District 11 Educational Support Services
Curriculum & Instruction

Welcome

"Meeting state standards and increasing the rigor of courses across the district is the primary focus for this department. We are striving to increase the quality and relevance of our curriculum by creating an electronic library of District 11 Diamond Lessons. These exemplary lessons and units include research-based strategies and resources to serve special needs populations and extended learning opportunities for gifted and talented students. Teachers interested in creating Diamond Lessons can contact me via phone at 719.520.2033 or via e-mail."   ~ David Malone, Director of Curriculum & Instruction  
malonde@d11.org   719.520.2045




 

News

District 11 Teachers Develop Online Curriculum
Understanding by Design Training - 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. It explains what it means for a learner to truly understand, so the curriculum and assessments teachers design can effectively focus on enhancing each student's understanding. The training is an 16 hour blended model of professional development. All content and resources are available online, but only 12 of the 16 hours involve face-to-face team meetings.
District 11 Teachers and Administrators Focus on Curriculum for 21st Century Learners

What We Believe

The degree of alignment between the written, taught and tested curriculum ultimately determines the level of student achievement and success. Read more about Curriculum Alignment and the School Improvement Planning Process. District 11 Diamond Lessons are exemplary units and lessons that are designed to support a common philosophy: students must be given support to reach the minimal expectations set by the Department of Education, but also must be given opportunities to develop their own, unique strengths, interests and abilities in order to produce productive citizens prepared to succeed and excel in the 21st Century. Our district is focused on developing and refining a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum.

  • Guaranteed Curriculum - what we decide is imperative to teach, a curriculum that we communicate and assure to all groups.
  • Viable Curriculum - a curriculum that we can realistically teach during the time we have available during the course of a school year, causing us to focus on what is essential vs. supplemental.

Standards-Based Instruction

District 11 focuses on student mastery of the Colorado State Standards for each subject area. These standards are used to measure 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, district patrons will be able to see examples of remediation strategies and extended learning opportunities for students in each course, subject, or grade level.

Curriculum
Subject

Grade Levels
Curriculum & 21st Century Learning

A key component of 21st Century Learning is a guaranteed and viable curriculum that is accessible by students, parents, teachers administrators and support staff 24/7. In May, 2007 we began transferring our curriculum documents and resources to an online format. As you look through the course content for various grade levels, you will find electronic resources, digitized instructional videos, review games, and other supports for the variety of student interests and skill levels we find in our classrooms today. Parents will find helpful hints and strategies to support and extend learning opportunities at home.

How District 11 Diamond Lessons Are Developed
District 11 Diamond Lessons are posted online and include the Six Facets of Understanding described in the Understanding by Design Curriculum framework. Lessons that include the six facets are designed to help students progress from basic levels of understanding to more complex levels, incorporating higher order thinking skills and strategies. The Six Facets of Understanding include the following:

         

Curriculum Alignment Under Revision
Over the past few years, District 11 teachers and instructional leaders developed Curriculum Alignment Guides (sample), and Pacing Guides (sample). This work provided 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 lacked the simplicity needed for effective everyday lesson planning. Read more about the reasons for Combining the Curriculum Alignment Guides and Pacing Guides.

District 11 Current Curriculum Alignment Guides and Pacing Guides Used Prior to 2007-2008
 

Timeline

Training Sessions for Curriculum Authors on Understanding by Design
Participants will register through the online registration system. To enroll, participants must have prior approval from their designated Content Area Coordinator. Participants will register through E.R.O. One Credit will be given for attending all training sessions and for completing all required assignments.
 

Curriculum Authors Facilitator Location Dates
Literacy & Language Arts (22)

Understanding by Design Training		 Vincent Puzick North Middle School
Computer Lab A		 Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm

Science Curriculum (10)

Understanding by Design Training
 

 Dr. Mary Gromko

North Middle School
Computer Lab B

 Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm

Social Studies (10 )

 Understanding by Design Training

Peggy Altoff

 North Middle School Computer Lab B Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Math Curriculum (3)

 Understanding by Design Training		 Dora Gonzales North Middle School Computer Lab B Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Fine Arts (10)

 Understanding by Design Training		 Tom Fleecs North Middle School Library Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Health PE K-12 (10)

 Understanding by Design Training
 

Peggy Vigil

 North Middle School Library Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Gifted Talented (6)

 Understanding by Design Training		 Gary Marx North Middle School Library Computer Lab Module 1: Wed. 1-9-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 2: Online complete by 1-23-08
Module 3: Wed. 2-20-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 4: Online complete by 3-19-08
Module 5: Wed. 4-16-08  4:00 - 6:30pm
Module 6: Wed. 5-7-08  4:00 - 6:30pm

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