Analyzing a District's Curriculum 07/31/2009
As we begin a new school year, teachers will develop lesson plans and units of study based on a curriculum. Some school districts still allow each individual teacher to develop curriculum, while other districts have established a common curriculum. According to English (2000), “curriculum is any document that exists in a school that defines the work of teachers by identifying the content to be taught and the methods to be used” (p.2). The following list will assist collaborative teams in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses within a school as teachers and administrators continue to develop curriculum and assess student understanding of key concepts and skills. A general awareness of each of the curriculum types listed below can assist teachers and administrators in increasing student understanding and raising student achievement. 1. Written The written curriculum specifies what is to be taught and is produced by the state, the school system, the school, and the classroom teacher. The written curriculum will have little impact on student achievement unless it becomes the taught curriculum or more importantly a ‘guaranteed and viable’ curriculum (Marzano, 2003) which is agreed upon by a team of teachers. 2. Taught The taught curriculum is what teachers actually teach in the classroom. Traditionally, the written curriculum (state and local documents) has not matched the taught curriculum among teachers within a school. Jacobs (1997) wrote, “If there are gaps among teachers within buildings, there are virtual Grand Canyons among buildings in a district" (p. 3). 3. Assessed The assessed curriculum provides valuable feedback about each student’s understanding of essential content, concepts and skills. If the assessed curriculum is not aligned with the written curriculum then teachers, students and parents will have a difficult time assessing the student understanding. “The extent to which any test is useful in reteaching any given curriculum is the extent to which that test does indeed measures the curriculum in the first place" (English, 2000, p. 65). Recommended Reading 07/25/2009
 As we begin preparing for another school year, teachers and administrators will benefit from reading one or more of the following resources. Are You a Graduate of the John Wayne School of Leadership? By Peter M. Smith Dealing with the Challenging Employee By John Baldoni Good to Great – Short Video Clips and Excerpts from the Book By Jim Collins How to Create a Shared Vision Statement By Dan McCarthy Nelson Mandela: His Eight Lessons of Leadership By Richard Stengel On the Frontier of School Reform with Trailblazers, Pioneers, and Settlers By Phillip Schlechty Our Iceberg Is Melting – Dealing with Change By John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber Team Leaders in a Professional Learning Community By Robert Eaker and Janel Keating The Culture Builder By Roland Barth Triangle Leadership Academy - Tools for Leaders After you read an article, feel free to post your thoughts on the K-12 Curriculum Development blog. Have a great school year! Teachers Control Opportunity to Learn 07/23/2009
 Opportunity to learn, a concept introduced by John Carroll (1963), is controlled by classroom teachers. State and national standards define what every student should know and be able to do. "Curriculum design and delivery face one fundamental problem in schools. When the door is shut and nobody else is around, the classroom teacher can select and teach just about any curriculum he or she decides is appropriate" (English, 2000, p. 1). Four Decisions Which Impact Opportunity to Learn: In designing the enacted curriculum, or the taught curriculum, teachers make content decisions about: 1. How much time to spend 2. What topics to cover within that time 3. Which students are to study what content and 4. To what standards of achievement (Porter, p. 437, 1994) If students are to be held accountable for their learning, then schools must be held accountable as well by demonstrating that they provide each student with opportunities to learn the standards that have been established. Opportunity to learn impacts student achievement during their current grade level and determines their ability to understand key concepts and skills in the next grade level. For more information on Opportunity to Learn, visit: Opportunity to Learn References: Carroll, J.B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64, 723-733. English, F.W. (2000). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning, and auditing the curriculum. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Common Sense 07/15/2009
 Common Sense was published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January 1776. The purpose for this small pamphlet was to encourage change and to urge the American people to form their own government. The purpose of this article is to offer some common sense advice which will impact K-12 education in any country. IN the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader (Paine, 1776). Education:
described how student achievement increases when one or more of the processes or viewpoints are implemented. For example, Marzano (2003) shared, the number one factor impacting student achievement is a guaranteed and viable curriculum (p. 22). “Standards alone cannot change these realities. Instead, successful change occurs when all aspects of the local curriculum are linked to standards through a purposeful, coherent system of process and products” (Carr & Harris, 2001, p. 1). Wiggins and McTighe (2007) wrote, “Schooling at its best reflects a purposeful arrangement of parts and details, organized with deliberate intention, for achieving the kinds of learning we seek” (p. 9). Please feel free to share your Common Sense recommendations for K-12 education. References: Carr, J.E., & Harris, D.E. (2001). Succeeding with Standards: Linking Curriculum, Assessment, and Action Planning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Marzano, R.J. (2003). What working in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Paine, T. Common sense (1776). The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm028.html Wiggins, G. & McTighe, G., (2007) Schooling by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Opportunity to Learn 07/12/2009
