Fayette County Schools shared their 2nd and 3rd grade vocational studies curriculum maps and the description below.
Fayette County Schools
Vocational Studies
FCPS began a curriculum mapping project after conducting a needs assessment with school-level leadership teams across the district. In addition to assistance with curriculum development, school leaders identified a need for additional assistance in development of assessment items, instructional strategies, resources, etc. Thus the two-part format for the FCPS Recommended Curriculum Map and Framework was developed.
Building on existing curriculum development documents, district curriculum content specialists began "layering" content areas beginning with assessment years. For example, Math curriculum was mapped at the 8th grade level first, then backed down through 7th, 6th, eventually to Kindergarten. To work "horizontally," content-area specialists used the identical process, but within grade levels adjusted the "maps" to include adequate opportunities for interdisciplinary teams to develop Standards-Based Units of Study.
Most schools in Fayette County have adopted the recommended product as a beginning point, and have begun adjusting timelines and content "selections" to meet the needs of individual school and/or classroom populations. While the original product was completed for K-8th grades, beginning in 2004-2005 staff will collaborate with high schools to develop 9th-12th grade products as well.
In addition, FCPS is putting emphasis on development of assessment items (in collaboration with the helpful staff of the Jefferson County Public Schools) to be matched to the "map" to better allow teachers to use strong assessment items within the flow of their teaching. A more distant part of that work will be to develop benchmark student work samples, tied again to the curriculum map product. Finally, FCPS will begin assisting schools in the development of sample, high-quality standards-based units of study.
In the end FCPS hopes to have a product that fully puts in place content and performance standards that established a rigorous, interesting curriculum with which our students may work.