Westport Community Schools

Curriculum Leadership June 13, 2012

To develop an integrated, cohesive and rigorous curriculum, instruction and assessment system that ensures student achievement.

Mission: What is our purpose?

Our vision is a cohesive and coherent curriculum, instruction and assessment system that will enhance the education of all Westport students. This system will be easily accessed and understood by all school constituents, including students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. The curriculum, instruction and assessment system will be continuously evaluated to ensure academic excellence across all grade levels and disciplines for all students.

Vision: Where do we see ourselves in 5 years?

What do students need to know and be able to do?

•How will we know they have learned it?

•What will we do when they haven’t?

•What will we do when they already know it?

Our Critical Questions

What is a coherent curriculum? A coherent curriculum is one that holds

together, that makes sense as a whole; and it’s parts, whatever they are, are unified and connected by the sense of the whole.

-James Beane (1999)

Why do we need a coherent curriculum?

To develop learning goals PreK-12 that will improve curricular and instructional articulation, communication and student achievement. Students, parents, community members, and teachers will know what is expected of Westport students.

To allow us to have a clear understanding of what students are learning and when, leading to increased opportunities for integration, enhancing our students’ abilities to make connections.

Curriculum Council The role of the Curriculum Council is to act as an

advisory group on curriculum matters and global issues for the School Committee and Administration of the Westport Community Schools District. Its mission is to provide a forum within the District to study, analyze, discuss and ultimately recommend the possibilities and/or alternatives for curriculum matters and global issues in the District. The Council serves the District as the main vehicle to review and reconsider additions, deletions, and changes to the District’s curricula. Finally, it encompasses in its activities a representation of the stakeholders within the District.

Vertical Teams

Overarching goal:

To increase the quality of instruction and rigor at all grade levels in all content areas.

Deliverable Products:

Defined exemplary skills and content at each grade level, PreK-12

Measurable performance benchmarks in skills and content PreK-12

High quality units of instruction that explicitly teach to the defined skills and content and include best practices and common assessments

Vertical Teaming Connects schools through curriculum,

instruction & assessment alignment utilizing backward planning.

Allows each grade level teacher to know what curriculum is taught both before and after his/her class. The teacher builds on that prior learning with the knowledge that the curriculum has been taught, and knows what lies ahead for students.

Defines the vertical sequencing of the curriculum, which cuts down on review and repetition.

Provides for alignment within and across grade levels. The alignment is both horizontal and vertical in that teachers within any grade level know what is to be taught, as well as both what has been and what will be taught.

Starting Question for Vertical Teams

What and where are the best units and instructional practices taking place and how do we replicate those across the school system?

Common Units of Instruction

Defined: Common units bring together the best units, lessons and practices into units of study to be delivered in common to have students at identified grade levels, with the end result of administering common assessments.

Development:

The development of common units is informed by the vertical team process.

The goal is to units in common for each grade level in the areas of ELA, Social Studies, Science, math, health and wellness, etc.

Units may be integrated between content areas or stand alone.

Elements of a Common Unit Essential Questions: these are the crucial

questions that a unit ultimately seeks to allow students to answer.

Learning Task Possibilities: the exercises that enable students to understand important elements of the essential questions – developed for the spectrum of student ability to allow for differentiated instruction.

Assessment Task: the tool used to determine the student’s level of mastery of the essential questions.

Rubrics: a specific scoring guide that includes the standards by which a student’s performance on the assessment is measured.

Critical Thinking Skills: units include the explicit instruction & measurement of critical thinking skills.

All Common Units must address our Critical Questions:

What do students need to know, understand and be able to do?

How will we know they have learned it?

What will we do when they haven’t? What will we do when they already

know it?

Common Assessments The development of common assessments

is informed by the VT process. These assessments may be used to evaluate student skills and knowledge at various benchmark points.

Every Common Unit includes a Common Assessment, but not every Common Assessment includes a Common Unit (i.e., common writing assessment)

Curriculum Leadership CouncilTeams were formed in January 2012 – ELA,

math, science, social studies, and data

Develop Mission statement for leadership team/department

Draft PreK-12 Program of Studies/Overview

Conduct Curriculum Audit – where are we/where do we need to go?

Science CurriculumLeadership Team

Mission Statement

“The mission of the WCS Science Leadership Team is to facilitate communication and sharing between buildings, develop a consistent district-wide curriculum, K-12 and to recommend professional development opportunities that support the goals of the science department."

