Academics

The Bermuda Public School System is transforming.  Our education reform is demanding that we produce 21^st Century educational leadership who are willing to abandon 20^th Century practices that are ineffective and deterrents to high student achievement and performance. This transformation requires time, a sense of focused urgency, a deliberate plan, the acceptance of change and the ability to sustain results over time.

The reform agenda crafted by all stakeholders is predicated on pertinent strategic initiatives that include: literacy and mathematics, professional development, student behaviour, accountability, teaching and learning, parental involvement, and reorganisational design and development.  The Department of Academics and its offices are mandated to implement an educational plan that embraces the Ministry of Education’s mission, “to guarantee a world class education system.” This can only be achieved with leadership that exercises faith over fear, reality over rhetoric, and reason with action.

Achieving a world class education system is contingent upon the effective delivery of quality instruction and the implementation of a standards-based, research data-driven curriculum. The Department of Academics' offices will implement, monitor and support all instructional and professional development initiatives designed to improve the academic performance, achievement and psychosocial functioning of our diverse student population.

The Department of Academics is comprised of the following branch departments:

• The Department of Curriculum & Assessment
• The Department of Student Services
• The Department of Professional Development & Improvement
• The Department of Early Childhood

The professional and competent staff in these offices ensures that students, teachers and parents have resources for teaching and learning, and opportunities for engagement to provide high quality educational opportunities so that our students recognize themselves as 21st Century leaders.

We are collaborative in achieving our educational goals with the Department of Education, Accountability, and Standards. The Department of Academics and its offices support schools with the use of data team management instruction, high standards and expectations, and school-by-school goal setting.  As a department our goals are to:

Provide and Support High Quality Teaching and Learning in Every Classroom in Every School

• Organise and develop a high performing division that provides effective leadership and guidance to improve teaching and learning.
• Implement a clear and performance driven organisational structure to achieve results in annual goals
• Design and implement a plan to orient and build leadership capacity of academic staff, including administrative assistant staff  to provide quality leadership and management efficiency in advancing academic services and goals
• Establish and improve standard operating procedures, practices, and productivity to enable all staff to meet high expectations on deliverable services to school leaders, students, parents and community agencies.
• Improvement in the assessment system to provide timely data assistance to principals and teachers.

Implement Deep Rigorous Relevant Curriculum Alignment, Instruction and Assessments

• Curriculum management and planning Develop and apply clear and rigorous standards
• Implement learning standards for Preschool-S4
• Provide professional learning support to teachers
• Develop curriculum guides and instructional materials
• Develop and implement performance assessments

Administer Policies and Procedures

• Academic Policies, Commissioner of Education Directives, guidelines and implementation procedures (e.g., Promotion/Retention/Graduation Policy)
• Grades, Promotion, Suspension and Graduation and Drop out Policy
• Learning support policy

Professional Development and Improvements

• Strengthen academic intervention programs
• Strengthen career and technical education programs (Certification
• Expand and strengthen Advanced Programs (AP, GCSE,) and explore the feasibility of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs
• Design intervention programmes
• Provide gifted and talented and pre-college academic enrichment programmes
• Design and implement new initiatives
• School improvement and reform
• Improve counselling, guidance and mentoring services to students and teachers

Dr. Llewellyn Simmons

Director of Academics