Formula for an Effective Curriculum

It was December 2019, when one district had to face the harsh truth in their data. In analyzing their proficiency data, they saw that student performance dropped each year as they moved through grades 4-8. This drop occurred continuously for 3 years. This prompted them to make changes and so discussions began about possible root causes.

It was revealed that the priority root causes were Instruction and Curriculum. 

Then in the Spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. This caused the district to refocus their priorities on helping students and teachers through this difficult time. There was no state assessment or end-of-the-year district assessment that spring. 

Returning to school in the fall of 2020, the school was on a modified schedule. Pre-assessment data was very discouraging as it was the lowest it has ever been. In ELA, only 17% of the students were proficient on the district assessment. In Math, 33% were proficient. It was already hard dealing with the problems they had even before the pandemic. But now, they are also facing 4 months of lost instructional time because of it.

Since curriculum and instruction root causes were identified before the pandemic, they began to evaluate what was missing. Their data indicated that their reading and writing curriculum was a top priority. The gaps in the Reading curriculum included a lack of Reading strategies, a pacing guide, and district best practices. They came up with a decision to implement a curriculum solution that would address their curriculum gaps in the Fall of 2021. 

Curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or program. It consists of the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn. This also includes learning standards and learning objectives. When these components are not clearly defined, it may be difficult to determine where the problems lie.

Most schools and districts have a pacing guide which sets up a timeframe to teach the standards. This pacing guide is a map or metric to evaluate your curriculum implementation. Do your teachers teach the school curriculum at the appropriate pace? This question must be asked because your root cause may not be a curriculum issue but an implementation issue. If implementation is good and results are still not occurring, then you would want to evaluate your curriculum.

An effective curriculum ensures equitable learning opportunities, includes high expectations and enforces deep thinking. Practices and strategies should be evidence-based and address diverse learner needs. They should also include culturally relevant academic, behavioral, social, and emotional components.

Additional data for an effective curriculum can include classroom observations, pacing guides, evidence that teachers stay on pace, curriculum audits (including equity and diversity), resources to support teachers, gap analysis, etc. 

Before you begin asking questions about your curriculum, identify the end-of-the-year expectations for students. What are students expected to learn by the time they finish a specific grade?

This may include your state standard expectations, your state and district assessment expectations, and your community expectations. It can be overwhelming to take on every subject area in the curriculum. It is recommended to focus on a priority area first, such as ELA, Math, or Science. When you have one area corrected, then begin with the next priority area. 

Let’s return to the district scenario. The district brought in a research-based program that included a pacing guide, strategies, protocols, and best practices in student engagement, check for understanding, feedback, and higher-level questions/thinking. 

One principal embraced the strategies and was proactive in helping teachers implement the new curricula. As a result, her school had tremendous growth and received the maximum growth points in its state accountability system for two years in a row.

If you have a curriculum issue at your school, that must be addressed. Once curriculum gaps are identified, the next big step is implementation. It is never enough to implement a curriculum solution without a leader directing, guiding, and supporting teachers. A change in curriculum can be painful and very challenging. However, the leadership support through the change makes all the difference.

Action Steps: 

Conduct a curriculum audit to identify assets and gaps.  Identify next steps based on these results, including an implementation and monitoring plan.

If you are interested in more information or would like assistance with your curriculum root causes, request a FREE consultation call with me. Fill in the Contact Form: https://debradurma.com/contact-us Type in "Request a FREE Consultation" in the "Additional Questions or Information Needed" box. You will receive a follow-up email with the next step to schedule a phone call to discuss your needs and questions.