E)+Improvement+Plan

//** Curriculum Improvement Proposal Form **//
 * Learning Goal** (stated in present tense also focus on the specific goal and aims of curriculum improvement)

Developing critical thinking and problem-solving strategies alligned with the reading curriculum is my target. I want to use 'checkmarks' to measure how well students are using content to improve their use of facts and concepts. This will ensure 4th grade students to have the skills needed to succeed in using (apply) learning facts and defined competencies. This will ensure that students have the neccessary skills of the citizens of the 21st century. 1. I will continue to research topic from different sources including the internet (April 19, 2010). 2.Revise current school district curriculum to evaluate how critical thinking and problem-solving strategies are used (April 25). 3.Develop an annotated bibliography of journal articles related with higher order thinking and instructional applications (April 26). 4.Outline checkmark points that can assess students mastery in applying content to real life situations (april 28). 5.Compare student assessments with and without checkmark points and summarize findings (April 30). (add more as needed) 1. Kuh, George D. 2001. "Assessing What Really Matters to Student Learning: Inside the National Survey of Student Engagement." //Change// 33:10 - 17, 66. National Commission on Excellence in Education. 1983. //A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform.// Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
 * Specific Action Steps to Locating and Reviewing Related Literature:**
 * Target Completion Date **
 * Resources Required** (you should include a **minimum** of three references at this point):

2. Ratcliff, James L., et al. 2001. //The Status of General Education in the Year 2000: Summary of a National Survey.// Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

3. Gaff, Jerry G. 1999. //General Education: The Changing Agenda.// Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

(add more as needed)

I believe that research will change somewhat my initial goals or at least redefine it. The technical vocabulary will add more structure to what the end goal is, more application to real life situations. Time could be a factor in the research process. However the benefits in having students engaged in activities that challenge them instead of answering multiple questions will prove far more beneficial at state testing time.
 * Potential Problems/Barriers: **

Research along with data can substantiate my goal. Only then can this proposal improve present practices to 'best practices'.
 * I’ll Know I’m Ready to Submit the Curriculum Improvement When . . . **

The benefits are increased student participation and a real connection to real-life situations. Application of concepts to real time 'tools' to improve their lives and influence others in a positive manner.In other words, developing leaders to lead and manage conflict.
 * Benefits of Improving My Curriculum: **

Name: Luis Gonzalez. EDUC 620 Date: 3/15/10

resources:

** How to Use Curriculum Development or Improvement Proposal Form ** For us to make learning happen for ourselves, we often need a plan. This inquiry proposal is a way to help you plan how you are going to make your learning occur.

Listing the benefits you will gain both personally and for your students that will help you stay focused and reminded of the value of your curriculum improvment goal. Remember to think of both short term benefits, but also of benefits you might enjoy for a long time as well. ||
 * **Goal** || Write your curriculum improvement goal as a statement of fact. Write it as if you had already accomplished the goal. Writing it like this in present tense sets the desired outcome more clearly in your mind. ||
 * **Action Steps** || Action steps need to be specific and listed chronologically. Think of curriculum improvement goal as a project and these steps are the steps in your project plan. Put realistic (though a "stretch") completion dates on each step. After completing the full planning sheet, look at your resources and barriers, and make sure they are accounted for in your action steps. ||
 * **Resources** || Consider what you’ll need for the completion of this curriculum improvement goal. Who’s help will you need? What information will you require? This is where you list all the resources that you will need – even if you don’t know how you will get them at this point. ||
 * **Problems** || Barriers need to be identified now. Why? Because once they are identified and acknowledged, you are on the way to overcoming them. By writing them down now, they are less likely to throw you off track when they do arise, and you’ll be better prepared to deal with them. ||
 * **Benefits** || It seems like you’ve already put a lot of work into this inquiry, and you haven’t even started yet! Actually a well written plan is a huge boost towards successful accomplishment of improvement of curriculum
 * Make sure you sign and date your goal form. You are making an agreement with yourself. If you take it seriously as you would any other contract you sign, you’ll be very pleased with the outcome – you will be able to enjoy the benefits you receive from reaching your learning goal. ||

