K-12 Curriculum Development

March Madness usually refers to NCAA Basketball, office tournament bracket pools, the race to the Final Four and the highlight film which is called One Shining Moment.  On March 4, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 15 states and the District of Columbia will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition.

The Sweet Sixteen Includes:
Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Unlike the NCAA Basketball Tournament, states not qualifying for the Sweet Sixteen are eligible to reapply for Race to The Top Funding.  Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, said "I salute all of the finalists for their hard work. And I encourage non-finalists to reapply for Phase 2 in June—along with the states that did not apply in the first Phase and the finalists who ultimately do not win."

The sixteen finalists are not guaranteed funding, so it is too early to cut the nets and celebrate.  While every college basketball coach creates a game plan for the next round of the tournament, the sixteen finalists will spend the upcoming weeks preparing for a team presentation in Washington, D.C.  The finalists will be invited to DC in mid-March to present their proposals to the panel that reviewed their applications in depth during the initial stage, and to engage in Q&A discussions with the reviewers.

The purpose of the finalist stage is to allow reviewers to ensure that each state has the understanding, knowledge, capacity, and the will to truly deliver on what is proposed. The presentations will be videotaped and posted for viewing on the Department's website at the end of Phase 1.

Winners for phase 1 will be chosen from among the 16 finalists and announced in April.  Applications for phase 2 will be due on June 1 of this year, with finalists announced in August and winners in September. The only states prohibited from applying in phase 2 are those that receive awards in phase 1.

Click here to view Arne Duncan's official announcement of the Race to the Top Finalists (Sweet Sixteen).  (Length: 48 seconds)

Through Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education is asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas:

• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.
  
  Race to the Top Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  This document will provide readers with additional background information on the Race to the Top notics of final priorities requirements, definitions, and selection criteria (NFP). 

As we enter the second semester, many teachers and administrators are meeting around the country to determine the best use of time for the remainder of the school year.  Some staff members call this pacing, some call it curriculum alignment and some staff may even call it survival.

What should every student know and be able to do?
This may be the most fundamental question asked by K-12 curriculum developers. At this point in the school year, it may feel like a race to Spring Break, followed by a final sprint to summer vacation.  According to Jay McTighe (2010), "The most successful teaching begins with clarity about important learning outcomes and about the evidence that will show that learning has occurred" (p. 274).

What can school administrators do?
Provide classroom teachers with uninterrupted time during the workday or on early release days to focus on curriculum development and curriculum revision.  Many teachers state that they desire to participate in collaborative conversations, but the central office staff or the building administrators conduct so many other meetings that curriculum conversations get lost in the shuffle. 

What can teachers do? 
Using Web 2.0 tools such as a curriculum blog, wiki, threaded discussion, Skype or Google docs will allow teachers to communicate with their grade level and with teachers in other disciplines and across the school district.  While this is no substitute for the time that administrators should provide teachers, these online tools make communication possible 24/7.  Collaborative decisions can be made prior to the meeting and the online collaboration will allow each teacher to use face-to-face meetings for the topics that require a face-to-face meeting.

Why is K-12 Curriculum Development important?
"Curriculum for school districts is no longer 'just nice to have.'  Curriculum is a necessity for furthering student achievement.  Further, school districts through their curricula, have the tools at their disposal to control and ensure what students learn" (Squires, 2009, p. 133).

K-12 curriculum development allows educators to identify key concepts and skills, identify important content, reflect on student understandings and misunderstandings, and create plans for ensuring student success at the next grade level or level of learning.  The end of the school year is filled with awards assemblies, guest speakers, fundraisers, grade level parties, field day, job shadow day, spring break, AP exams, state assessments and other events.  These events happen each year and we should be prepared to balance our instruction around interruptions.  Wiggins and McTighe (2005), wrote, “In the absence of a learning plan with clear goals, how likely is it that students will develop shared understandings on which future lessons might build” (p. 21)? 

If your school system does not have a common curriculum, select one of the following strategies and watch student achievement soar:

1.   Unwrap State and National Standards

2.   Begin Curriculum Mapping

3.   Clarify Content Priorities

4.   Determine what you will Stop Teaching

5.   Write Generalizations/Enduring Understandings/or Learning Outcomes for
      each unit of study and for each course

6.   Identify Areas where the Curriculum can be Integrated

7.   Use a Share Drive, Google Docs, or other Online Tool to Communicate what is
      essential


8.   Develop a commitment to "guarantee" certain parts of the curriculum to all
      students

9.   If your district already has a common curriculum, begin to develop
      assessments to identify student strengths and weaknesses.

