602 - Curriculum Development

602 - Curriculum Development dawn.gibson.cm… Fri, 02/19/2021 - 10:01

602.1 - Curriculum Development

Curriculum development is an ongoing process in the school district and consists of both research and design. Research is the studious inquiry and critical investigation of the various content areas for the purpose of revising and improving curriculum and instruction based on relevant information pertaining to the discipline. This study is conducted both internally (what and how we are currently doing at the local level) and externally (what national standards, professional organizations, recognized experts, current research, etc. tell us relative to the content area). Design is the deliberate process of planning and selecting the standards and instructional strategies that will improve the learning experiences for all students. The board delegates the curriculum development process to the superintendent, who will make curriculum development recommendations and submit them to the board for final approval.

A systematic approach to curriculum development (careful research, design, and articulation of the curriculum) serves several purposes:

Focuses attention on the content standards of each discipline and ensures the identified learnings are rigorous, challenging, and represent the most important learnings for our students.
Increases the probability that students will acquire the desired knowledge, skills, and dispositions and that our schools will be successful in providing appropriate learning experiences.
Facilitates communication and coordination.
Improves classroom instruction.

The superintendent and the Director of School Improvement are responsible for the curriculum development process and for determining the most effective method of conducting research and design activities. A curriculum framework will describe the processes and procedures that will be followed in researching, designing, and articulating each curriculum area. This framework will, at a minimum, describe the processes and procedures for the following curriculum development activities to:

Study the latest thinking, trends, research, and expert advice regarding the content/discipline;
Study the current status of the content/discipline (what and how well students are currently learning);
Identify content standards, benchmarks, and grade level expectations for the content/discipline;
Describe the desired learning behaviors, teaching, and learning environment related to the content/discipline;
Identify differences in the desired and present program and develop a plan for addressing the differences;
Communicate with internal and external publics regarding the content area;
Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum development decisions;
Verify how the standards and benchmarks of the content/discipline support each of the broader student learning goals and provide a K-12 continuum that builds on the prior learning of each level.
Ensure proposed curriculum complies with applicable laws.
Align annual improvement goals with needs assessment information.

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent and the Director of School Improvement to keep the board apprised of necessary curriculum revisions, progress of each content area related to curriculum development activities, and to develop administrative regulations for curriculum development including recommendations to the board.

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 1232h.

34 C.F.R. Pt. 98.

Iowa Code §§ 216.9, 256.7, 279.8, 280.3.

281 I.A.C. 12.8(1)(c)(1).

Cross Reference: 101 Educational Philosophy of the School District

105 Long-Range Needs Assessment

505 Student Scholastic Achievement

602 Curriculum Development

603 Instructional Curriculum

604.11 Online Courses

605 Instructional Materials

Approved: 11/01/2004

Reviewed: 03/17/2008, 10/15/2012, 11/18/2013, 09/15/2014, 11/20/2017, 07/15/2019, 12/19/2022

Revised: 10/15/2012, 11/18/2013, 09/15/2014, 07/15/2019, 12/19/2022

dawn.gibson.cm… Tue, 02/23/2021 - 10:49

602.1R1 - Curriculum Development Regulation

School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC)

The School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) is a representative group of district personnel and community members that advises the Board of Education, through the superintendent and the Director of School Improvement, in matters concerning the school program. The SIAC makes professional decisions pertaining to curriculum, instruction, and student learning. The SIAC also serves as a sounding board for certified personnel in curriculum/instruction matters. The SIAC does not make managerial decisions related to buildings, personnel, budgets, or other agenda items reserved for the administrative team, building principals, or site councils.

To meet requirements of Iowa Code section 280.12(2) as amended by 2007 Iowa Acts, Senate File 427, section 2, the board will appoint and charge a school improvement advisory committee to make recommendations to the board. Based on the committee members’ analysis of the needs assessment data, they will make recommendations to the board about the following components:

1. Major educational needs;

2. Student learning goals;

3. Long-range goals that include, but are not limited to, the state indicators that address reading, mathematics, and science achievement; and

4. Harassment or bullying prevention goals, programs, training, and other initiatives.

The SIAC will consist of members representing the following: parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members. To the extent possible, committee membership will have balanced representation of the following: race, gender, national origin, and disability.

Meetings

General Procedures: The SIAC will meet a minimum of four times a year for the purpose of carrying out its functions. Primary meeting dates will be established and noted on the administrative calendar. Members will be informed no later than September 15th of all regular meeting dates for the coming school year. Notification of all extra meetings will be given at least five days prior to the meeting. Special meetings may be called as needed by the Director of School Improvement, superintendent, or at least five members of the SIAC.

