Academics

Our mission is to empower our students to become career and college ready while keeping performance and academic achievement at Princeton Public Schools on an upward trend.

We look for ways for the district to build, enhance and improve academic programs for students with a focus on social and emotional learning and developing essential life skills. We work in close partnership with our teachers, staff, administration and academic departments to offer the highest levels of academic rigor, support and learning pathways for all students.

Princeton Public Schools is an innovative leader in instruction, developing in EVERY learner the ability to succeed in an ever-changing world. In order to make this happen we are dedicated to continuous improvement of three goal areas related to student learning:

Developing an increasingly-effective guaranteed, coherent and viable curriculum based on the MN academic standards
Deepening our use of the Princeton Paradigm as our model of instruction
Fostering authentic literacy (reading, writing, thinking, and speaking) across all content areas

The cumulative result of our work is tigers (students) with habits of critical thinking, positive leadership, effective communication, self awareness, and empathetic citizenship.

Princeton Paradigm

Core Instruction

Standards / Units of Standards
Learning targets
Learning progressions
Taxonomy
Success criteria (desired student evidence)
Task / activity (formative assessment)
Actual student evidence
Scaffold / reteach differently / extend

Culture / Conditions

Live at analysis
Activate students as owners of their learning
Activate students as learning resources for one another
Normalize mistake making as essential to learning (productive struggle)
Infuse tiger pride; habits of a tiger

Download the Princeton Paradigm

Assessment

Standards-Based Accountability Assessments:

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and alternate assessment, Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS), are the statewide tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota's academic standards and meet the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Students in grades 3-8 & 10 take the Reading. Students in grades 3-8, & 11 take the Math, and students in grades 5, 8, and 10 take the Science. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility criteria may take the MTAS.

Universal Screening:

Universal screening is the process of regularly checking every student’s performance (taking their “temperature”) periodically during the school year.

Formative Assessment for Teachers (FAST) Assessments: Grades K-2
FAST helps to identify students who are responding well to core instruction (on track), as well as those who may require supplemental (some risk) or intensive (high risk) intervention and instructional support as an integral component to an effective RtI/MTSS framework.

STAR Reading and STAR Math: Grades 3-12

STAR Reading and STAR Math are standards-based, computer-adaptive assessments that measure students’ reading comprehension and math skills, monitor achievement and growth, and track understanding of focus skills aligned to MN learning standards. This assessment is used as part of Princeton's RtI/MTSS framework.

Career and College Readiness

Princeton offers students in grade 11 an opportunity to participate in the ACT® on a school day. The ACT® is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students' academic readiness for college. Students are not required to achieve a specified score on an assessment in order to graduate or meet graduation assessment requirements.

In addition, every student is required to take a College/Career Readiness course to help students to practice a career investigation process, to give our students a competitive edge in the job search. Students research career options, develop job-seeking skills, and interview skills in areas that they are considering. Students also create a portfolio of skills and abilities, complete a mock interview with local business owners and have the opportunity to job shadow a professional in the community.

Title I

Title I is a federally funded program designed to provide supplemental academic services to students who qualify. Supplemental instruction will enhance the student’s ability to become proficient in their reading and math curriculum. We currently provide Title I services at Princeton Primary and Princeton Intermediate Schools. Students qualify for Title I services in these schools based on academic need and teacher recommendation. Each school develops a plan to provide Title I support that meets the unique needs of students at their school. The key to our students’ success is parent involvement, so we offer several opportunities throughout the school year for parents to become involved. If you are interested in joining our parent involvement committee, please contact Jessica Town-Gunderson at 763-389-7278 or jessica.town-gunderson@isd477.org.

CLICK HERE to access the Title I Parent Involvement Plan

Advanced Academics

English Language Learners

The English Language Learners program serves students in grades K-12 who qualify based on the following criteria:

A language other than English is spoken at the home.
The student’s level of English proficiency.
The student’s academic skills and classroom assignments.

The ELL program is designed to support students in achieving English language proficiency. Students receive support in the classroom and in small group instruction, depending on their proficiency level. Students remain in the ELL program until they reach proficiency in academic English. The length of time required to achieve English language proficiency is dependent on many factors, such as, initial proficiency in English, educational experiences, and rate of progress.

For a detailed testing schedule click here.

Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness Plan

The Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness plan (state statute, section 120B.11) is a comprehensive, long term strategic plan to support and improve teaching and learning with the ultimate goal of creating the world’s best workforce. It is intended to serve as a foundational document that aligns educational initiatives that serve students Pre-K through high school. It is based on five beliefs:

All students are ready for kindergarten
Close the achievement gap
All students attain career and college readiness before graduation from high school
All students graduate from high school
Prepare students to be lifelong learners.

Princeton’s Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness plan serves as a blueprint that demonstrates how current district initiatives and plans work together in a concerted effort to create a quality workforce equipped with the necessary skills for the 21st century.

Section 504

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides protection against discrimination on the basis of one’s disability in any program or activity provided by school districts and other educational providers that receive federal funding. The purpose of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is to ensure that students who are Section 504 eligible have educational opportunities equivalent to their non-disabled peers.

If you have further questions, please contact the building your child attends to speak with the building 504 Coordinator.

District Coordinator - Lana Talberg - (763) 389-6191
Family Center - Brian Julson - (763) 389-6199
Primary School - Peggy Swenson - (763) 389-6934
Intermediate School - Skylar Walters - (763) 39-6814
Middle School - Bobbi Benner - (763) 389-6753
High School - Tricia Ford - (763) 389-6016
Student Services - Sarah Moffat - (763) 389-6063