a physical educator or movement specialist to teach Kindergarten PE. This would reduce the responsibility of the elementary PE teachers to grades 1-5 only (creating a more equitable workload as well as opportunities to advance the program).
• Hire a full-time, licensed health educator to specifically teach grades K-5 Health education thereby meeting best practice recommendations of offering health education every year of elementary school.
• Create a full-time, K-12 Wellness and SEL Program Coordinator (administrative)position.
• Create a full-time health education position at the middle school, a position dedicated to health education at the middle school level would create more equitable workloads for Wellness staff, create an opportunity for one staff member to focus on health education, and enhance physical education by providing more time for current staff to review and improve physical education programming.
• Provide professional development and support for alignment with a skills-based approach to health education at all levels.
• Shift to a skills-based approach to health education. This shift needs to happen at all levels of current health education (5-12).
• Opportunities for professional development as well as support in the form of time, curricular materials and work with a health education expert should be offered.
• Improve space and facilities for physical education at the elementary and middle school levels. 
• Weight room equipment at the middle school should be updated.
• Field space at the elementary and middle school space should be prioritized for physical education.
• Additional outdoor space should be considered at the elementary and middle school levels (e.g. converting the outdoor flag field at the middle school to a turf field or outdoor physical activity space such as body weight exercise equipment).
• Increase time for physical and health education at all levels in order to ensure adequate instructional time as recommended in national guidelines for health and physical education.
• Prioritize health and wellness to ensure that wellness programming is valued as a critical component of students’ academic experiences by school and district staff
• Align K-12 health education curriculum and instruction with national standards and best practices (a skills-based approach to health education)
• Review broader school- and district-wide policies and environment related to student wellness (e.g. Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community assessments, review alignment with Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program, complete School Health Index modules not addressed in the current review)
• Support the creation of wellness and SEL teams that include a variety of stakeholders at each school
• Increase opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day (before, during and after school) at all levels (for example, recess frequency [this is reduced to one recess per day in the elementary schools. Also non competitive sport/team games that don’t require training every day after school]).
• Consider working towards national recognition for wellness (e.g. National Healthy Schools award)
• Offer ongoing professional development opportunities for all staff on SEL-related topics 
• Develop policies and practices at all levels to increase the amount, consistency and quality of SEL instruction
• Articulate connections and alignment with social emotional learning (alignment has been started with the K-12 scope and sequence but it would also be beneficial to collect evidence and examples of SEL in practice)
• Use opportunities to explicitly support students’ awareness of and skills related to recognizing and embracing diversity
• Develop curriculum maps; revise and revisit at least once a year; include review of the grade level outcomes that are not being addressed and determine strategies for inclusion in the curriculum (as appropriate)
• Integrate cross-curricular connections
• Meet regularly with the K-12 wellness staff
• Discuss ways to increase instructional time spent on fitness concepts (including knowledge and skills students need to monitor and enhance fitness levels) and being active outside of school
• Increase coverage and assessment of National Health Education Standards
• Align with a skills-based approach which will increase time spent on skill development and skill practice within curriculum and instruction to align with best practice
• Revise assessments to measure skill performance and knowledge acquisition
• Increase connections to social emotional learning; health education can support both direct instruction and skill practice of SEL skills
• Increase technology access and instructional support
• Continue to meet as district and meet regularly with elementary PE teachers Middle School Wellness Physical Education
• Review and revise (as needed) the curriculum maps to ensure they are reflective of current curriculum and assessments
• Revisit curriculum at least once a year as a team
• Use visuals in gym and wellness areas
• Develop and implement cross- curricular connections with Unified Arts and academic subjects
• Review assessments for alignment with unit objectives, SHAPE America Grade Level Outcomes and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Frameworks (when the new version is released)
• Consider portfolios for the Wellness program to document student growth and creating benchmark assessments that reflect priority areas of the PE aspect of the Wellness Program
• Increase formal content and instruction on health-related fitness and personal fitness
• Consider ways to enhance technology integration to support student outcomes
• Work to increase opportunities for addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in instruction and practice
• Explicitly align PE curriculum and instruction with social emotional learning and advisory themes and values
• Meet regularly as a K-12 team to review curriculum, instruction and other district level wellness initiatives
• Align curriculum with the National Health Education Standards
• Review data from the MetroWest survey to ensure that HE is addressing priority needs
• Align curriculum and instruction with a skill-based focus as recommended by
• SHAPE America and CDC
• Work with elementary and high school staff to review scope and sequence and ensure spiraling and progression and multiple opportunities for skill development and performance
• Consider ways to align with SHAPE America’s Appropriate Practices in School-Based Health Education in curriculum and instruction
• Once revisions are made to the curriculum, review alignment with essential topics in the School Health Index, the National Health Education
• Standards and the revised Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Frameworks (anticipated release spring 2020)
• Continue to explicitly align with SEL skills in curriculum and instruction High School Wellness
• Finish alignment of each unit with UbD structure and ensure documents are reflective of current practice
• Review and revise Wellness 9 and 10 curriculum alignment with National
• Align with a skills-based approach to health education (curriculum and instruction); eliminate the use of textbooks
• Increase student engagement during health education
• Continue to document alignment with SEL competencies and initiatives
• Revisit student Wellness portfolios that could be implemented K-12
• Continue to work with the middle school staff to review curriculum and instruction to ensure appropriate progression and spiraling of Wellness curriculum
• Meet at least annually as a K-12 Wellness staff
• Evaluate and address school climate from both the student perspective and the teacher/staff perspective
• Create SEL teams to guide schools in meeting CASEL recommendations for best practices in SEL​​​​​​​