Decision-Making Process: All decisions will be by consensus of those members present. Consensus principles and guidelines are outlined in Appendix A.

Quorum: A quorum constitutes a simple majority of the total membership. Meetings will not be conducted unless a quorum is present.

Channels of Communication: All recommendations of the SIAC will be presented to the Board of Education by the Director of School Improvement. In the event that the Director of School Improvement does not support the recommendations of the SIAC, the superintendent and a designee of the SIAC will present the views of the SIAC to the Board.

Agenda Development and Procedure: Agenda items for consideration by the SIAC may be proposed by the members, by district personnel, the superintendent or by members of the Board of Education. The items should be submitted to the Director of School Improvement at least ten working days prior to the scheduled meeting of the council. The agenda and notification of the meeting will be distributed to members of the SIAC, one copy per building for posting, and to each member of the Board of Education. Distribution will occur at least three working days prior to the scheduled meeting. The director will determine the priority of agenda items.

Maintaining Meeting Records: Minutes of all meetings will be recorded and kept on file by the secretary. Minutes will be forwarded to the Director of School Improvement, SIAC members, the superintendent, members of the Board of Education, and to each building for posting.

Amendments

The mission statement, long-range plan, and the policy document are subject to review at the end of each year. If changes, corrections, or updating are determined to be necessary after this analysis, then the SIAC will make the amendments following the standard procedure for decision making.

Personnel

Director of School Improvement: The position of Director of School Improvement will be a permanent one, and the position will be filled through regular district personnel procedures.

The Chairperson of the SIAC: The Director of School Improvement serves as chairperson of the SIAC, with the following specific duties:

1. presides at all regular meetings

2. prepares agendas for all regular meetings

3. provides for notification of all meetings

4. calls all special meetings

5. assists in conducting inservice activities

6. oversees selection of SIAC members according to the policy document and provides their training, using current SIAC members as resources

7. monitors attendance of SIAC members

8. receives all written resignations from SIAC members

9. represents the SIAC at all Board of Education meetings and other appropriate public functions, or appoints a SIAC member to do so

10. assures that all district committees adhere to the goals of the mission statement and the long-range plan

11. distributes minutes of all meetings to SIAC members, superintendent, Board of Education, and to all buildings for posting.

Secretary: The Director of School Improvement and superintendent will select an individual who may be a member of the SIAC to serve as secretary. The duties of the secretary include these provisions:

1. attends all meetings of the SIAC

2. takes accurate and thorough notes of proceedings

3. types and duplicates notifications and minutes of all meetings and provides to Director of School Improvement for distribution.

4. maintains all SIAC minutes, correspondence, and other pertinent documents.

5. performs necessary secretarial tasks for the timely completion of SIAC and subject area committee projects

6. demonstrates a willingness to work closely and cooperatively with the Director of School Improvement and all SIAC members for the success of the curriculum development process

Members of the SIAC

The members of the SIAC will be representative of district personnel and parent/community members. District personnel members of the SIAC will be selected on the basis of interest and experience.

Parent/community members will be selected according to interest and availability. Principals will be asked for their input on teacher applicants and will periodically be asked to make recommendations. The Director of School Improvement will work with the superintendent in making the final selections. The Board of Education must approve all new members. Member replacement will be made to maintain appropriate representation. Additional provisions are these:

Terms: Members will serve for a two-year term and may reapply for subsequent terms.

2. Resignation: A SIAC member may resign at any time. A letter of resignation will be written and submitted by the resigning member to the Director of School Improvement at least one regular meeting prior to the effective date of the resignation. The vacancy will be filled from eligible persons according to the selection procedures.

3. Composition and Representation: Member selection should provide for a variety of personal and professional traits, assuring that all grade levels and professional categories are represented. There will be:

primary teachers (PreK-2) 1

intermediate teachers (3-6) 1

junior high teachers (7-8) 1

high school teachers (9-12) 2

classified personnel 1

parent/community persons 3 (1 parent from each building)

high school counselor* 1

principals* 4

superintendent* 1

Director of School Improvement* 1

board member** 1

students 2

Total 19

* These members are on the SIAC by virtue of their positions; they do not apply for membership.

