| Colorado Springs School District 11 |
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| Educational Support Services |
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Welcome
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What We Believe
Vision:
Education for Today's Needs and Tomorrow's Successes
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Standards-Based Instruction
District 11 focuses on student mastery of the Colorado State Standards for each subject area. These standards are used to measure are for minimum competency. To add rigor and relevance to each course, the District uses the Understanding by Design lesson and unit planning format. As more of the District curriculum becomes available online, parents, students, and community members will be able to see examples of remediation strategies and extended learning opportunities for students in each course, subject, or grade level. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Curriculum
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Support Staff
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Assessment
District 11 uses a variety of assessments to measure student achievement. some are national tests that show how our students perform against national norms. Some are State tests that focus on Colorado state Standards. Still other tests are generated at the District level, and are intended to measure students progress over time in mastery of standards and other district curriculum. D11 Quarterly Assessments - also called benchmark tests, these district-created assessments measure student achievement against a norm. The assessments are designed to have a high correlation with the State CSAP and are used to measure student preparedness for CSAP in quarterly stages. Short-Cycle Assessments -Quarterly Assessments are administered in the district based upon the district’s instructional timelines. These have been collaboratively by Content Area Coordinators and teachers across the district. The quarterly assessments are used as formative measures of student levels of mastery. Formative assessments are based upon the actual instruction that was given. These assessments measure the effectiveness of the curriculum that is being taught in all classrooms of the same level across the district. The data from the quarterly assessments are used as feedback to improve instruction at the classroom, building, and district levels. CSAP -The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) is a standards-based assessment designed to provide a picture of student performance on state academic content standards and to provide a context for improving public education. Every student in grades 3-10 will be evaluated in reading and writing. Additional testing will be given in math for grades 5-10 and in science for the 8th grade. End of Course Exams - High school subjects not tested by the CSAP are tested via end of course exams. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Resources for ParentsParent Essential Skills- Reading, Writing, and Math | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Resources for Teachers
Understanding by Design
Training - 18 hour blended model of professional development. All
content and resources are available online, but only 9 of the 18 hours
involve face-to-face team meetings. This solution serves as a model of a
learning experience that incorporates the curriculum design and assessment
concepts found in Understanding by Design, authored by Grant Wiggins and Jay
McTighe. Their purpose was to assist educators by providing, "practical
design tools including criteria for selecting 'big ideas' worthy of deep
understanding, strategies for framing units of study around essential
questions, a continuum of assessment methods for determining the degree to
which students understand, and a framework which enhances student engagement
and rethinking. It helps educators enhance their understanding of what it
means to truly understand, so the curriculum and assessments they design
truly focus on enhancing the understanding of their students." New Curriculum Alignment Format Over the past few years, D11 teachers and instructional leaders have developed the Curriculum Alignment Guides (sample), and Pacing Guides (sample). This work provides a strong foundation for consistent curriculum delivery across the district. However, teacher feedback on the format of those documents revealed that although the documents are comprehensive, they lack the simplicity needed for effective everyday lesson planning. Combining the Curriculum Alignment Guides and Pacing Guides - Both documents have been combined in this electronic format. One will find the Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and standards listed on each quarter overview and on each sample lesson page. The strategies section of the Curriculum Alignment Guide has been expanded for each lesson or unit, and now includes specific MCREL and Sheltered Instruction strategies appropriate for each lesson or unit. The main goal of his revision was to incorporate the information from three separate documents into a user-friendly format that can easily be updated based on user response. District 11 Current Curriculum Alignment Guides for 2006-2007
Educational Links Comments: If you have suggestions or ideas that will improve the curriculum alignment process or products, please let us know. |
| © 2007 Colorado Springs School District 11 |
"Welcome
to the Division of Educational Support Services. This Division was
created by the Board of Education and Superintendent, Dr. Terry Bishop
to ensure that all school sites and other divisions have the necessary
support and tools to impact student achievement. Employees in this
Division have the opportunity to collaborate with each other and with
those we serve. Equally important to this Division is using research
based strategies in our work and in our delivery. This Division is
diverse and talented. Departments that make up this Division include
Instruction, Information Technology, Special Education, Title and
Grants, Learning Resources, Athletics and Student Discipline. Finally,
this Division is excited to help lead the effort to send our graduates
out into the 21st Century prepared and able to tackle a world
that is constantly changing.” 