Changes to Sexual Health Education

The 2023 Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Framework introduced the first significant updates to Massachusetts Sexual Health standards in nearly 25 years. These changes are designed to ensure students receive information that is medically accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive of all identities.

The updated framework shifts toward a comprehensive model that views sexual health through the lens of overall well-being and personal safety.

• Medically Accurate Information: All sexual health instruction must be based on research and evidence-based medical standards.

• Emphasis on Consent: The framework introduces the concept of personal boundaries and consent in early grades (in age-appropriate ways) and advances to navigating complex interpersonal situations in high school.

• Inclusivity & Equity: The standards explicitly include LGBTQ+ health, gender identity, and sexual orientation to ensure all students see themselves reflected in the curriculum and are treated with dignity.

• Prevention & Safety: There is a renewed focus on preventing STIs and unintended pregnancy, as well as recognizing and preventing sexual violence and human trafficking.

• Digital Health: Updates include navigating modern risks like social media safety, "sexting," and online privacy as it relates to relationships.

While the state provides these updated standards, Massachusetts law maintains strong protections for parental rights.

Massachusetts General Law (G.L. c. 71, 32A

Under this law, every school district's curriculum involving "human sexual education or human sexuality issues" must adhere to the following:

• Parental Notification: Schools are required to notify parents and guardians in writing before any sexual health curriculum is taught. 

• Curriculum Review: Schools must make all curriculum maps for sexual health courses reasonably accessible for parents and guardians to review.

• The Right to Opt-Out: Custodial parents or guardians have the right to exempt (opt-out) their child from any portion of the sexual health curriculum.

• No Penalty for Students: Any student who is opted out must be provided with an alternative activity and cannot be penalized academically or otherwise for missing the instruction.

Most recent parent communications regarding Sexual Health education:

• Grade Four 
• Grade Five
• Grade Seven
• Grade Eight
• Grade 10 

MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education World Language Curriculum Frameworks 2021

https://www.actfl.org/uploads/files/general/Resources-Publications/Can-Do_Benchmarks_Indicators-wide.pdf

We are committed to a standards-based approach that equips students with relevant tasks filled with meaning and logic. Through these tasks, we bridge the gap between theory and practice, making learning tangible and applicable to our students’ everyday lives.

To engage our students deeply, we draw connections between language and their personal experiences, weaving cultural themes into their learning journey. We recognize that every student progresses at their unique pace, and we honor their individuality, emphasizing that proficiency is a journey, not a destination.

In our classrooms, we create safe and inclusive spaces where students feel comfortable taking risks and learning from their mistakes through reflective practice. We understand that language acquisition is not about perfection, but about growth, and that everyone's path is different.

Our core beliefs as teachers are flexible, progressive and abreast of the latest research to guide our instruction in Second Language Acquisition, pedagogy, and resources. As a faculty, we share our new knowledge with our teams and departments. We adapt our instruction to meet the linguistic competence and maturity level of each student, recognizing that one size does not fit all. 

We embrace language immersion as a powerful tool for instruction, understanding that it colors content with the language of learning.  Cultural competency is not just taught but lived, fostering an appreciation for the diverse world we inhabit.

Our ultimate aim is to nurture bilingual minds and thinkers who approach the world with an open perspective, empathy, and compassion. We enhance students' interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication skills, empowering them to investigate, evaluate, and reflect on cultural practices.

Beyond the classroom, we inspire our students to engage with the world, collaborating with diverse cultures and becoming responsible global citizens. In this way, World Language teaching is a catalyst for developing open-minded individuals who appreciate the richness of our global tapestry.

In summary, our vision for great World Language instruction is to empower students to become self-reliant learners, to appreciate the diversity of cultures, and to build bridges of communication that span the globe. It is a vision grounded in the belief that every student has the capacity to embrace a second language and thrive in an interconnected world.

A basic tenet of language acquisition is that the teacher exclusively, or almost exclusively delivers the curriculum in the target language. In Holliston, this means that French Immersion teachers remain 100% of class time in the French language, and the Spanish FLES/Traditional and French Traditional teachers provide instructions 90% of the time in the target language. 

  At HPS, our approach to French Immersion education is rooted in the belief that language acquisition is most effective when taught through meaningful content. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, we immerse students in the French language using authentic and multicultural materials.

Our curriculum is carefully crafted to engage students by creating authentic and experiential learning experiences. We build social connections with our students, fostering a natural progression of language output. By designing activities, we cater to the individual learning styles of each student.