** The Board of Education selects one of its members to serve on the SIAC.

4. Stipends: The district SIAC members will each be paid a stipend for attending meetings that exceed or are outside their contract of employment. A district member may also serve as a chairperson or a committee member for a subject area committee, and will receive a stipend for that work according to the same guidelines. In accordance with board policy, administrative personnel may not receive stipends. Stipend amounts will be issued in accordance with the policies of the Board of Education.

5. Duties of an Individual District SIAC Member:

a. attends all regularly scheduled meetings of the SIAC and assigned subject area committee

b. maintains a positive communication between SIAC and building faculties, emphasizing teacher

ownership of curriculum planning

6. Duties of the SIAC as a Working Group:

a. acts as the communication link among the district staff, superintendent, and Board of Education; and promotes and encourages communication among buildings and levels within the district

b. establishes meeting dates and length of meetings

c. sets and prioritizes goals for the year

d. reviews the district mission statement on a yearly basis and makes revisions when appropriate

e. assures that the district’s mission statement is a working mission statement used in all district decision-making circumstances

f. develops a long-range plan for curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation - with an annual review of progress and direction

g. discusses and possibly modifies student progress reports

h. reviews the latest trends and developments in curriculum and instruction and makes decisions regarding their applicability in the district

Appendix A

Consensus Guidelines and Principles

1. Every person’s opinion is valuable and needs to be heard.

2. The goal is communication, understanding, and supportive unity.

3. Each member needs to be open to others’ perspectives.

4. Questions need to be asked back and forth in order to gain a more accurate understanding of others’ opinions.

5. One member may block or stop a decision. If a member disagrees, he/she is not to “give in” just to reach easier agreement or to avoid controversy.

6. If a disagreement continues in the decision-making process, the following actions or alternatives may be followed:

a. restate each position, including added thoughts from each side of the disagreement, to bring more information or understanding to consideration

b. withdraw the problem

c. postpone the decision

d. develop a compromise or provisional solution

e. make the decision on a trial basis

7. Voting will be used only when consensus cannot be reached and a decision must be made according to an immediate timeframe. In that case, simple majority will rule.

dawn.gibson.cm… Tue, 02/23/2021 - 10:55

602.2 - Curriculum Implementation

Without careful and continuing attention to implementation, planned changes in curriculum and instruction rarely succeed as intended. How change is put into practice, to a large extent, determines how well it fares.

Implementation refers to what actually happens in practice as compared to what was supposed to happen. Curriculum implementation includes the provision of organized assistance to staff in order to ensure that the newly developed curriculum and the most powerful instructional strategies are actually delivered at the classroom level. There are two components of any implementation effort that must be present to guarantee the planned changes in curriculum and instruction succeed as intended:

Understanding the conceptual framework of the content/discipline being implemented; and,
Organized assistance to understand the theory, observe exemplary demonstrations, have opportunities to practice, and receive coaching and feedback focused on the most powerful instructional strategies to deliver the content at the classroom level.

The superintendent is responsible for curriculum implementation and for determining the most effective way of providing organized assistance and monitoring the level of implementation. A curriculum framework will describe the processes and procedures that will be followed to assist all staff in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement the developed curriculum in each content area. This framework will, at a minimum, describe the processes and procedures for the following curriculum implementation activities to:

Study and identify the best instructional practices and materials to deliver the content;
Describe procedures for the purchase of instructional materials and resources. See Policy 605.1;
Identify/develop exemplars that demonstrate the learning behaviors, teaching, and learning environment to deliver the content;
Study the current status of instruction in the content area (how teachers are teaching);
Compare the desired and present delivery system, identify differences (gap analysis), and develop a plan for addressing the differences;
Organize staff into collaborative study teams to support their learning and implementation efforts (address the gaps);
Provide ongoing professional development related to instructional strategies and materials that focuses on theory, demonstration, practice and feedback;
Regularly monitor and assess the level of implementation;

Communicate with internal and external publics regarding curriculum implementation;
Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum implementation decisions.
Ensure the curriculum framework complies with applicable laws.
Provide professional development to staff to support effective curriculum implementation.

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent to keep the board apprised of curriculum implementation activities, progress of each content area related to curriculum implementation activities, and to develop administrative regulations for curriculum implementation including recommendations to the board.

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 1232h
                                      34 C.F.R. pt. 98
                                      Iowa Code §§ 216.9, 256.7, 279.8, 74, 280.3
                                      281 I.A.C. 12.8

Cross Reference: 101      Educational Philosophy of the School District
                                      105      Long-Range Needs Assessment
                                      505      Student Scholastic Achievement
                                      602      Curriculum Development
                                      603      Instructional Curriculum

Approved 11/1/2004 Reviewed 03/17/2008 Revised 11/21/2022
10/15/2012
11/20/2017

11/21/2022

dawn.gibson.cm… Tue, 02/23/2021 - 11:07

602.3 - Curriculum Evaluation

Regular evaluation of the total curriculum is necessary to ensure that the written and delivered curriculum is having the desired effect for students.

