Teaching & Learning

We’re committed to preparing students for life’s multiple pathways by offering diverse educational experiences focused on career readiness. Through internships, job shadows, hands-on learning, and skill development, we help students explore and prepare for their future.

We review each subject area in our curriculum on a 7-year rotation to ensure it remains up-to-date and meets the needs of our students. During this review cycle, teachers focus on assessing student progress, updating materials, and aligning instruction with state standards to keep learning engaging and effective.

To learn more, visit board policy 602.1E

Each spring, students in grades 3-11 participated in the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), which measures performance on the Iowa Core Academic Standards. Results are available for students who completed the online assessments.

Quick Guide for Identifying Cut Score Ranges for Performance Letters

Families have two ways to access their student’s scores:

1. Infinite Campus: Snapshot Overview
You can view a quick summary of your student’s results, including their scale score and proficiency level (Not Yet Proficient, Proficient, or Advanced), in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. To access: Login > More > Assessments 

Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Need help? Check out this short video guide

2. ISASP Parent Portal: Detailed Results
For a more detailed look at your student’s performance, use the ISASP Parent Portal, hosted by Pearson. This secure site provides in-depth results for each assessment. Claim codes for 2023 results are available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

ISASP Parent Portal Hosted by Pearson

View a Sample Student Assessment Report

The Iowa School Performance Profiles, launched in 2018, provide an annual overview of how public schools are performing, meeting state and federal reporting requirements. This online tool offers clear insights into each school’s performance and areas of focus.

Key features include:

• Scores and ratings based on accountability measures from the previous school year.
• Identification of schools needing additional support and improvement.
• Additional legally required data that doesn’t affect accountability scores.

View Iowa School Performance Profiles

The Portrait of a Bluejay is a district-wide initiative aimed at defining the skills, qualities, and values we want every Bondurant-Farrar student to develop during their educational journey. By collaborating with students, staff, families, and community members, this project helps ensure our graduates are well-prepared for success in school, career, and life. Together, we’re shaping a shared vision for the future of our Bluejays!

Portrait of a Bluejay Profile

To support collaboration, data analysis, and reflection on teaching strategies, the district includes professional development time in the academic calendar. Students are dismissed early each Monday, around 2:00 PM, to allow teachers to engage in professional growth. The calendar also features several full-day professional development sessions for both new and returning educators.

"The Bondurant-Farrar Community School District is a professional learning community focusing on the whole child through collaboration, data-driven decisions, and continuous professional improvement empowering all students and teachers to achieve at high levels." 

1. Identify Learning Targets
2. Create Common Assessments
3. Analyze Data
4. Reflect & Revise

The Safe, Supportive, and Equitable Schools committee works to create a welcoming environment for all students, staff, and families. The group focuses on safety, well-being, and fairness, aiming to build a school culture where everyone feels valued and supported.

Click here to get involved in this committee

Learn more about anti-bullying and harassment efforts

Standards-based learning measures a student’s mastery of grade-level standards by prioritizing the most recent, consistent level of performance. Grading on a traditional report card often reflects a combination of academic progress, work habits, and participation in one grade. Standards-based learning (SBL) separates those elements so that parents will be able to see specifically if their child needs help with an academic concept, is struggling to remember to turn in homework, or if they are choosing not to participate in class.

Report cards focus on three progressions, which are Proficient (P), Approaching (A), and Learning (L).

• PROFICIENT: Understands and applies the priority standards, concepts, and skills.
  • Independently
  • Proficiently
• APPROACHING: Understands the priority standards, concepts, and skills, but often needs support with application.
  • Teacher guidance needed
  • Inconsistent
• LEARNING: Beginning to understand the priority standards, concepts, and skills.
  • Consistently needing support or reteaching

Quick Video Explaining Standards Based Learning

Bondurant-Farrar Community Schools was awarded funds through the Iowa Department of Education to implement Teacher Leadership & Compensation (TLC) beginning fall 2016-17.  

• Vision: Meeting teacher growth needs through a supportive system of teacher leaders to improve student achievement and learning outcomes.
• Outcome: If we effectively compensate, recruit and promote excellent teachers while providing support as they collaborate, reflect and refine their practice, we will enhance and elevate the teaching profession and provide opportunities for teacher and student growth and learning.

Goals:

1. We will attract and retain promising new teachers by offering competitive starting salaries, mentoring & induction, high-quality professional development, rewarding leadership opportunities while monitoring teacher retention rates for teachers new to the profession, after three years of teaching.
2. We will promote collaboration by developing and supporting opportunities to learn from each other in the district and across the state and will maintain a results-oriented focus on learning and increasing student achievement.
3. We will reward excellence in teaching by providing career pathways that include increased leadership responsibilities and compensation. 
4. We will transform the nature of leadership and influence in the educational system to improve teaching and learning and increase student achievement.
5. We will strengthen the capacity of teachers to align curriculum, instruction and assessment with the Iowa Core and professional development.