The school develops and implements a curriculum that is rigorous, intentional, and aligned to state and local standards.
Performance Expectation:
Recognize and encourage implementation of good instructional practices that motivate and increase student achievement.
Indicators for this Standard:
1.1a - Aligned with academic expectations, core content, program of studies
There is evidence that the curriculum is aligned with Academic Expectations, Core Content for Assessment, Transformations, and the Program of Studies.
1.1b - Discussions among schools regarding curriculum standards
The district initiates and facilitates discussions among schools regarding curriculum standards to ensure they are clearly articulated across all levels (P-12).
1.1c - Discussions among schools to eliminate overlaps, close gaps
The district initiates and facilitates discussions between schools in the district in order to eliminate unnecessary overlaps and close gaps.
1.1d - Vertical communication with focus on key transition points
There is evidence of vertical communication with an intentional focus on key curriculum transition points within grade configurations (e.g., from primary to middle and middle to high).
1.1e - Links to continuing education, life and career options
The school curriculum provides specific links to continuing education, life, and career options.
1.1f - Process to monitor, evaluate and review curriculum
There is in place a systematic process for monitoring, evaluating, and reviewing the curriculum.
1.1g - Common academic core for all students
The curriculum provides access to a common academic core for all students.
Key Relationships with Other State and National Standards:
Kentucky's Standards and Indicators for School Improvement
Standard 7: Leadership - School/district instructional decisions focus on support for teaching and learning, organizational direction, high performance expectations, creating a learning culture, and developing leadership capacity.
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC)
Standard 1: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community.
North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium
National Technology Standard for School Administrators:
Standard II - Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
Resources and Activities for this Standard:
Although there are many resources available for the individual school leader, the partners of this leadership initiative recommend that the following resources be explored:
Books:
Curriculum Mapping: Charting the Course for Content,
by Heidi Hayes Jacob
Dance of Change, by Peter Senge
Democracy in Education, by John Dewey
Developing a Quality Curriculum, by Allan Al Glatthorn
The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners,
by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Design and Implementation,
by Heidi Hayes Jacob
New Meaning of Educational Change, by Michael Fullan
Schools That Learn, by Peter Senge
Shaking up th Schoolhouse, by Phillip Schlechty
Staying Centered: Curriculum Leadership in a Turbulent Era,
by Steven Gross
Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Winning Strategies for Classroom Management, by Carol Cummings
KDE Resources:
KDE eSource
Examples of topics in this collection include: African American, Asian, Native American, and Latino History & Culture; Civil and Human Rights Materials; Gender and Cultural Sensitivity Information; Violence Prevention Information; Lesson Planning and Curriculum Tools, Implementation Strategies, and Techniques and Disability Information.
Kentucky's Implementation Manual for the Program of Studies
The Implementation Manual for the Program of Studies provides both general information on implementing educational programs and specific suggestions on how to design courses using the content from the Program of Studies for Kentucky Schools Primary - 12.
Kentucky's Core Content for Assessment
Core Content for Assessment - version 3.0, September 1999, represents the content that has been identified as essential for all students to know and will be included on the state assessment. This content is designed for use with, not instead of, Kentucky's Academic Expectations and Program of Studies to provide the focus for the development of the Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT).
The Standards & Indicators for School Improvement (SISI)
The Standards and Indicators for School Improvement define the elements of whole school improvement that schools can put into effect at the elementary, middle and high school levels in order to produce desired learning results.
Variance Points Identified by the Scholastic Audit and Reveiw Process
Vairance Points were found in successful schools based on the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement. They can be defined as those indicators where results vary greatly from Level 3 to Successful schools.
Student Performance Standards
In June, 2001, the Kentucky Board of Education accepted new performance standards that resulted from a comprehensive process involving more than 1,600 Kentucky teachers, various advisory groups, and which provided for public input. These new standards set the stage for the work that lies ahead of Kentucky's educators: To improve the academic achievement of all our students.
Contacts:
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
ASCD Home Page
Kentucky Association of School Councils (KASC): Sample SBDM Policies with reference to the SISI Document
KASC Home Page