 How do school systems guarantee that the same skills and concepts are taught from one classroom to the next?Teachers and administrators understand the importance of aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment. However, “curriculum design and delivery face one fundamental problem in schools. When the door is shut and nobody else is around, the classroom teacher can select and teach just about any curriculum he or she decides is appropriate” (English, 2000, p. 1). If education becomes dependent on a three-legged stool (curriculum, instruction, and assessment), then students may not receive the opportunity to learn a ‘guaranteed’ curriculum. Opportunity to learn, a concept introduced by John Carroll (1963), is controlled by classroom teachers. Curriculum mapping is a process for aligning the written and taught curriculum, but unless teachers guarantee they will teach the key skills, concepts and content outlined on the map, students will not receive the same opportunity to learn information which is considered essential. Ravitch (1996) wrote, identifying what children are expected to learn is necessary for educational improvement because it is the starting point for education. “When educators fail to agree on what children should learn, it means that they have failed to identify their most fundamental goals” (p. 134). Once a common curriculum has been established, instruction and assessment can be organized to help each student learn the prioritized curriculum or the essential curriculum. What systems are in place in your school or school district which guarantee that each student will receive the opportunity to learn? The Professional Learning Community Model is one example of how teachers can utilize curriculum maps to identify and share the school district’s curriculum. Having a plan is an important first step, but communicating the plan and developing benchmarks to check student understanding of the written curriculum throughout the school year is essential. The Professional Learning Community Model Four Guiding Questions in a Professional Learning Community 1. What is it we want our students to learn? (Developing a Curriculum) 2. How will we know that they have learned it? (Assessing Opportunity to Learn) 3. What will we do when they don't learn it? (Revisiting Opportunity to Learn in a new way) 4. What will we do when they already know it? (Taking Opportunity to Learn to a new level or building on the learned curriculum) (DuFour & Eaker, 1998) Glatthorn (1987) wrote, “One of the tasks of curriculum leadership is to use the right methods to bring the written, the taught, the supported, and the tested curriculums into closer alignment, so that the learned curriculum is maximized” (p. 4). If educators are expected to raise student achievement, then opportunity to learn must be addressed. Questions to Consider prior to the 2009-2010 School Year: 1) Does our school district have a common curriculum? 2) How do educators obtain a copy of the common curriculum? (i.e., online, password protected site, three-ring binder, etc.) 3) Will educators meet prior to the first week of school to guarantee that the curriculum will be provided to each student? 4) How will educators know if students are learning the district’s curriculum? 5) How often will school administrators schedule uninterrupted time for classroom teachers and school staff to discuss curriculum and student understanding? 6) How will teachers communicate about curriculum and instruction with teachers in other schools? (i.e., blog, web site, wiki, Ning, email, videoconferencing, etc.) 7) How will teachers and administrators know if each student had the opportunity to learn the district’s curriculum? References: Carroll, J. B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record 64: 723-733. DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement.Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. English, F.W. (2000). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning, and auditing the curriculum. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Glatthorn, A.A. (1987). Curriculum renewal. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Ravitch, D. (1996). The case for national standards and assessments. The Clearing House 69: 134-36. Curriculum Renewal 07/03/2009
 By July, most school systems have received data from student report cards, state testing results, feedback from parents/guardians, and student portfolios which demonstrate the student's growth from the beginning of the school year until the last day of school. What processes will teachers and administrators use to improve the written and taught curriculum in the upcoming school year? What strategies should be developed to provide additional support to struggling readers? According to Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski, and Flowers (2004), "Most change initiatives that end up going nowhere don't fail because they lack grand visions and noble intentions. They fail because people can't see the reality they face" (p. 29). A tool for identifying the realities faced by a school and one which will help your team determine 'next steps' is a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT Analysis looks at and defines the strengths and weaknesses of the internal environment of the school or school system, as well as the opportunities and threats within the environment external to the organization or organizational unit. Once educators have identified the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, they can build plans to support student achievement. Instructional priorities will based on the outcomes of the SWOT Analysis, rather than focusing on 'what worked' last year. Educators will notice that what is perceived as a threat for the upcoming school year could also be a new opportunity. "Systems don't change by themselves. Rather, the actions of individuals and small groups working on new conceptions intersect to produce breakthroughs" (Fullan, 1993). Resource: SWOT Analysis Template (See attached document) References: Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press. Senge, P., Scharmer, C.O., Jaworski, J., & Flowers, B.S. (2004). Presence: An exploration of profound change in people, organizations, and society. New York: Doubleday. 
National Standards Update 07/03/2009
Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class | AuthorSteven Weber is the Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, NC. Weber has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and state department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina. He consults school systems in aligning their curriculum and in unpacking curriculum standards.  ArchivesMarch 2010 CategoriesAll | ||
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