District 11 Educational Support Services
Curriculum & Instruction

Providing learning experiences that will prepare students for success in the 21st century 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. You will find examples of 21st century learning in the matrix below.

Brenda B. LeBrasse, Executive Director, Instructional Services, AVID, RtI, PBS, Title 1.
 

Recent News
The following additional resources have recently been added to our online curriculum.
 
Subject

Grade Levels
Curriculum & 21st Century Learning

To meet the needs of our future graduates in times of exponential change, we are designing and delivering 21st century learning experiences in a guaranteed and viable curriculum. It is accessible by students, parents, teachers administrators and support staff 24/7. As you look through the course content for various grade levels, you will find electronic resources, digital instructional videos, review games, and other supports for the variety of student interests and skill levels found in classrooms today. Parents will find helpful hints and strategies to support and extend learning opportunities at home. Our curriculum is aligned to support the Profile of a District 11 Graduate.  View the Pay Attention: Learning Has Changed video.




 

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. A good starting point for developing any curriculum is to carefully analyze the answers to the Essential Questions for an Aligned Curriculum.

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

Training for Developing 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.

Understanding by Design curriculum work in States/Provinces, School Districts, and Schools - links provided by Jay McTighe after the May 6-8, 2009 Understanding by Design and Schooling by Design Conference in District 11.

 District 11 Teachers and Administrators Focus on Curriculum for 21st Century Learners

Teachers participating in the summer curriculum project can click here for the Teacher Resource Pages.
 

 

© 2007 Colorado Springs School District 11

Disclaimer