Getting to the CORE of the Matter!

The staff at Central Lyon have been working diligently to implement the Iowa Core – an initiative that has been set forth by the Iowa Department of Education.  The Iowa Core focuses on the instructional areas of Literacy, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and 21st Century Skills.  Key components of the Iowa Core are as follows:

• Each and every K-12 student will learn the essential concepts and skill sets identified in the Iowa Core for life in the 21st century.
• Each K-12 educator will embed the essential concepts and skill sets in rigorous and relevant instruction informed by ongoing formative assessment.
• Each and every educational leader will ensure an aligned system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, focused on the Core essential concepts and skill sets.

Each school district and accredited non-public school in Iowa is required to develop a written plan to describe its implementation of the Iowa Core.  A team of staff members meets regularly to plan the implementation process of the Iowa Core in the Central Lyon School District.  Additionally, all staff have been engaged in professional development to learn more about the Iowa Core and how to put it into practice in each of their classrooms.  Currently, all teachers are working to compare what they actually teach their students to the required standards of the Iowa Core.  This will be important work to complete and will allow the district to coordinate efforts among and between grade levels and to better educate all of our students.  In short, that is the heart of the Iowa Core.