Curriculum development is an ongoing process in the school district and consists of both research and design. Research is the studious inquiry and critical investigation of the various content areas for the purpose of revising and improving curriculum and instruction based on relevant information pertaining to the discipline. This study is conducted both internally (what and how we are currently doing at the local level) and externally (what national standards, professional organizations, recognized experts, current research, etc. tell us relative to the content area). Design is the deliberate process of planning and selecting the standards and instructional strategies that will improve the learning experiences for all students.

The superintendent shall be responsible for curriculum development and for determining the most effective method of conducting research and design activities. A curriculum framework shall describe the processes and procedures that will be followed in researching, designing, and articulating each curriculum area.

In making recommendations to the board, the superintendent shall propose a framework which will, at a minimum, describe the processes and procedures for the curriculum development activities that will:

• Fulfill the mission, beliefs and vision of the school district;
• Articulate courses of study from T-K/kindergarten through grade twelve;
• Study the latest thinking, trends, research, and expert advice regarding the content/discipline;
• Incorporate best practices;
• Study the current status of the content/discipline (what and how well students are currently learning);
• Identify content standards, benchmarks, and grade level expectations for the content/discipline;
• Describe the desired learning behaviors, teaching, and learning environment related to the content/discipline;
• Identify differences in the desired and present program and develop a plan for addressing the differences;
• Communicate with internal and external publics regarding the content area;
• Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum development decisions;
• Provide for continual assessment of a student's progress;
• Improve instructional practice;
• Meet the long and short range student achievement goals found in the District's School Improvement Plan;
• Meet the requirements of the Iowa Department of Education in meeting General Accreditation Standards.
• Verify integration of local, state, and/or federal mandates ( Multi-Cultural/Non-Sexist, school-to-work,etc.);
• Verify how the standards and benchmarks of the content/discipline support each of the broader student learning goals and provide a K-12 continuum that builds on the prior learning of each level.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to keep the Board apprised of necessary curriculum revisions, progress of each content area related to curriculum development activities, and to develop administrative regulations for curriculum development including recommendations to the Board.

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Approved: 11/14/67

Reviewed:

Revised: 2/14/11; 6/10/13; 5/13/19

Long-range needs assessment enables the school district to analyze assessment data, get feedback from the community about its expectation of students and determines how well students are meeting student learning goals and objectives. The Board will conduct ongoing and in-depth needs assessment, soliciting information from business, labor, industry, higher education and community members, regarding their expectations for adequate student preparation.

In conjunction with the in-depth needs assessment of the school district, the Board may authorize the appointment of a committee, representing administrators, employees, parents, students and community members, to make recommendations and assist the Board in determining the priorities of the school district in addition to the basic skills areas of the education program.

The committee will serve as an advisory board and/or decision making board as appropriate. It will also work closely with the Iowa Core and Teacher Quality committees to ensure consistency and efficiency throughout the educational process. There are many other established committees in the District that will remain intact separate from this committee. 

It is the responsibility of the superintendent to ensure the school district community is informed of students' progress on state and locally determined indicators. The superintendent will report annually to the Board about the means used to keep the community informed.

As a result of the Board and committee's work, the Board will determine major educational needs and rank them in priority order; develop long-range goals and plans to meet the needs; establish and implement short-range and intermediate-range plans to meet the goals and to attain the desired levels of student performance; evaluate progress toward meeting the goals and maintain a record of progress under the plan that includes reports of student performance and results of school improvement projects; and annually report the school district's progress made under the plan to the committee, community and Iowa Department of Education.

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Approved: 2/14/00

Reviewed:

Revised: 2/14/11; 6/10/13; 5/13/19

The District's curriculum plan shall contain a framework that describes the processes and procedures that will be followed to assist all staff in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement the developed curriculum in each content area.

There are two components of any implementation effort that must be present to guarantee the planned changes in curriculum and instruction succeed as intended:

• Understanding the conceptual framework of the content/discipline being implemented; and
• Organized assistance to understand the theory, observe exemplary demonstrations, have opportunities to practice, and receive coaching and feedback focused on the most powerful instructional strategies to deliver the content at the classroom level.

