2013-19 CURRICULUM/ASSESSMENT/INSTRUCTION CYCLE OVERVIEW The Francis Howell School District curriculum, instruction, and assessment cycle of development and revision is a continuous system of improvement that occurs through a six-step process. The following areas of focus will be present within each step. Step 1. Current Reality and Research Step 2. Curriculum and Assessment Development and Revision Step 3. Professional Development and Implementation Step 4. Evaluate Resources and Materials Step 5. Monitor Implementation of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Resources Step 6. Program Evaluation Curriculum Revision Cycle 1
1. Current Reality and Research Recruit and secure representative population for course/grade level/department instructional leaders. Develop work calendar and communication plan for all appropriate stakeholders. Reference Program Evaluation report (Step 6). Book Study/Conferences/Workshops to raise awareness (if applicable). Review existing state and national standards to identify trends or shifts in emphasis. Review pacing guide of existing curriculum and CCSS and identify four to six Priority Standards with vertical team that includes teachers of the grade/course above and below. This would include feedback from the building PLC teams which allows for each teacher to individually identify what they consider to be Priority Standards using four criteria-endurance, readiness, leverage and high-stakes assessments. Consider embedding CC content literacy skills (if applicable). Based on Priority Standards identified and pacing guide review, the representative group would determine how many common instructional units (which will include full performance events) that will be developed. Establish transfer goals for the course/grade level-what students will be able to demonstrate at the end of this course to ensure that they are ready for the next grade level/course. These transfer goals will help with the development of the common formative and summative assessments. Update course description. Establish a wiki/blog (feedback tool) that will be used for all steps of curriculum cycle. o Trend data will be collected and analyzed, which would include literature reviews. This information will be used along with the program evaluation (Step 6) to help inform the work of the curriculum revision (Step 2). 2
2. Curriculum and Assessment Development and Revision Recruit and secure representative population for course/grade level/department (recommended same as Step 1). Develop work calendar and communication plan for all appropriate stakeholders. Roles, minutes and reflected to members of the team. Set target dates of completion and presentation to CAC, ASPC and BOE. Review Current Reality and Research information (Step 1). Identify all applicable GLE/CLE and Common Core Standards for course/grade level and place in curriculum template. Articulate a curriculum map that includes sequence and suggested timeline for instructional units. Unwrap Priority and Supporting standards and create a graphic organizer for common instructional units each quarter. o Develop and maintain a blog or wiki with unwrapped instructional units for feedback from teachers. Create Big Ideas for common instructional units with a few Priority standards included o Brainstorm Big Ideas for the common units. o When developing the Big Ideas, focus on the why students need to learn and which concepts and skills they need to apply. Write Essential Questions that will frame instruction and assessment o Reference the graphic organizer and Big Ideas to ensure alignment of rigor o These Essential Questions would be used at the beginning of the units for teachers to clearly identify learning goals. Teachers could use these to help develop and monitor SMART achievement goals for classes and students to measure growth. Design/Articulate Pre-Assessment, Formative and Summative Performance Tasks o Use Appendix A of Engaging Students Through Performance Assessment (Flach, pg. 193). o Articulate alignment to standards, DOK, question-type (assessment blueprint). o Include full description of task in student-friendly language. o Include scoring guides. o Include exemplars and/or anchor papers. o Assessments include use of highly complex informational text. o Tasks include the ability for students to argue, inform and write about sources they ve researched (at least 4 research topics per course/grade level). o Grading and report card implications to be included. 3
2. Curriculum and Assessment Development and Revision cont. Design/Articulate sample learning activities o Include key domain-specific vocabulary. o Include pre, during and post-reading strategies. o Include examples of non-fiction informational text and argumentative writing. o Include at least four research project prompts per course/grade level. o Include technology enhanced learning activities. o Include opportunities for students to demonstrate 21 C skills (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity). o Include Quadrant A-D identification (Rigor and Relevance Framework). *Provide appropriate process PD for writing team unwrapping, big idea, essential questions, and design assessments. o A revised curriculum document will be presented to CAC, ASPC, and the BOE. Results of the program evaluation (Step 6) will be highlighted to annotate what did or did not change in the revised curriculum. 4
3. Professional Development and Implementation Provide release time to train teachers in new/revised curriculum at least twice a year. Model lessons and provide collaboration time for teachers to reflect on curriculum document (i.e. transfer goals, priority standards, big ideas, essential questions, assessments and sample learning activities). Establish at wiki or blog that allows teachers to reflect on various tasks within the curriculum document. Review data points that will be used to evaluate student learning in course. This includes monitoring common assessment data. Develop and distribute needs assessments to determine resource adoptions (Step 4). o A training plan will be published on the district intranet for the appropriate stakeholders. 5
4. Evaluate Resources and Materials Recruit and secure representative population for course/grade level (could include parents and students). Develop work calendar and communication plan for all appropriate stakeholders. Set target dates of completion and presentation to CAC, ASPC and BOE. Evaluate existing resources based on current reality of the course. Establish process of how to identify, review and select available resources (could be concurrent with Step 3) which should include the following steps: o Contact publishers, check websites, gather information from colleagues, networks and professional organizations o Consider open-source text options. o Secure all available materials for on-site or virtual review. o Blind content comparison of selected content. o Reviews by teachers through trial use. Teachers could use different text to teach a unit. o Reviews by students (when applicable) through trial use. o Reviews by parents (when applicable) through trial use. Complete summary document with cost analysis of recommended items for CAC, ASPC and BOE. Follow established district policy and timelines for requests exceeding $1000 and/or $7500. Budget supplies, text and other needs for following year s budget (by December). Prepare orders for BOE approval. Add to district resources database for future consideration. o A summary report of the selection process will be presented to CAC, ASPC and the BOE with a request for the purchase approval of recommended materials. Purchase requisitions are completed and are within the allocated budget. 6
5. Monitor Implementation Conduct walkthroughs in identified course/grade level. Participate in PLC team meetings. Monitor target goals, common assessment data. Monitor budgeted items. Make necessary adjustments based on qualitative and quantitative data. Maintain site for teachers to have access to curriculum, resources, provide feedback. o Stakeholders targeted for feedback should include, but may not be limited to content leaders, department chairs, PLC leaders, district and building administrators and classroom teachers. o Data on the implementation of the curriculum, assessments will be gathered through the analysis of documented student learning outcomes and will be reviewed by CAC and ASPC. 7
6. Program Evaluation Establish formal course evaluation process with selected stakeholders. Gather and analyze qualitative data (could include but not limited to) o Survey stakeholders (staff, students and parents) to determine efficacy within course with questions that include: Adequacy of materials Preparation for teachers Engagement level for students o Focus group interviews o Class Visits o Lesson Plans o Parent feedback (compliments and concerns) Gather and analyze quantitative data (could include but not limited to) o Review student achievement data which could include: High Stakes test scores Common assessment data Grades Enrollment trends Monitor budgeted items. Compare to current program based on previous Current Reality and Research Report (Step 1). Make recommendations for next revision cycle. o An evaluation report will be presented to CAC and this will be an accompanying document when the revised curriculum (Step 2) is presented for BOE approval. 8
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