Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Summer Updates from the Curriculum Team



Curriculum work continued throughout the summer as many teacher teams collaborated to take courses, create units of study, plan for the upcoming school year, and design assessments.

·         Several teacher teams came together to design assessments for the revised curriculum units.  Because of the changes in the Iowa Core, changes have been made to both units of study as well as the benchmark and formative assessments to monitor progress.  We are looking forward to the use of a new data system to improve the efficiency of scoring so more time may be spent by teacher teams on data analysis and decision making.

·         Nearly 80 Southeast Polk educators participated in a 2-day professional development opportunity around the foundations of quality teaching and learning.  The study was focused around quality curriculum, the characteristics of effective instruction, literacy and technology integration across all subject areas, and a comprehensive assessment plan.  Teacher teams were able to collaborate to identify next steps for moving forward.

·         A team of Fine Arts educators attended a state conference on the Iowa Core.  They spent time with the design teams as well as their colleagues from around the state as they reviewed the units created thus far and aligned their work around the universal constructs from the Iowa Core.

·         Grade level teams of language arts and math teachers spent time with the curriculum coaches outlining instructional plans for the upcoming school year.  Teachers were able to access the revised units and assessments online and work with their colleagues to design instruction for the upcoming school year.

·         Over 100 educators participated in training around iPads and their use in classrooms.  Teachers had the opportunity to explore apps that are aligned to the content areas they teach as well as our SEP curriculum.  With many schools investing in iPads, our teachers are committed to the study of how to effectively use technology to enhance instruction.

·         A dozen science educators from Southeast Polk spent a full week (in the very hot weather!) studying environmental education with Dr. Keith Summerville from Drake University at the Metro Waste field site.  They created units of study and identified opportunities to capitalize on this outdoor classroom to engage students and support their learning of scientific concepts.  We are looking forward to expanding the use of this site to align and strengthen our K-12 science curriculum.

We have heard from many Southeast Polk teachers about classes and workshops they have taken over the summer months to collaborate with colleagues and continually improve their craft.  We are looking forward to the challenges and celebrations of the upcoming school year!












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