10. Begin to conduct vertical conversations to discuss what students should know
      when they enter your course and what they need to know at the next grade
      level.  These conversations can be handled online in the beginning and
      teachers can get together at the end of the school year to discuss next
      steps.  It may be impossible to have a district meeting in the spring, but 
      Web 2.0 tools make communication possible and efficient.  Skype,
      Dim Dim, and other free tools make face-to-face communiction possible and
      teachers don't have to leave their classroom.   

If you have thoughts regarding K-12 Curriculum Development or additional strategies that you use in your school, please join the conversation and share how your school or district provides time for teachers to collaborate to identify what every student should know and be able to do.


References:

McTighe, J. (2010). Understanding by design and instruction. In Marzano, R. (Ed.),
         On excellence in teaching. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.  

Squires, D.A. (2009). Curriculum alignment: Research-based strategies for
        increasing student achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Alexandria,
        VA: ASCD.

February 1, 2010, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the day the Greensboro Four held a sit-in at the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. At 8:00 a.m. (EST), a ribbon cutting ceremony took place in Greensboro, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary and the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Museum.  On February 1, I was able to tour the International Civil Rights Museum with my thirteen year old son.  

We saw exhibits which focused on segregated schools, lunch counters, movie theaters, churches, hotels, and public transportation.  We took a tour through the Hall of Shame, which featured graphic photos and reminders of hate crimes that took place throughout our nation's history.  The museum will serve as an learning laboratory for all ages.

The Little Rock Nine were featured in the new museum, along with James Meredith's admission to the University of Mississippi.  Revisiting the Civil Rights Movement reminds us of how far we have come as a nation, but it also reminds us how far we have to go.  

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the court stated,

"Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society.....Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms."

Opportunity to Learn
Visiting the International Civil Rights Museum reminded me of our nation's commitment to provide free public education to all students.  While we are delivering on the intent of Brown v. Board of Education, we must continue to increase each student's Opportunity to Learn (OTL).

If educators agree that all students should be prepared for the next grade level and the goal is for 100% of our students to graduate, then we should develop a clear idea of how to support student achievement.  Robert Marzano (2003) cited several factors which impact student achievement.  He divided the factors into the following categories: School Level, Teacher Level, and Student Level.  His thirty year meta-analysis revealed that the number one factor impacting student achievement is a 'guaranteed and viable curriculum.'  In other words, according to Marzano's research, Opportunity to Learn is the number one factor impacting student achievement.

Recently, Squires (2009) wrote, "It is of paramount importance to make sure students have the opportunity to learn more important content aligned with standards and assessments.....Further, school districts, through their curricula, have the tools at their disposal to control and ensure what students learn" (p. 133).  Developing specific strategies which support Opportunity to Learn will impact student achievement.  Over forty years of research supports that "access to curriculum opportunities is a more powerful determinant of achievement than initial achievement levels" (Darling-Hammond, 2010, p. 54).  As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins and the courage of the Greensboro Four, we must act courageously to provide the opportunity to learn to each student in the United States and throughout the world.

References:

Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's
        commitment to equity will determine our future. New York: Teacher's College
        Press.

Marzano, R. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action.
       Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Squires, D.A. (2009). Curriculum alignment: Research-based strategies for increasing
       student achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

According to Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948),

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.

W.E.B. DuBois provides us with a powerful reminder of the moral obligation of educators:

"Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental....The freedom to learn....has been bought by bitter sacrifice.  And whatever we may think of the curtailment of other civil rights, we should fight to the last ditch to keep open the right to learn, the right to have examined in our schools not only what we believe, but what we do not believe; not only what our leaders say, but what the leaders of other centuries have said.  We must insist upon this to give our children the fairness of a start which will equip them with such an array of facts and such an attitude toward truth that they can have a real chance to judge what the world is and what its greater minds have thought it might be." 

- W.E.B. DuBois, The Freedom to Learn (1949)
as cited in The Right to Learn: A Blueprint for Creating Schools That Work (Darling-Hammond, 1997)

Conclusion:
All students should receive a guaranteed and viable curriculum (Marzano).  If the received curriculum varies from one class to the next, then it will be difficult for teachers at the next grade level to build on prior knowledge and understandings.  One of the goals of teaching is to ensure close alignment between the intended, taught, assessed, and received curricula.

Questions to Consider:

1.  Does your school have a guaranteed and viable curriculum?

2.  How is the intended curriculum different from the received
     curriculum?

3.  Do teachers implement the written curriculum/intended curriculum or do
     teachers create curriculum in isolation?

4.  Ask yourself, would I want my son or daughter to experience
    the watered-down curriculum and miss out on parts of the district's 
    intended curriculum?
 
What the best and wisest parent wants for his or her own child, that must the community want, for all of its children.

