Defining & AligningLocal Curriculum

What is Curriculum?Individually consider your personal

definition of the term curriculum

What words do you think of when you hear the term curriculum?

Curriculum exists and evolves within the

operating culture of public schools

The North Carolina Professional Teaching

StandardsForm the Foundation

of that Culture

Teachers Are Expected To:

Work collaboratively to

create a professional

learning community in order to plan instruction

appropriate for students.

Teachers Are Expected To:

Understand how students learn and make the

curriculum responsive to

cultural diversity and to individual learning needs.

Teachers Are Expected To:

Engage students in the learning process and

understand that instructional plans

must be constantly

monitored and modified to

enhance learning.

Teachers Are Expected To:

Collaborate with their colleagues

and use a variety of data sources for

short and long range planning based on the

North Carolina Standard Course of

Study.

When NC teachers are asked:

“What is it you expect students to learn?”

Curriculum

They most often reply:

“The North Carolina Standard Course of Study”

This Answer is Only Partially

Correct

If this is the goal….

Mountain

Climbers

Gear

If this is the goal….

Achievement

Mountain

Content Standards

Climbers

Teachers &

Learners

Gear

Local Curricula

Teachers Are Expected To:

Collaborate with their colleagues

and use a variety of data sources for

short and long range planning based on the

North Carolina Standard Course of

Study.

Curriculum is a Complex Combination of

Materials, Resources, and Actions

Curriculum Is:• What teachers teach• What students learn• What the district

mandates• What DPI requires• What is expected by

– Parents– Community– Higher Education

• Curriculum– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Instruction– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Assessment– Reveals Students’ Achieved Skills

• Formative Assessment• Summative Assessment

Dimensions of Curriculum:

three distinct components

• Intended– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Implemented– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Achieved– Reveals Students’ Achieved Skills

• Formative Assessment• Summative Assessment

Dimensions of Curriculum:

three distinct componentsAlso Known As

• Written– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Taught– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Tested– Reveals Students’ Achieved Skills

• Formative Assessment• Summative Assessment

Dimensions of Curriculum:

three distinct componentsAlso Known As

• DPI & District– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Teacher– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Student– Reveals Students’ Achieved Skills

• Formative Assessment• Summative Assessment

Dimensions of Curriculum:

three distinct components

Shared

Responsibility

Curriculum is a Complex Combination of

Materials, Resources, and Actions, for clarity, we will refer to the

components designed and deployed by a district as the

Local Curriculum

• The Department of Public Instruction Deploys STANDARDS

• The District Develops LOCAL CURRICULUM

• The Teachers Design INSTRUCTION

Curriculum is a Shared

Responsibility

STANDARDS• Define the knowledge and skills students

should have within their K-12 education careers to prepare them for higher education or work

• Standards include multiple components: – Common Core Standards– Essential Standards– Major Concepts– Clarifying Objectives– Assessment Prototypes

LOCAL CURRICULUM• Articulates district expectations regarding

scope, sequence, and achievement benchmarks for each content area

• Local Curriculum may have a variety of components: – Clear Learning Objectives– Instructional Calendars and Timeline– Context and Cognitive Type Expectations– Local Assessments and Benchmarking– Local Rubrics and Scoring Guides– Recommended Resources for Instruction

Local Curriculum Sets the Bar and

Identifies for the Community What is Expected of and Provided for

Students in That District

INSTRUCTION• Provides learning experiences, aligned with

local curriculum expectations, to prepare students to meet the standards set by the state

• Instruction includes but is not limited to: – Essential Learning Outcomes– Lesson Timelines– Content Learning Experiences– Opportunities for Practice– Formative Assessment– Corrective instruction where required– Assessment of Student Knowledge and Skills using:

• Teacher Designed Assessments• District Assessments (where available)• DPI Assessment Prototypes (where appropriate)

Teachers Are Expected To:

Work collaboratively to

create a professional

learning community in order to plan instruction

appropriate for students.