//** C&I 576 Curriculum Improvement Proposal Form **// - example Developing a curriculum innovation for my classroom based on alternative assessment is my goal. I want to learn more about the basic theory and principles behind conducting alternative assessments and then develop a curriculum improvement plan to implement it in my social studies curriculum for 8th grade American History. I want to provide additional ways for my students to demonstrate their understandings of the course content and alternative assessment seems like a good way to start. 1. Continue to collect more resources from the Internet and the Library July 20 2. Skim articles for review of literature component and begin note-taking June 20 3. Compose first draft of literature review and have proof read July 6 4. Revise and prepare final draft of literature review July 10 5. Identify pro's and con's to the curriculum innovation by reviewing district assessment policy July 15 6. Consult last year's curriculum guide to prepare timeline for implementation July 20 7. 8.
 * Learning Goal** (stated in present tense also focus on what particular aspect of instructional research you would like to learn more about and why):
 * Specific Action Steps to Locating and Reviewing Related Literature: Target Completion Date **
 * Resources Required (you should include a minimum of three references at this point):**

The time needed to conduct the research and prepare the review is short. It is important to keep up with the class readings while conducting this review. Balancing the demands of my job will require that I devote at least one hour a day to reading and then several hours over the weekend to make sure I make adequate progress. I will also need to make sure I write using sections to guide the reader in preparing the review. I will need to find the last year's currlculum guide as well as the assessment policy written last year for the board's approval I have completed the review and finished all the parts of the curriculum innovation as found in the syllabus. I will check with two classmates to make sure all the components are in place. I will learn more about the use of alternative assessment and how to apply it to my curriculum. I will have more information that I can share with parents about their child's learning.
 * 1) Ramirez, Al. (1999) "Assessment-Driven Reform: the Emporer Still Has No Clothes." Phi Delta Kappan.80 (November): 204-208.
 * 2) Stiggins, Richard J. "Assessment, Student, Confidence, and School Success." Phi Delta Kappan.80 (November): 191-198.
 * 3) Bigelow, Bill. 1999. " Why Standardized Tests Threaten Mulitculturalism." Educational Leadership. 56 (7): 37-40.
 * 4) Adams, Dennis M. and Mary E. Hamm. 1992. "Portfolio Assessment and Social Studies: Collecting, Selecting, and Reflecting on What is Significant." //Social Education.// February //56// (2): 103-105.
 * 5) State of Illinois Website on alternative assessment http://coe.ilstu.edu/jabraun/braun/professional
 * Potential Problems/Barriers: **
 * I’ll Know I’m Ready to Submit the curriculum improvment . . . **
 * Benefits of completing this curriculum improvement: **

_ _ Name Date

** District Curriculum Improvement Plan - example **

 * ** Suggested Tasks ** || ** Date of Completion ** ||
 * The following tasks are to be carried out by the District Curriculum Leadership Team or, where preferred, at the individual school level. ||  ||
 * 1. Review test scores noting strengths and weaknesses in student performance across the district. The districts will devise a plan for areas in which the entire district is shown to be weak. (The district will complete this task using LDE data.) ||  ||
 * 2. Assist with a school level data performance team (or a school level improvement team already established ) to address strengths and weaknesses at the individual school level. This task should coordinate with the state’s School Improvement Plan criteria. ||  ||
 * 3. Collect data performance team checklists with the timeline completed to monitor progress across the district. ||  ||
 * 4. Coordinate and monitor the work of data performance teams; ensure the teams have time to meet and complete their school profiles. ||  ||
 * 5. Develop at the district level, or collect and review from the school level, profiles and improvement goals. ||  ||
 * 6. Coordinate curriculum map revisions across the district; ensure time for teacher teams to plan revisions in instructional strategies or unit timelines. ||  ||

** Improving the Curriculum - a district approach **
Devise a plan for areas in which the entire district is shown to be weak. For those districts without a current plan in which to list strengths and weaknesses.
 * Task 1:** **Review test scores noting strengths and weaknesses in student performance across the district.**


 * School || Major Strengths || Major Weaknesses ||


 * Improving the Curriculum **

** Task 2: Assist with a school level data performance team (or a school level improvement team already established) to address strengths and weaknesses at the individual school level. **


 * Improving the Curriculum **

** Task 3: Collect data performance team checklists with the timeline completed to monitor progress across the district **

