Curriculum Leadership Institute

Pathways to School Improvement

stakeholders

Curriculum: A Catalyst for Change (Part One)

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This E-Hint is the first of a four-part segment co-written by Sara McGinnis and Kyla Slate. Sara is the curriculum director at Sheridan County School District #1 (SCSD#1) in Wyoming. Kyla is a former consultant with the Curriculum Leadership Institute (CLI) who worked with SCSD#1 over a four-year timeframe to implement the CLI Model, a comprehensive, systemic school improvement model. Other contributors are noted within each part.

It’s been said that change is the only constant.  This seems especially true in education.  There is always a new initiative, textbook, program, policy, or new personnel coming and going within school districts.   Sometimes it is difficult to preserve continuity in the midst of these types of random and frequent changes, no matter how well intentioned they are.  It’s no secret that the trend in education is to do more with less, which leaves everyone asking the same questions…how and when?

The answers are elusive and districts can be immobilized by lack of vision, resources, or the training necessary to create a plan of action that generates buy-in and leads to success.  All too often, when the status quo is challenged or when leaders in a district see the need for substantial changes, they are met with the kind of resistance that makes them wonder if the fight for change is worth it.

We want to assure you that positive transformation to increase student learning is always worth the struggle!  It will come as no surprise that there is often hard work involved in changing anything within a school district. The surprise might be in how easy it sounds to do so.  Sheridan County School District #1 (SCSD#1) in Wyoming and Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School District #307 (BBCHS #307) in Illinois have found success in their systemic changes because they include representative stakeholders when determining a vision and plan, use principals as leaders for change, provide time to implement change, and build on teachers’ strengths to increase capacity.

Photo Credit: Unsplash user / Ian Schneider

District Level: Intentional Change

Whole district reform must start with a clear vision that involves input from all stakeholders. SCSD#1 started with a steering committee comprised of district administrators, school principals, a school board trustee, teachers, and parents.  This group of 23 people looked at data to analyze the current reality of the district.  With the guidance of a Curriculum Leadership Institute (CLI) facilitator, many questions were asked and answered until a clear vision surfaced:  become a professional community of learners to improve student learning. In order to achieve these goals, the decision was made to focus first on developing curriculum and creating aligned common district assessments. Once the vision was established, the steering committee built a long range plan for creating curriculum and assessments, identifying resources that would be needed, and establishing a timeline for meeting their goals.

Although curriculum and assessment development were not new to the district, prior efforts were disjointed; therefore, the initial analysis uncovered a need for a more systematic process to use.  A CLI facilitator, highly trained in these areas, provided the step-by-step process needed to tackle the work.

Part Two: Principals as Instructional Leaders

Systematic Implementation to Achieve a Systemic Vision

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In current school accreditation models, the existence of a systems approach is valued and evidence of that approach is necessary for a favorable review.  Accreditation teams are looking for indications of examining the whole system as well as documentation on taking care of the details.  One accreditation team’s review of a school district stated that “The district has a strong understanding of the big picture but does not seem to have a method of reaching their desired outcomes.”

Identifying the big picture is an example of systems thinking.  Systems thinking is a frequently used term within education circles, as well as industry discussions, but many participants in those discussions are not aware that there are two critical aspects of that view – systemic vision and systematic implementation.  Vision and implementation are partners in the entire change process. Each can be defined as follows: Systemic change (vision) is “change that pervades all parts of a system, taking into account the interrelationships and interdependencies among those parts.” Systematic change (implementation) is defined as “to be methodical in procedure or plan, or marked by thoroughness and regularity.”

Attention to one aspect of systems thinking without attention to the other can lead a district to a false expectation of success.

Systemic change (vision) demands that all subsystems and constituent parts be considered for potential impacts by proposed change.  Then, all members (the working parts) of the systems and subsystems must be involved in the discussions and thoroughly briefed as to the rationale of the change and the new reality in which the system as a whole is expected to operate.  Without the input of the interrelated and interdependent parts of the larger system, there is little chance of successful transition.  The working parts of a system each have a specific role in the success of the system.  Without the opportunity to study the change and to evaluate and communicate the potential impact of the change, the parts of the system may work at less than peak efficiency and result in the appearance of conflict with change.  In a school district, a permanent, representative group of the separate systems or subsystems is necessary to continuously review and monitor success or determine need for change.

