For Curriculum Developers

District Curriculum Development Process

What is it?

A standards-based curriculum addresses what students should know, be able to do, and be committed to (content and performance standards), how it is taught (instruction), how it is measured (assessment), and how the educational system is organized (context). The result from the process (described below) is a written tool that can help teachers, parents, students and the community understand and support quality education. A standards-based curriculum can also provide an opportunity to develop understanding and ownership by all parties with interests in your educational system.

A strong standards-based curriculum development process is more than expert teachers creating scope and sequence documents with suggested textbooks. Research tells us that identifying and sequencing the content can have a more positive effect on student achievement when it is combined with effective instructional and assessment strategies as well as a supportive school environment.

A standards-based district curriculum should contain:

• Content and performance standards
• Guidelines for effective instruction and best practices
• Suggestions and models of assessments
• Suggestions and recommendations for districts in the following context areas:
• Professional development
• Learning partners
• Equity
• School to work
• Early childhood
• Technology
• Native Ways of Knowing
• Educational accountability with a clear statement of standards and expectations for students, teachers, instructional aides, parents, district officials, and all others who participate in the particular education community
• Suggestions for the rethinking of the conventional structure and schedule of schools in terms of school day, school year, grade levels, subject areas, graduation requirements, student grouping, and physical plant.

When do you revise your curriculum?

Each Alaska school district has its own curriculum development process. However, all Alaskan curriculum plans must be based on a planned cycle of renewal of no longer than six year's duration. Curriculum should be periodically revised to address new research findings and new laws or regulations.

What will a standards-based curriculum committee do?

The expectations of standards-based curriculum development committees cross into what were previously defined as administrative roles. While some curriculum development committees might not have the time, resources, or power to assume all of these roles, they can consider the importance of each of the issues raised in this document and delegate related responsibilities to others who can effect these changes.
Curriculum development committees needs members who can:

• Research effective practices and models
• Gather information about current instruction
• Write appropriate expectations and assessments for all students, at all levels and abilities
• Review policies and behaviors that foster community involvement and equitable opportunities for all; and
• Recommend and develop professional development activities to support the content, instruction, and assessment expectations.

Examples of the types of contribution individuals can make:

School Board Members (serve as strong advocates of curriculum transformation, provide strong public support for standards-based instructional programs and must approve the final curriculum documents)

Superintendent (establishes a support system that promotes risk taking and provides adequate resources for curriculum development professional development, and assessment)

Curriculum Coordinators (collect information and current research and provide leadership in planning and coordinating the curriculum reform effort)

Principals (study research-based instructional issues, promote action research in their schools, support risk taking and creativity in teachers and allocate time and resources for curriculum, instruction and assessment development)

Teachers (collect information on current effective practices in their schools, provide demonstration lessons to the public and their colleagues)

Parents/Community Representatives (share their expertise and experiences, serve as cooperative advisors, editors, and advocates for their children)

Students (help define acceptable levels of expectations and identify motivating practices to improve student participation)

An Outline of a Suggested Curriculum Process

Your committee may choose a different process although it should contain these basic components.

1. Create a Functional and Collaborative Process.
   1. Include diverse members. It is highly recommended that you establish interdisciplinary committees. If you have committees that focus on separate content areas, allow time for collaboration and discussions between the content areas. Suggested members include: District Curriculum Coordinator, Teachers, Parents, Community Representatives, Principals, Library/Media Specialists, Students, District Assessment Specialists, Content Specialists, Business Representatives, University Faculty.
   2. Set up a meeting process. Plan an initial training on group processes to facilitate productive cooperation. Create an environment where all committee members can identify and communicate their roles within the committee, who they represent, and their stake in this change.
   3. Analyze the Alaska content standards and key elements, performance standards and reform suggestions from content specific professional organizations. Become familiar with the basic premises of these documents. (Study groups are effective for this purpose.)
   4. Develop or revise the mission and philosophy statements for the district based on district or state standards.
   5. Develop a timeline for the curriculum revision process. The timeline needs to conform to the six-year review process required by Alaska Statutes. Develop and implement an ongoing, systematic process for evaluating progress.
   6. Develop a way to get the support of local and district personnel and community members. Create a system for soliciting information, communicating your decisions, and receiving teacher and community feedback at each step of the process. (Examples: newsletter, public service announcements, parent bulletin, update at faculty meetings, etc.)
2. Make a Curriculum Inventory. Identify Gaps.
   1. Identify district and state standards, what is currently being taught and the local expertise in the district. (Ex: curriculum mapping)
   2. Solicit the thoughts, recommendations, and feelings about the current strengths and weaknesses and the future curriculum needs from all community members.
   3. Cluster and compare the results of the inventory. Make decisions about what is needed.
3. Develop the Curriculum and Assessment Guidelines.
   1. Establish subcommittees for the different student grouping levels (preschool, primary, intermediate, and middle and high school) or create another process that ensures representation of teachers from all levels.
   2. Review the student content and performance standards, both Alaska and district developed. Review documents created by other Alaskan districts and evaluate for format and content.
   3. Determine expectations and model assessments for each level. Standards must be evaluated by a variety of assessments. Any evaluation process must identify the measurement yardsticks (processes, instruments), the purposes for measuring, the measurement points or descriptors, and the consequences of meeting or not meeting the stated expectations.
   4. Collect or create student models or examples that demonstrate the attainment of student standards.
4. Create Classroom Instructional Models That Support the Curriculum and Assessment Guidelines.
   1. Choose topics that can address one or more standards. Choose some topics that are integrated across several disciplines to provide effective interdisciplinary models.
   2. Choose instructional methods and assessment strategies.
   3. Identify how the instruction will prepare the students to meet the Alaska content and performance standards.
   4. Choose supportive curricular materials and technology.
   5. Ask teachers to pilot specific instructional methods in their classrooms. Solicit feedback and editing.
   6. Revisit your Curriculum and Assessment Guidelines. Modify if necessary.
5. Identify Resources Needed. Determine Budgetary Demands and Priorities.
   1. Support the use or development of facility resources that encourage cooperative work, community connections, and applications in real-life contexts. (Ex. tables promote small-group cooperative activities, access to the world outside of the school building through the Internet and doorways)
   2. Review hiring practices to guarantee that districts recruit highly qualified teachers who are reflective of the local cultures and have specific training in a variety of instructional and assessment strategies.
   3. Provide cultural workshops for all personnel.
6. Provide Professional Development Opportunities for All District/School Personnel.
   1. Provide both method and content classes to all interested parties, including instructional aids and classroom volunteers.
   2. Create networking opportunities through technology among teachers, administrators, and community members on the local, regional and national levels.
   3. Encourage teacher reflection and classroom-based research.
   4. Refer to the Professional Development resources for additional ideas.