Bedford schools have begun filling in the blanks on a series of statewide standards describing what students are expected to learn before they graduate.

The standards, part of a national effort, are meant to produce graduates who can meet tomorrow’s increasingly tough college or workplace challenges. While the standards define an educational destination, they leave it to local districts to map the specific route to get there.

At a meeting of the Bedford Central School District Wednesday, Andrew Patrick, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, unfolded the start of a local road map. 

Using slides and standing at a lectern, he addressed the board for some two hours in a Middle School theater that was otherwise virtually empty.

Adopted a year ago and taking effect in 2014, New York’s standards and those in 43 other states generally increase expectations placed on students from kindergartener through high school senior. They outline both the challenges students will be expected to meet as well as how their teachers will help them achieve those goals.

Still, Patrick underscored, the standards set forth an education minimum, a bare bones of learning that ambitious districts like Bedford will likely exceed. The statewide guidelines “describe a core but not necessarily the advanced work our students may want,” he said.

In the next step, he and other Bedford educators will look to define a district-specific curriculum, choosing, among other things, textbooks and other instructional materials. Local officials will also design a professional-development regimen for the district staff.

 “What are the highest priority things we want to attempt?” he said. Once identified, the leading items will be fashioned into goals.

In response to a question by board President Susan Elion Wollin, Patrick said of his outsized challenge, “I, and other leaders, need to do a better job of communicating how everything I’m doing goes together.”  

Click here to view Patrick's presentation online.