· change over time · achievement gaps between groups · the school compared to district, state, and national scores ||  ||   ||
 * ** ACTIONS ** || = TIMELINE = || ** DATE COMPLETED ** ||
 * Assemble available student data including achievement test scores. ||  ||   ||
 * Examine schoolwide scores and disaggregated scores using the No Child Left Behind criteria. Identify areas of strength and weakness. Select four to five strengths and four to five weaknesses. ||  ||   ||
 * Develop a graphic display (e.g., bar graph or line graph) for each area of strength and weakness. If more than one year of data is available, display the data graphically to show
 * Write an introduction to the graphic display—short descriptions of what data are included, how they were collected. ||  ||   ||
 * Write 3-4 narrative statements to describe the importance of each graphic display. Use everyday language and be descriptive rather than evaluative. ||  ||   ||
 * Create a School Profile by collecting the data summaries into one document. ||  ||   ||
 * Use the school profile to establish priorities for improvement, and set specific academic goals and performance target (e.g., improvement targets for one year and up to three years). ||  ||   ||
 * Share the school profile with teachers, administrators, parents, community members, middle/high school students and include all groups in examining the data and setting improvement goals. ||  ||   ||
 * Share the school profile and improvement goals with all teachers, parents, community, the School Board, and the District Curriculum Leadership Team to ensure that everyone works together to improve student performance. ||  ||   ||
 * Create teams of teachers to plan revisions in the strategies, timelines, and curriculum maps. ||  ||   ||

** Improving the Curriculum **


 * Task 4: Coordinate and monitor the work of data performance teams; ensure the data performance teams have time to meet and complete their work **

Directions: Use the left column of the next two charts (strengths and weaknesses) to list the areas of strength and weakness identified during the data team’s analysis of test data. Use the right column to describe what the data reveal.

** Strengths Chart **

 * ** Strengths ** || = Narrative = ||

** Improving the Curriculum **


 * Weaknesses Chart **


 * ** Weaknesses ** || ** Narrative ** ||

** Improving the Curriculum **
** Task 5: Develop or collect copies of school profiles and improvement goals **

A school profile is a collection of data summaries. Each data summary has three parts: (1) an introduction, (2) a graphic display, and (3) a narrative. A sample data summary page is shown below:

= SAMPLE =

**Introduction:** The data shown is the result of data from Sample School showing the number of absences in three subject areas for all four quarters of the year 2004.


 * Narrative: **


 * 1) The largest number of absences occurred in science during the third quarter.
 * 2) English Language Arts shows the highest number of absences in three out of four quarters.


 * Improving the Curriculum **

**Graphic Displays:** The graphic display should be titled. Each axis should be labeled clearly. Displays should

· // Show average schoolwide performance // · // Focus on patterns of student performance // · //Include information about equity in learning among various groups of student in your district.// It is important to know how well students in various sub-groups are performing: boys and girls, high income and low incomes, students of various races and ethnic backgrounds. This will require disaggregating data. · //Show multi-year trends (wherever possible).// Include information for the past several years (up to 5) rather than just information about the immediate past years. Trends over time are most important for monitoring student performance. · //Include comparison information on performance by groups other than the district, e.g.,// //regional, state, or national performance.// This provides the basis for comparing school performance to performance of other comparable groups.

= Improving the Curriculum =


 * Narrative Statements Guiding Questions **

· Are all student groups making good progress towards mastering the GLEs? · Which groups are doing relatively well and which are far behind their peers? · Are there key differences when looking across grade levels? · What are our strengths and weaknesses? · What are the trends over time?

** Criteria for Good Narratives **

Good narrative statements: Good narrative statements:
 * ===** Content **===
 * describe school-wide performance
 * describe trends in performance over time
 * describe high and low-performing groups
 * compare performance in your school with a benchmark: for example, district-wide or statewide performance
 * indicate the relationship of performance in your school to an expectation or standard || ===** Format **===
 * communicate a single idea about student performance
 * are short, clear sentences or phrases
 * are descriptive rather than evaluative
 * use everyday language that is easy to understand
 * are independent statement that incorporate numbers ||

** Improving the Curriculum **
** Task 6: Coordinate curriculum revisions across the district; ensure time for teacher teams to plan revisions in the strategies, timelines, and curriculum maps **

** Curriculum Improvement Goals **
Directions to School Data Performance Team: Complete this form and submit it to the District Curriculum Leadership Team.


 * = School = ||
 * = Goal— specify the course (content area & grade level), the activity, and the GLEs to be addressed with the revised strategies or timelines = || **Curriculum Improvement Team—**Names of teachers on the team || **Dates—**specify when the team will meet to make revisions ||

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