Summary of work The team conducted a needs assessment of

all science teachers in the district to gather input on the status of curriculum work and to develop a list of priorities and needs.

Areas of greatest need#1 Equipment / Supplies / Kits#2 Books / Current Textbooks#3 Technology

Next steps Recruit membership so that all grade levels

are represented

Map existing units and review for coherence

Continue to develop the curriculum in a Unit of Study format (summer institute)

Mathematics Curriculum

Leadership Team

Mathematics Mission StatementThe Westport Community Schools believe that all students should

be engaged in developmentally appropriate and rigorous mathematical curricula. Students will attain a higher level of mathematical knowledge and problem solving ability by:

Developing a strong foundation of number sense, spatial awareness and patterns.

Using reasoning and logic to independently solve real world problems and authentic situations.

Using evidence and reasoning to justify and explain mathematical solutions.

Example of Benchmark Summary:Grade 3

Students will be able to: Develop an understanding of multiplication and

division within 100 using various strategies (repeated addition/subtraction, arrays, area, equal groups); automatically recall multiplication facts through 10x10

Develop an understanding of fractions, with a focus on unit fractions (i.e.,1/2, 1/3, 1/4)

Decompose rectangular shapes using a) arrays with rows and columns and b) area and perimeter; relate to multiplication

Describe and analyze two-dimensional shapes

Recommendations: Time is needed to:

◦ Finish writing Math Curriculum in unit format (UBD).◦ Check for alignment with the written curriculum to the new

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks (CCSS). ◦ Solidify our understanding of the transition to the new Frameworks:

What is going to be assessed in 2013? 2014? What gaps, if any, in the transition process need to be

highlighted and addressed and at which grade-levels?

ELA CurriculumLeadership Team

ELA Leadership Team 2012To collaborate, reflect, and provide direction, ensuring the WCS literacy continuum aligns with the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework and 21st century learning expectations

•Comprehension 2010

•Word Study 2010

•Research 2011

•Writing 2012

•Speaking and Listening 2013

The Writing Benchmarks

Include:

Types and Purposes: Argument,

Informative, Narrative

Language: Grammar,

Conventions, and Mechanics

Range:On-demand and process

writing

21st Century Skills:

Media text, Presentation, Multimedia

Next steps>>>

DESE Suggestion: Design one unit to pilot in the spring of 2012, two-three others for 2012-2013

In June 2012 - Work with grade-level design teams of three to four teachersBegin 2013 - Create Benchmarks for Speaking and ListeningIn June 2013 - Create calendar map of standards and skills

Social Studies Curriculum

Leadership Team

Mission Statement

Our mission is to facilitate in the vertical aligning of a curriculum which will recognize the political, economic,

geographic and social implications of the past in order to analyze those influences of the present and the future.

GoalOur goal is to enable students to become informed and

contributing citizens in a diverse global society.

Summary• Survey all Social studies teachers, collected the data in a chart…below for an example.Grad

e Level

Unit or Topic Are Teaching

?

Key Points/ideas

Materials needed

5 Unit 1- Location

YES -geography-populations-climate-affect on movement of people

Next Steps

•From the Data there might be an over teaching of US History I?

•World History II seems to be under taught in the data?

Data Leadership Team

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TEAM: DATA ANALYSIS

Mission StatementTo provide a systemic

framework for our educators to use qualitative and quantitative

tools to evaluate and plan effective instruction and needs

intervention

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TEAM: DATA ANALYSIS

Goal 1Data-based instructional

planning: Using standards-based assessment, teachers will have the materials necessary to

effectively plan instruction in the long and short term

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TEAM: DATA ANALYSIS

What it looks like

29

10

8

1

Red: Significantly

below average

Yellow: Below average

Green: On target

Blue: Exceeds target

5%

10% to 15%

50%-65%

15% to 30%

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TEAM: DATA ANALYSIS

Goal 2Teachers will have a framework for planning, documenting and measuring the effectiveness of

special needs intervention

CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP TEAM: DATA ANALYSIS

What it looks like

• Individual student data• Response to intervention format• 4-6 week intervals • Data follows the student• Team approach• Antecedent to Special Education services• Best practices/an individualized approach

Vision for the Future

As Assistant Superintendent of the Westport Schools, my belief is that the key to unlocking the greatness within us is about all of us working together to achieve the goals that will ensure equity and excellence for all Westport students. Special thanks to all who worked on the curriculum this year!

Continue to Strive for Greatness!

“…it is no harder to build something GREAT than to build something GOOD.”

– Jim Collins Good to Great