The superintendent is responsible for curriculum implementation and for determining the most effective way of providing organized assistance and monitoring the level of implementation. The superintendent will recommend the curriculum implementation process, which shall be approved by the Board. A curriculum framework will describe the processes and procedures that will be followed to assist all staff in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement the developed curriculum in each content area. This framework will, at a minimum, describe the processes and procedures for the following curriculum implementation activities that will:

• Study and identify the best instructional practices and materials to deliver the content;
• Describe procedures for the purchase of instructional materials and resources;
• Identify/develop measurements that demonstrate the learning behaviors, teaching, and learning environment to deliver the content;
• Study the current status of instruction in the content area (how teachers are teaching);
• Compare the desired and present delivery system, identify differences (gap analysis), and develop a plan for addressing the differences;
• Organize staff into collaborative study teams to support their learning and implementation efforts (address the gaps);
• Provide ongoing professional development related to instructional strategies and materials that focuses on theory, demonstration, practice and feedback;
• Regularly monitor and assess the level of implementation;
• Communicate with internal and external publics regarding curriculum implementation;
• Continually assess changes in curriculum;
• Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum implementation decisions.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent to keep the board apprised of curriculum implementation activities and progress of each content area related to curriculum implementation activities.

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Approved: 2/14/00

Reviewed: 5/13/19

Revised: 2/14/11; 6/10/13

The District shall engage in an ongoing process of collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting information to aid in understanding what students know and can do.

Curriculum evaluation must be based on information gathered from a comprehensive assessment system that is designed for accountability and committed to the concept that all students will achieve at high levels, is standards-based, and informs decisions which impact significant and sustainable improvements in teaching and student learning.

The superintendent shall be responsible for curriculum evaluation and for determining the most effective way of ensuring that assessment activities are integrated into instructional practices as part of school improvement with a particular focus on improving teaching and learning. A curriculum framework shall describe the procedures that will be followed to establish an evaluation process that can efficiently and effectively evaluate the total curriculum. This framework will, at a minimum, describe the procedures for the following curriculum evaluation activities:

· Identify specific purposes for assessing student learning;

· Develop a comprehensive assessment plan;

· Select/develop assessment tools and scoring procedures that are valid and reliable;

· Identify procedures for collecting assessment data;

· Identify procedures for analyzing and interpreting information and drawing conclusions based on the data (including analysis of the performance of various sub-groups of students);

· Identify procedures for establishing at least three levels of performance (specific to the content standard and the assessment tool when appropriate) to assist in determining whether students have achieved at a satisfactory level (at least two levels describe performance that is proficient or advanced and at least one level describes students who are not yet performing at the proficient level);

· Identify procedures for using assessment information to determine long-range and annual improvement goals;

· Identify procedures for using assessment information in making decisions focused on improving teaching and learning (data based decision making);

· Provide support to staff in using data to make instructional decisions;

· Define procedures for regular and clear communication about assessment results to the various internal and external publics (mandatory for communication about students receiving special education services);

· Define data reporting procedures;

· Verify that assessment tools are fair for all students and are consistent with all state and federal mandates;

· Verify that assessment tools measure the curriculum that is written and delivered;

· Identify procedures for deciding when multiple assessment measures are necessary for making good decisions and drawing appropriate conclusions about student learning;

· Identify roles and responsibilities of key groups;

· Involve staff, parents, students, and community members in curriculum evaluation;

· Ensure participation of eligible students receiving special education services in district-wide assessments.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to keep the board apprised of curriculum evaluation activities and the progress of each content area related to curriculum evaluation activities. The board shall review the student performance on standardized tests, district created assessments, courses, and other indicators of student achievement as it related to the District's Standards and Benchmarks and Critical Objectives. It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to provide the board/parents/community with the assessment scores on an annual basis.

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Approved: 9/18/89                                  Reviewed:  5/13/19                                                Revised: 2/14/11; 6/10/13