Essential Questions for an Aligned Curriculum

As part of the Continuous Quality Improvement process, (Plan-Do-Study-Act) from October - May of 2007, the District 11 Curriculum & Instruction Department identified the essential questions that should be addressed in order to insure that our curriculum prepares students for success in the 21st century. The questions were presented to focus groups across the district. Summary responses from the focus groups are included below. Beginning in May of 2007, the district used this input to chart the path for creation of the online curriculum now available.

Essential Questions

• What issues and challenges do we face in providing a guaranteed and viable curriculum in our district?

• What issues with curriculum management in your school and district negatively affect the quality of instruction?

• How can an online curriculum impact the quality and improvement process?

• What benefits could an online curriculum offer educators, support personnel, parents and students?

• What challenges and opportunities does online curriculum provide?

Comments From Focus Groups

• Vertical alignment is difficult to detect - what is happening at the grade levels above and below ours?

• Curriculum is hidden making it difficult to plan purposeful integration among subjects. 

• We have an over reliance on textbooks leaving teachers to hope the text is aligned with CSAP.

• The use of District Curriculum Alignment Guides and Pacing Guides widely varies by teachers and entire schools.

• Learning targets are unclear and there is a lack of focus from all subject areas.

• Absence of District-wide, subject area Professional Learning Communities promotes teacher isolation. Schools seem to work in isolation without a venue for sharing successful strategies and areas of concern.

• There is an absence a consistent tool for measuring and monitoring the level of rigor for each course. 

• There is an absence of pacing with alignment guide

• Every school seems to be reinventing the wheel on interventions.

• The process for accountability of an aligned curriculum lacks clarity. 

• Curriculum intended for regular classroom use lacks sample extension activities for GT students.

• Frequent student mobility negatively affects students when curriculum is not guaranteed.

• There are too many textbooks in use across the district in the same subject areas.

Results from the 2006-2007 Study of District 11 Curriculum