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District 7 has established a five-year curriculum review
cycle, although some curriculum or topics can be evaluated on an
as-needed basis. This curriculum review process begins with the
establishment of a committee of 40-45 members which includes teacher
representatives, community representatives, and administrative
representatives. The committee reviews student performance;
instructional trends; best teaching practices; and local, state, and
national benchmark performance standards leading to the development
of standards for the learning area being reviewed. The standards
developed for the learning areas include philosophy, goals, learner
outcomes, benchmark objectives, subject matter, and topics of study.
This committee also reviews existing instructional materials by
comparing them against the learning goals and outcomes.
Instructional materials are selected for in-depth analysis. Finally,
a draft curriculum guide is constructed.
The curriculum committee presents its work to the Curriculum
Cabinet, which is composed of teachers, administrators, community
members, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction,
Coordinators of Elementary and Secondary Education, and one school
board member. The proposed curriculum may be presented to the
Citizens Advisory Council, appropriate community groups, and
District employee groups. The Curriculum Cabinet recommends adoption
of the curriculum to the Board of Education or forwards a
recommendation to the board with a majority and minority opinion.
After the Board of Education adopts the curriculum, material and
supplies are purchased, and staff development is planned.
Two important components of the curriculum revision cycle include
staff development and assessment. Both areas are addressed within
each curriculum study, ensuring that teacher training in best
practices and aligned assessment are developed and implemented for
each revised curricular area. Staff development includes appropriate
technology training on related software, training on the integration
of technology into the learning process, information on effective
instructional strategies for a wide range of learners, and training
in developing cross-curricular units of study. Assessments are
developed that will provide across grade level information
concerning student progress as well as vertical articulation of the
curriculum K - 12.
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