Systematic change (implementation) is critical to prevent breakdowns within the system.  The concept of systematic change implies planning for timelines for the subsystems and parts to implement their necessary steps.  Once the systemic view is clearly defined, the systematic changes must be planned for implementation and maintenance.  Too often, continuous attention to the health or needs of each aspect is not planned and falls by the wayside.  With a group of representative stakeholders to maintain systemic view, the systematic needs become a regular detail to be considered and discussed.

A systems approach to decision making provides a basis for continued health of a school district.  Both aspects of the systems approach demand attention.  The number of “moving parts” within a district demands a systemic vision and a systematic approach to implementing the vision.  The “big picture” is important to see, but without the details of the “picture” the meaning is often lost or unclear.

A Handy Guide for Annual Recognition

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lawn mower in grass

download_pdf_smRecently, another educator used a really great metaphor about taking time to “mow the lawn” now and again. Mowing the lawn is perhaps one of the least hated chores that we have to do. Maybe it’s because freshly cut grass smells so nice or because we also get in a little workout, but very likely it is due to the sense of instant gratification we feel when we take a look back at our progress.

Here we are in May and the end of the year is quickly approaching. The amount of hard work that has taken place with regard to curriculum, instruction, and assessment has, no doubt, seemed overwhelming to those who have participated in the process. But there are also many stakeholders who were not on the Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) or a Subject Area Committee (SAC) and who may not fully understand what has taken place.

So, take a moment to “mow the lawn.” Put together some sort of communication, whether it be an article in your district newsletter, an article in the community newspaper, or a video for the district website that highlights district curriculum, instruction, and assessment achievements from the past year. Don’t forget to present this as part of your report to the School Board at the next meeting; it is essential that they see the progress that the district has made!

Some questions to consider when “mowing the lawn:”

  1. Looking back at our year, what have we accomplished?
  2. What has been our greatest achievement? In other words, what makes us most proud?
  3. What role(s) did people play in each achievement?
  4. What excites us about the opportunities ahead?

To assist in answering these questions, below you will find a list of potential achievements from three stakeholder groups: CCC, SAC, and teachers. Look through each category and highlight the achievements that have been accomplished this year. Use the following lists to highlight the achievements of which you are most proud!

Potential Governance (CCC) Achievements

  • Created a set of operating procedures for curriculum, instruction, and assessment work.
  • Developed or revised a Long Range Plan to meet the needs of the district and align with state requirements.
  • Created or revised the District Mission and Vision statements as a guide for all work within the district.
  • Drafted or finalized a mastery statement as a foundation for making decisions regarding curriculum, instruction, and assessments.
  • Determined requirements for implementing the curriculum through classroom instruction and assessments.
  • Analyzed educational best practices to determine the effectiveness of current grading practices and grade reporting and offered researched solutions for consideration, discussion, and implementation.
  • Analyzed educational best practices to determine the effectiveness of extended learning opportunities and offered researched solutions for consideration, discussion, and implementation.
  • Prioritized professional development opportunities for upcoming years.

Potential Curriculum and Assessment (SAC) Achievements

  • Gathered information from all teachers within a content area about what is currently being taught.
  • Interpreted state standards to determine what they really mean.
  • Created a Subject Mission based on the desired profile of a graduating student regarding this content area.
  • Determined what is essential at each grade level and clarified the horizontal and vertical progression.
  • Drafted a guaranteed and viable curriculum to include outcomes and components that are high-priority, grade-appropriate, essential and focused, and are aligned to state standards.
  • Revised curriculum according to teacher feedback.
  • Drafted common outcome assessments aligned to the curriculum.
  • Revised common outcome assessments according to teacher feedback.

Potential Classroom (Teacher) Achievements Related to Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

  • Drafted a Pacing Guide for teaching the curriculum and kept notes that can be used to write next year’s Pacing Guide
  • Organized materials and/or gradebook by outcome.
  • Used the new/draft curriculum and provided feedback to the Subject Area Committee.
  • Created instructional plans in alignment with the current target subject within the district curriculum
    • Developed formative assessments to determine if students are ready to move on
    • Aligned teacher strategies and student activities to promote student engagement
    • Created differentiation and enrichment opportunities to move students toward mastery of curriculum.
  • Provided feedback about potential resources with regard to their alignment to the curriculum.
  • Used common outcome assessments and analyzed student data to differentiate or revise instructional plans to ensure mastery for all students.
  • Provided feedback to the Subject Area Committee regarding the draft common outcome assessments.

Celebrate another successful year!