ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Curriculum and Academic Goals

Theme: Curriculum and Academic Goals

 

System level: School

 

Practice: Develop curriculum goals with clear focus on academic rigor and high expectations.

 

 

What does this practice look like in Arkansas?

 

Curriculum revision is an ongoing process. Curriculum is revisited on a regular basis, not only when state standards change. High-performing schools constantly reevaluate curriculum goals and monitor progress toward those goals.

 

Teachers frequently and routinely collaborate on horizontal and vertical alignment. Teachers meet on a regular basis to examine if the horizontal and vertical alignment is intact. For high-performing schools, teachers meet as frequently as weekly. Principals arrange for teachers to have time to meet, both within grade level and across grade levels.

 

School goals are clearly defined and distributed to all stakeholders. School goals are written and clearly defined. The school goals extend the district goals. All stakeholders have copies of the school goals and refer to them on a regular basis to monitor progress.

 

The principal is a strong instructional leader. A key factor to school success is the principal leadership. The principal is a strong instructional leader, with a focus on determining what students and teachers need to have in order to succeed. The principal is willing to listen to both teachers and students, but is also capable of making difficult decisions.

 

High expectations for teachers and students are clearly established by the principal. High expectations for both teachers and students are established by the principal, and are communicated on a regular basis. One of the principal's high expectations is that teachers will have high expectations for their students.

 

Documents related to practice:

 

At Jefferson Elementary, curriculum revision is an ongoing process. Teachers identify content and skills to be covered, as well as assessments to be used every four weeks. The blueprint for curriculum mapping is used to ensure that teachers within grade levels are covering similar content.

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Magazine Elementary utilized the Modern Red School House process to align their curriculum. All faculty participated in the process.

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