The School District of Clayton’s Principles of Teaching and Learning guide leaders, schools, departments, teams of teachers and individuals when making decisions related to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and professional learning.  These principles inform the teaching and learning process in the classroom, the implementation and evaluation of the written and taught curriculum, and remind us of our own educational expectations.  We see a direct connection between these Principles of Teaching and Learning, the Standards of Professional Practice and Standards of professional learning within the District.  Our District Mission, Vision and Core Values anchor these principles.

• We are accountable to our learners by:
  • Committing to collective inquiry, evidence-based decision-making, innovation and reflection of the results of teaching and learning.  
  • Empowering students to take ownership in their own learning.
  • Measuring student learning through multiple assessments and using data and information to monitor and improve student learning.
  • Providing ongoing, specific feedback to students as a part of regular instruction. 
  • Monitoring student progress to guide instructional decision-making.
• We support collaboration and build sustaining relationships by:
  • Partnering with parents, students and other educators to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning.
  • Building individual motivation and social interaction for purposeful engagement in learning. 
  • Promoting self-reflection that results in improved learning. 
• We develop and implement curriculum that is grounded in rich and relevant content by:
  • Supporting the development of teachers’ craft and content expertise. 
  • Engaging in dynamic and challenging content related to local, regional and global issues.
  • Guiding deep understandings of content areas and their connections to one another in order to synthesize skills and communicate knowledge in meaningful ways.
  • Nurturing understanding and communication of ideas while participating in intellectual endeavors.
  • Ensuring that curriculum, instruction, and assessment are dynamic, intellectually stimulating, developmentally appropriate, grounded in research and attentive to the range of student learning needs.
• We invest in innovation and responsiveness in a positive learning environment by:
  • Understanding diversity to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high expectations.
  • Ensuring that our curriculum is a place where students can explore the unfamiliar, but also see their own lived experiences validated and valued.
  • Engaging in opportunities that offer choice and exploration that require critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving.
  • Attending to the varied learning needs of students through instruction and assessment that are dynamic and intellectually challenging.
  • Acknowledging that to be truly innovative one must take risks in teaching and learning as a part of an authentic avenue of learning. 
• We encourage and foster an environment committed to ongoing growth and learning by:
  • Providing leadership and growth opportunities.
  • Embracing a growth mindset.
  • Supporting professional learning through thoughtful, informed opportunities.
  • Upholding our mission, vision, core values and strategic goals.