June 21, 2012 - Summer may have just started for students, but Pitt County Schools’ employees never take a break.  Directors and teachers have been busy working on the curriculum for the upcoming 2012-13 school year. 

For the upcoming school year, teachers have to make changes in conjunction with North Carolina’s adoption of the new Common Core and Essential Standards.  All of this week over 180 teachers has been working together at Ridgewood Elementary School to map out topics and lessons using these new standards.

Lydia Martin has been working on the Exceptional Children curriculum.  She commented on how it’s important for teachers to have their own thoughts put into the curriculum.   “The more teachers own something the more they will be driven to put their heart into it,” she said.   

The old education standards told teachers the WHAT part of the curriculum.  The new standards are now explaining the HOW.  New curriculum standards focus on the use of twenty-first century skills and global awareness.