THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Aligning Curriculum and Instruction to Support Academic Success

for NJ GEAR UP Students

September 13, 2012

Kilpatry Cuesta, State Coordinator, NJ GEAR UP State Project

What we doNJ GEAR UP Mission:

To increase the number of low income

students who are prepared to enter and

succeed in postsecondary education.

How we do it Academic and personal counseling NJASK8, HSPA, PSAT, and SAT prep classes Academic year and summer instruction Help with college applications Mentoring After-school tutoring College visits and tours Financial aid information workshops Cultural and educational field trips

Video Reflection

How do we support effective academic instruction and student learning?

What are our current habits?

Changing Education Paradigms http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Curriculum Development

The process of curriculum development is

an opportunity to Support creative instruction Impact student achievement Prepare students for college & LIFE

What do we value? Please think about what you

value in your respective programs.

You will have an opportunity to share

Curriculum Development Team

NJ GEAR UP Director Curriculum Coordinator Lead Teacher (s) (content/technology) Consultant NJ GEAR UP State Coordinator

Vision A vision should stretch the organization’s

capabilities and image of itself. It gives shape and direction to the

organization’s future.

NJ GEAR UP Goal: To participate in the curriculum

development process to ensure that standards guide academic

year and summer instruction

Note: While the process may be universal the goal is NOT to create a canned GEAR UP curriculum (book) for all programs to use

StandardsAcademic standards help identify the big ideasto be addressed in a grade , level, unit, orlesson

What students should know and be able to do What they may be asked to give evidence of

learning How well they should be expected to know or

do 

New Era: Common Core Standards (CCS) We must now spend more time focusing

on aligning curriculum and instruction, rather than developing curriculum guides.

We have shifted from focusing on what (standards) to focusing on how (teaching).

6 Shifts in English Language Arts (ELA) CCS(September 2012 –Implementation in NJ)

Shift 1: At least 50% of what students read should be

INFORMATIONAL (there should be a balance of informational & literary texts)

Text complexity should increase

Shift 2: Knowledge in the Disciplines Grades 6-12: Literacy is shared across the subjects

ELA CCSShift 3: Staircase of complexity Students are prepared for the complexity

of college and career-ready texts Teachers provide scaffolding and supports

for students below grade level

Shift 4: Text-based answers Assess comprehension of text througharguments, conversations, & writing

ELA CCSShift 5: Writing from Sources Use of evidence to inform or make an

argument

Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary Increased vocabulary is needed to access

grade level complex text Help students access more complex texts

across content areas

CurriculumCurriculum is the program used to prepare

students to meet the standards

It provides direction in instruction It is fluid & ever changing

Step 1: Establish the Foundation

Understand state and national standards

Standards are the driving force for curriculum development

October 2012

Step II: Data Analysis Analyze student achievement data Develop a common understanding of

students’ needs beyond individual sites.

ASK 8, HSPA, GradesGraduation rate/College enrollment rateRigorous courses (Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Chemistry)Other

October-November 2012

Step III: Assessments

Establish local benchmarks that will help

teachers identify how well studentsunderstand the big ideas outlined in

thecurriculum standards.

Wiggins & Tighe’s (1998). Backward design model.

Step IV: Writing Create supporting curriculum documents

that teachers can use to implement the curriculum in the classroom.

Develop a curriculum guide/template to help teachers develop lessons

December-February 2013

Step V: Resource Review Team reviews and selects resources that

align with the standards, grade-level expectations, and assessments the team developed.

Beware of glitzy products! Resources will be tested during the pilot

phase

Professional Development

Effective Educational Practices that Promote Student Achievement

Precollege Teachers Directors Staff

May-June 2012 (ongoing)

Characteristics of Effective Teaching A comfortable & safe learning community Relevance-connecting new instruction to

previous learning Rigor-challenge the students Active learning experiences (aesthetic

experience-video)

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R.,eds. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Step VI: Pilot Process

Pilot lessons & materials at least 6 to 8

weeks

July 2013

Evaluate the Pilot

August-September 2013

Revise

October 2013

Implementation

Academic Year 2013

Review and Evaluate One of the reasons why curriculum work

is so challenging is that it is never done (Mooney & Mausbach, 2008, p. 12).

Curriculum team must continue to meet on an ongoing basis to ensure that teaching and learning in the content area is helping students achieve.

Closing Remarks “I cried,” she said. “I thanked God. And I cried.”

“I notice that when you are not educated, you are restricted in a lot of ways. I don’t want to be restricted”

“My teachers were mean to me!” she says with a smile. “They tore apart everything that I wrote.” But she knows now that her teachers saw her talent and helped her learn how to express herself”

Curriculum Development Planning Session

October 18, 2012

References

Mooney, N., Mausbach, A. (2008). Align the design: A blueprint for school improvement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Core Common Standards http://www.corestandards.org/

Presentation adapted from Judy Feinberg, Richard Stockton College

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.