Professional Learning Communities are Guided by Four

Essential Questions

1. What is it we expect students to learn?

2. How will we know when they have learned it?

3. How will we respond when they don’t learn it?

4. How will we respond when they already know it?

DuFour Reference

1. What is it we expect students to learn?2. How will we know when they have

learned it?3. How will we respond when they don’t

learn it?4. How will we respond when they already

know it? DuFour Reference

If Students are to be Successful, Teachers

Need a Clear Understanding of

“it”

Guidance Comes From the Standards… But the

Standards Alone are Not Enough

Define it: What is it we expect students to learn?

Measure it: How will we know when they have learned it?

Scaffold it: How will we respond when they don’t learn it?

Extend it: How will we respond when they already know it?

Teachers Need Tools and Resources to

Help Them

In Addition to Standards, Teachers Need the

Local Curriculum

to Clarify District Expectations

LOCAL CURRICULUM• Articulates district expectations regarding

scope, sequence, and achievement benchmarks for each content area

• Local Curriculum may have a variety of components: – Clear Learning Objectives– Instructional Calendars and Timeline– Context and Cognitive Type Expectations– Local Assessments and Benchmarking– Local Rubrics and Scoring Guides– Recommended Resources for Instruction

Importance of Alignment

• Alignment is an even stronger predictor of student achievement on standardized tests than are socioeconomic status, gender, race, and teacher effect.

(Elmore & Rothman, 1999: Mitchell, 1998; Wishnick,1989)

Learning occurs best when there is:

• A purposeful process that aligns:– Curriculum– Instruction– Assessment

• Complete alignment:– Content– Cognitive Type– Context

Content Alignment

“Does the teacher teach and test the

topics listed in the curriculum?”

Lets Take a Test

Please work independently

How Did You Do?

Why Were Some More Successful Than Others?

Cognitive Type Alignment

“Do the students get to work and think at the level the curriculum prescribes?”

Context Alignment

“Are the parameters of the

assessment reasonably similar to the parameters

of the instruction?”

How well could you learn to cook brownies from Rachael Ray?

You have practiced all week!

Are you for the test?How well do you expect to do?

How well would you do?

1. What is it we expect students to learn?2. How will we know when they have

learned it?3. How will we respond when they don’t

learn it?4. How will we respond when they already

know it? DuFour Reference

The Local Curriculum Designs

and Defines the“it”

These Questions Can Provide a Focus for

Developing Local Curriculum

What is it we expect students to learn?

Curriculum learning tasks need to be clearly stated

• What policies and practices, regarding curriculum development, exist in the district?

• What resources are provided to give teachers in the district a common understanding of curricular expectations?

• Scope & Sequence Charts• Pacing Guides• Alignment Documents/Curriculum Maps• Professional Development

How will we know when they have learned it?

There needs to be a plan to assess all areas taught , even those the state does not test

• What policies and practices, regarding assessment, exist in the district?

• What resources are provided to give teachers in the district a common set of tools for assessing student learning?

• Diagnostic Assessments• Formative Assessments• Benchmark Assessments• Content Rubrics• Student Task Scoring Guides

How will we respond when they don’t learn it? Achievement gaps need to be

strategically and methodically addressed

• What policies and practices, regarding student support and intervention, exist in the district?

• What resources are provided to give teachers in the district a common set of tools for addressing achievement gaps

• Instructional Resources• Instructional Strategies• Professional Development

How will we respond when they already know it?

Cognitive complexity and rigor should be expected and supported

• What policies and practices, regarding student

support and enrichment, exist in the district?• What resources are provided to give teachers in

the district a common set of tools for addressing higher order thinking skills

• Instructional Resources• Instructional Strategies• Professional Development

Planning & Design

• Organizing Existing Resources

• Aligning and Developing Resources

• Policies and Practices• Framing Professional Development