         John Dewey
         As cited by Gene Carter, Executive Director ASCD
         ASCD Education Update - December 2006, p. 2

On January, 18, 2010, people across the United States and throughout the world will pause to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968).  As a pastor, father, communicator, and community leader, Dr. King encouraged Americans to provide equal opportunities regardless of race.  It took education nearly fifty years to make the transition from segregated schools to integrated schools.  Dr. King's leadership and the efforts of countless others who believed in equal rights helped provide educational opportunities for all students.  In 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled, "We conclude that the doctrine of 'seperate but equal' has no place.  Seperate educational facilities are inherently unequal" (Chief Justice Earl Warren in Brown v. Board of Education).

In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  This letter was written on April 16, 1963, approximatly nine years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.  Dr. King challenged seperate facilities for whites and blacks.  He also emphasized that a quality education should not be denied to any child.  The ongoing work of K-12 curriculum development focuses on reaching each child and supporting the priorities identified in state and local curriculum documents. 

Recently, I read a book written by Malcolm Gladwell titled, Outliers. Gladwell (2008) wrote, "Marita doesn't need a brand new school with acres of playing fields and gleaming facilities. She doesn't need a laptop, a smaller class, a teacher with a PhD, or a bigger apartment......All those things would be nice, of course. But they miss the point. Marita just needed a chance" (p. 268-269).  As we remember the legacy of Dr. King, educators can focus on "Opportunity to Learn" in each school.  Do African American students have access to advanced courses or do AP and Honors courses look like a school within a school (See Advancing Minority High Achievement, College Board, Feb. 2000)?  Do teachers have beliefs about students which cause them to have lower expectations for some students?  Do students receive a rigorous curriculum on both sides of town, or does a rigorous curriculum depend on school assignment or the neighborhood school?  Does injustice still exist in our school district?  How can injustice be addressed in our school district?  Does the achievement gap (which is a nationwide dilemma - See Facts on Achievement Gap, Harvard University) cause us to evaluate our current teaching practices in an effort to reach more students?  Do more African American students drop out of school?  How can we make Martin Luther King Day a day to focus on improving education for all students?  What other questions does our school district need to ask?

"As June approaches, with its graduation ceremonies and speeches, a thought suggests itself...Whatever career you may choose for yourself--doctor, l awyer, teacher--let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it. Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life. It will make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better teacher. It will enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can. It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man . Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in."                                                         -- Martin Luther King, Jr. , 18th April, 1959


Resources for educators which address Brown v. Board of Education (1954) are available at:

http://www.landmarkcases.org
This site was developed to provide teachers with a full range of resources and activities to support the teaching of landmark Supreme Court cases, helping students explore the key issues of each case.  These resources include photos, speeches, political cartoons, DBQ's, Questions to Consider, and additional primary sources. 

The article below introduces educators to Purpose-Driven Curriculum and Instruction.  If you wish to build a Purpose-Driven Curriculum, take a moment to ask yourself and a co-worker or team of co-workers the Eight Questions Which Drive the Work of a Purpose-Driven School System (attached).

When parents and guardians send their students to school they want teachers to teach for understanding.  Simply assigning worksheets, fill-in-the blank, crossword puzzles, or other time killers will not support student understanding of key concepts and essential skills.  Most teachers would be insulted by the previous statement, because most professional teachers work extremely hard developing lesson plans, hands-on learning, ongoing assessments, and activities which will engage students.

Wiggins and McTighe (2005), identified the "Twin Sins" of curriculum development as activity-focused teaching and coverage-focused teaching.  Extremely hard working teachers can err on the side of developing such fun activities that the students end up remembering the activities and not the key concepts.  In today's high-stakes era of testing and accountability teachers feel pressure to 'cover' material, rather than teach for understanding.  Covering material may indicate that a teacher has taught content or checked off each state standard, but it does not mean that student understanding took place.

If you want to make a long-term impact on student understanding, consider reading one or more of the following books with a team of educators:

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R. (Eds.). (1999). 
          How people learn: Brain,mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.:
          National Academies Press. 

Erickson, H.L. (2007). Concept-based curriculum and instruction for the thinking
          classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future. Boston, MA: Harvad Business School
          Press.

Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and
          understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.).
          Alexandria, VA: ASCD.


I would like to know the names of other titles that you feel worthy of mentioning under the topic of teaching for understanding.  I look forward to reviewing your feedback!

View Colbert Report
Aired on October 5, 2009

View this short clip for a a little laughter and an interview with Secretrary of Education Arne Duncan.  Since 1997, Colbert was the longest-tenured and most diverse correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." He helped the show win numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards as an on-air personality and writer for the news satire. "The Colbert Report" has been touted by The New York Times as "one of the best television shows of the year" and praised as "The Best Show of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly. "The Colbert Report" has garnered ratings and critical success as one of the top shows on television.