Curriculum evaluation refers to an ongoing process of collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting information to aid in understanding what students know and can do. It refers to the full range of information gathered in the School District to evaluate (make judgments about) student learning and program effectiveness in each content area.

Curriculum evaluation must be based on information gathered from a comprehensive assessment system that is designed for accountability and committed to the concept that all students will achieve at high levels, is standards-based, and informs decisions which impact significant and sustainable improvements in teaching and student learning.

The superintendent is responsible for curriculum evaluation and for determining the most effective way of ensuring that assessment activities are integrated into instructional practices as part of school improvement with a particular focus on improving teaching and learning. A curriculum framework will describe the procedures that will be followed to establish an evaluation process that can efficiently and effectively evaluate the total curriculum. This framework will, at a minimum, describe the procedures for the following curriculum evaluation activities:

Identify specific purposes for assessing student learning;
Develop a comprehensive assessment plan;
Select/develop assessment tools and scoring procedures that are valid and reliable;
Identify procedures for collecting assessment data;
Identify procedures for analyzing and interpreting information and drawing conclusions based on the data (including analysis of the performance of various sub-groups of students);
Identify procedures for establishing at least three levels of performance (specific to the content standard and the assessment tool when appropriate) to assist in determining whether students have achieved at a satisfactory level (at least two levels describe performance that is proficient or advanced and at least one level describes students who are not yet performing at the proficient level);
Identify procedures for using assessment information to determine long-range and annual improvement goals;
Identify procedures for using assessment information in making decisions focused on improving teaching and learning (data-based decision making);
Provide support to staff in using data to make instructional decisions;
Define procedures for regular and clear communication about assessment results to the various internal and external publics (mandatory for communication about students receiving special education services);
Define data reporting procedures;
Verify that assessment tools are fair for all students and are consistent with all state and federal mandates;
Verify that assessment tools measure the curriculum that is written and delivered;
Identify procedures for deciding when multiple assessment measures are necessary for making good decisions and drawing appropriate conclusions about student learning;
Identify roles and responsibilities of key groups;
Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum evaluation;
Ensure participation of eligible students receiving special education services in district-wide assessments.
Ensure curriculum complies with applicable laws.

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent to keep the board apprised of curriculum evaluation activities, the progress of each content area related to curriculum evaluation activities, and to develop administrative regulations for curriculum evaluation including recommendations to the board.

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 1232h (1994).
                                      34 C.F.R. pt. 98 (2002).
                                      Iowa Code §§ 216.9, 256.7, 279.8, 280.3-.14 (2003).
                                      281 I.A.C. 12.8(1)(c)(1).

Approved 11/1/2004 Reviewed 03/17/2008 Revised
10/15/2012
11/20/2017

dawn.gibson.cm… Tue, 02/23/2021 - 11:09

602.4 - Pilot - Experimental - Innovative Projects

The board welcomes new ideas in curriculum. Proposals for pilot or experimental projects will first be reviewed and analyzed by the superintendent. Projects recommended by the superintendent will be considered by the board. Pilot and experimental projects approved by the board, the Iowa Department of Education, or the U. S. Department of Education may be utilized in the education program.

Students, who may be or are asked to participate in a research or experimental project or program, must have their parents' written consent on file prior to participating in the project or program. A research or experimental program or project requiring parents' prior written consent is a program or project designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. These programs or projects will be designated as research or experimental projects or programs. The educational materials of a program or project designated as a research or experimental program or project may be inspected and reviewed by the parents of the students participating or being considered for participation in the program or project. The inspection and review by the parents will be in accordance with board policy 605.2, "Instructional Materials Inspection."

It will be the responsibility of the superintendent to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 1232h (1994).
                                      34 C.F.R. Pt. 98 (2002).
                                      Iowa Code §§ 279.8, .10; 280.3-.14 (2003).
                                      281 I.A.C. 12.5.

Cross Reference: 602 Curriculum Development
603 Instructional Curriculum

Approved 11/1/2004 Reviewed 03/17/2008 Revised 11/21/2022
10/15/2012
11/20/2017

11/21/2022

dawn.gibson.cm… Tue, 02/23/2021 - 11:11