JAY – Curriculum Director Joe Makley is settling into his new office and preparing for the school year that begins next week.

Makley plans to work with teams of Jay school teachers to develop an assessment system to record students’ scores in order to certify their graduation.

It’s part of the implementation of the state’s learning standards, Makley said, and the biggest of the changes required by the state to meet Learning Results standards.

Makley has served 18 years in education. He began teaching English in Lisbon Falls, spent many years teaching at Buckfield High School and also served as technology coordinator. He has been a curricular director for the last six years, serving both SAD 36 in Livermore Falls and SAD 39 in Buckfield during the first three years, and solely SAD 39 in the most recent three years.

In Jay, Makley is not only responsible for the curriculum but also for overseeing federal programs. He expects curriculum work to be a collaborative process, which will have several steps. The first one is to publish the existing curriculum, and the next step is to design the assessment system, he said.

The work will include aligning report cards to the standards so that grading is fair and consistent, he said, then developing a system to report assessments to the state. Eventually, teachers will be required to enter scores into a state database, he added.

“I’ve researched the curriculum process and have seen that a lot of wonderful work has been done,” Makley said.

He planned to meet with staff to gain more insight.

Makley, who has a master’s degree in education, said he is interested in the challenges of changing an educational institution.

“Most school change fails,” he said. “It is very difficult to do and that’s what makes it compelling. Like the brass ring that is really hard to get.”

Makley lives in West Paris with his wife, Patty, and children, William, 18, who plans to attend the University of Maine at Farmington this year, and Grace, 15, a sophomore at Oxford Hills high school.