We recognize that every learner is unique, and as such, we analyze errors systematically, identifying patterns and sequences to facilitate positive learning experiences. Through conversational activities, students negotiate meaning, and with the support of modeling, social exchanges, and recasting, we guide them toward mastery of the French language and appreciation of Francophone culture. Moreover, we prepare students for real-world application of the language, equipping them with the skills and confidence to communicate effectively in French-speaking environments outside of school.

French Immersion in Holliston is elected at Kindergarten registration, or through a proficiency assessment at other grade levels.  The K-2 French Immersion program teaches the same grade-level content as the traditional English program, with respect to the standards-based curriculum, classroom organization, structure of the day and materials. In grades 3-5, the French Immersion students remain as a cohort who spend half of their day immersed in French. In grades 6-12, the French Immersion student cohort, move together to their World Language classes as other disciplines do.

There are five levels of Language Proficiency (ACTFL) - Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished. Each level is divided into three sublevels - Low, Mid, High.

The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded by a state and school based on student language proficiency in two or more languages. The languages do not need to be acquired in the school setting, but can be a heritage/home language. Proficiency is demonstrated by proficiency scores on tests such as MCAS, STAMP, and AAPPL. Districts are expected to plan for six or more consecutive years of student engagement in world language curriculum in order to achieve the Intermediate High level of proficiency, depending on the language difficulty.
 

The Three Modes of Communication:  

• Interpersonal Communication: Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.  
• Interpretive Communication: Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.  
• Presentational Communication: Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.

This is a useful chart of Can-Do Benchmarks for each Proficiency Level in each Mode of Communication.

The following was the general timeline for the World Language Curriculum Review Process:

• The purchase of the following resources to address the identified needs of:
  • K-2 Decodables
  • Updating curriculum resources
  • Updating, improving and expanding classroom libraries and small group books
  • Acquiring appropriate authentic texts
  • Inclusive and equitable representation in all resources
• Support World Language teachers to regularly attend a portion of one of national or state World Language conferences
• Build the expense into the Technology Budget, earmarked for World Language, for all students to acquire online Tier 1 language practice capacity and allow teachers to assign and assess individual work, typical of a brick and mortar language lab
• Adopt these Holliston Proficiency Targets per course. When a school schedule changes, the targets should be revised.
• Prior to a new high school schedule taking effect, additional time needs to be spent in researching course naming practices in other districts, and university expectations, in light of the new World Language framework’s proficiency lens
• Adopt the new Holliston World Language common rubrics to guide teachers’ curriculum development, instruction practices and assessment/feedback
• Support and facilitate field trips for students to engage in more cultural exchange opportunities, making clear the processes and boundaries for K-12
• Improve communication through:
  • An easily found district website page for World Language be developed to concisely and clearly relay the following information regarding Holliston’s World Language Department:
    • Vision
    • Philosophies (Immersion and Traditional)
    • French Immersion Kindergarten election information
    • K-12 course trajectory
    • Proficiency targets per course
    • Proficiency testing
    • Seal of Biliteracy information
    • Enrichment opportunities 
  • Handouts for Open House, and/or syllabus per course for parents, and where appropriate for students. Among school specific requirements of expectations and contact information, the specific World Language information therein should include: 
    • Course overview (content included in the curriculum map)
    • Explanation of the course proficiency target
    • Explanation of school grading abbreviations with regards to student achievement - (these can share similar language with targets, and can be confusing to parents)
    • The percent of class time spent in the target language (French Immersion - 100% and FLES/Traditional - 90%)
    • The different communication modes embedded in the standards
    • The pathway, inclusion of heritage languages, and benefits to the Seal of Biliteracy
• Build into each of the school’s budgets testing fees for World Language proficiency (STAMP or AAPPL) - approximately $25/test. The committee recommends, at the bare minimum, the following grades for all students to be assessed:
  • Fifth Grade
  • Eighth Grade
  • Eleventh Grade
  • Twelfth Grade
• Revisit the Seal of Biliteracy each year starting in elementary school, via Open House and syllabus publications to articulate that the seal be seen as the culminating event in World Language across the district - be sure that this information is delivered to families in their home language
• Provide language proficiency tests free of charge for all students - the costs being built into the schools’ budgets
• Require students seeking to enter the French Immersion program to take a proficiency assessment (STAMP or AAPPL) paid for by the district, in order evaluate their readiness in relation to their grade level peers
• Develop curriculum for CP and Honors of the same level to have the same unit content/themes, but vary in depth and student output, in order for all students to have access to AP courses
• Do a larger study of student service delivery and its impact on World Language instruction, and that: 
  • The upper administration publish their decision on how student services will be addressed afterwards with guidance to each school’s administration, service providers and teachers
  • There be similarities of process across all of the schools
  • There be an articulated process to engage in, if the expectations break down or are not met
• Language proficiency testing (STAMP or AAPPL) be used to place students appropriately in their language courses, particularly in light of pull out services 
• Inform parents of students receiving services that their students’ World Language placement in the future, particularly when their children enter middle school, which might mean changing their language focus