Instructional Design

Newmark K-8 Instructional Areas

Newmark K-8 School provides each student with an appropriate education based upon his/her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) developed by their school district in accordance with New Jersey Administrative Code 6A:14. The integration of the New Jersey Learning Standards is applied to individual students as is appropriate within their IEP. It is the goal of the Newmark K-8 School that students are appropriately challenged with a rigorous curriculum.

Instructional Focus

Newmark is approved to administer all New Jersey mandated testing, including those created by the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA).

Classrooms are student-centered, learner- active environments with state-of-the-art technology as a part of each subject. Students use the computer as a tool in their daily learning.

Study Skills Lessons

Study skills are explicitly instructed in grades 6th-12th, building upon skills each year and tailored to the individual needs of students. Executive functioning, critical thinking and communication skills are fostered through meaningful and relevant lessons, along with a binder system and student planner. The binder system promotes organization skills, as students use the binder as a central tool to sort assignments, handouts and Independent Practice (IP). The student planner promotes the development of planning and organization skills through writing down assignments, reminders, due dates and other information necessary for academic success. Students are expected to bring their binder and planner to and from school daily.

IP - Independent Practice (IP)

Newmark offers the opportunity for students to practice their academic skills away from the classroom.   Independent Practice is given nightly.  Independent Practice is important because it helps students develop and refine intellectual skills, develop into independent learners and nurture an identity as successful learners.  The purpose of Independent Practice is to check whether the student understands a concept or skill; to practice a skill learned in class; to preview something he/she will learn in class soon and to review for a test or quiz.  Research recommends the 10-minute rule for Independent Practice, which means that for whatever grade your student is in, he/she will receive 10 minutes of practice.  For example, if students are in 3rd grade, they will receive no more than 30 minutes of Independent Practice per night. 

Although Independent Practice is an informal assessment for feedback, all assignments are reviewed with an Independent Practice rubric and included within the course grade as a percentage of the grade for data tracking purposes. The IP rubric is discussed with students to provide guidance on assignment completion. Parents can view the IP rubric within the student’s Schoology courses in the parent resource folder.