Spring Lake Park Schools

Spring Lake Park Schools, MN - District 16

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Essential Learning Outcomes

Curriculum Process

Curriculum Work

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Glossary of Terms

Backward Design Backward design begins with the end in mind, focusing first on desired results. This involves first identifying the Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs), then identifying acceptable evidence to assess and evaluate the desired results, and then designing learning activities to promote student learning. Backward design is also used to guide the continuous improvement process used in the Spring Lake Park Schools.

Curriculum Framework The curriculum framework is developed by the curriculum task force at the end of year two of the curriculum development process, and serves as the guiding curriculum document for a subject area.

Curriculum Development (Intended Curriculum): The ELOs that students will achieve at each grade level are identified at the district level through the curriculum development process. Spring Lake Park graduate expectations guide this backwards design. State standards, national standards, and local practices drive decision-making, development, and revision.

Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) ELOs are measurable outcomes that define what we expect each student to know, understand and be able to do in each curricular area and at each grade level and serves as the intended curriculum. This framework serves as a guide for focusing instruction and mapping the taught curriculum at the school-level. Elements of the ELOs document include:
Enduring Understandings: Statements that clearly articulate the big ideas that promote long term understanding of the discipline or subject area that have lasting value beyond the classroom. These are the important understandings that we want students to retain after they may have forgotten the details (Brown, 2004; Wiggins & McTighe, 1998)

Essential Questions: Focus our attention on what is important. They foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer of learning. They occur naturally and should be asked over and over (Brown, 2004; Wiggins & McTighe, 1998)

Learning Targets: Specify, in measurable terms, what all students should know and be able to do to achieve desired understandings and answer essential questions (Brown, 2004). These will be identified for each subject within each grade level

Assessment for Learning (Assessed Curriculum): Assessments, formative and summative, are designed to measure student learning of our intended curriculum. The results of these assessments are used by the teacher to modify instruction to meet student needs.

Assessment Plan Determining acceptable evidence, assessments of learning (summative), to assess and to evaluate student achievement of desired results.

Formative Assessment (Assessment for Learning) Assessment for learning promotes ongoing student growth. It includes the frequent assessments that measure students’ knowledge or ability regarding a specific concept/skill, and allows a teacher and her/his student to identify her/his strengths and weaknesses. Teachers use formative assessment as a teaching tool to guide future instruction and to improve upon weaknesses.

Summative Assessment (Assessment of Learning) Assessment of learning provides a snapshot of what a student knows at a given point in time. It is often used to report achievement status to others. It is often an assessment that measures students’ knowledge or ability at the conclusion of a unit or an end of course study.

Instructional Alignment (Taught Curriculum): The intended curriculum provides the targets that are taught in the classroom. Teachers use these targets to collaboratively and individually develop instructional plans and assessments to appropriately identify and respond to student needs. Time is formally scheduled so that PLCs and vertical teams can engage in ongoing conversations to ensure articulation of the curriculum and to reveal and eliminate gaps and overlaps.

Executive Summary Document Curriculum task forces develop an executive summary following the completion of their year one study during which they research evidence-based best practices and study local practices.

Exemplary Unit and Lesson Bank A collection of exemplary units and lessons are collaboratively developed by teachers on learning teams throughout the district. These will be collected and made available to all teachers online. Exemplary units and lessons from other schools, districts, and/or organizations will be made available to staff as possible and appropriate.

Evidence-based best practice and current local practice study
During year one of the curriculum development process an in-depth study of evidence-based best practices and current local practices, of the specific subject area being considered, is conducted. This includes:

a review and study of state and national standards, educational literature and research, and benchmark school districts/schools.
a study of current practices in the Spring Lake Park Schools that identifies strengths, needed changes, teacher perceptions, etc.
a study of student achievement data

Just-in-Time Modification Continuous improvement recognizes that we can always improve on our work. Therefore, we will conduct a formative program review after teachers have had the opportunity to implement the ELOs using their instructional resources for two years. If this review reveals resource gaps or significant gaps in the intended, taught and assessed curriculums, just-in-time modifications may be necessary. This may involve clarifying ELOs, revising instructional materials, and/or purchase of materials to meet need. An example would be that the state mandates a change in a standard for the next school year that is not covered by the current curriculum.

K-12 Vertical Alignment K-12 Vertical Alignment defines the ELOs at each grade level in a particular subject area. The development of this document ensures vertical articulation of the intended, taught, and assessed curriculum so that there are no gaps or overlaps in the curriculum from one grade level to another. We design the curriculum down the grade levels, and deliver up the grade levels. To ensure continued alignment following initial development, teachers will collectively review this alignment and make necessary adjustments through vertical teams. This is done to recognize that revisions may need to be made as teachers implement the ELOs, and to ensure that gaps and/or overlaps do not occur.

Pacing Chart/Curriculum Maps A curriculum map provides a picture of how the ELOs are being implemented in classrooms throughout the district, our taught curriculum. A sample curriculum map is developed as part of the curriculum development process, defining when learning targets are to be taught, materials or activities for use, and assessments to measure student learning of the learning targets. However, each teacher will be able to revise their map as they see fit throughout their implementation of the curriculum. Schools will facilitate an ongoing process of collectively reviewing and revising these maps, at the grade level and vertically, so that gaps and overlaps are identified and appropriate revisions can be made as necessary. The district uses an online tool, Atlas, to assist teachers in this process.

Standards Benchmarks for student learning defined by the state and/or federal governments which schools are mandated to strive towards. Numerous professional organizations also provide standards for their particular discipline.