Buckeye Elementary School District’s Curriculum Mapping Initiative

Purpose Buckeye Elementary School District’s test scores, student growth, and professional development goals indicate a need for an aligned curriculum Addressing need to provide consistency across classrooms and schools in the district By working together to develop a map for each content area we will be able to see the gaps and overlaps – as well as align to the common core

Timeline and Schedule Fall 2010 launch district math K-8 mapping team ▫District teachers in each grade level meet monthly as a leadership team to develop consensus maps ▫Grade level representatives meet with school colleagues to share, gain input and feedback on maps Spring 2011 complete math maps in grades K-8 which are aligned to the common core and AZ standards ▫Process includes a transition period to allow for phasing out of AZ standards as common core is embedded in the AIMS test ▫Crosswalk templates and examples included in maps Fall 2011 launch district language arts K-8 mapping team Spring 2012 launch remaining core content mapping teams

What is a Curriculum Map? A Curriculum Map is an outline of what is being taught in the classroom and INCLUDES: ▫Flexible Timeline (month by month) ▫Content ▫Skills/Objectives ▫Assessments ▫Standards Brings continuity over and across grade levels There is consistency to what is being taught BUT there is flexibility to HOW the material is presented.

Who is involved in the Curriculum Mapping Process? EVERYONE – all teachers (does not matter the grade or subject you teach) AND building and Central Office administrators

How does the whole process work? Ideally, this process takes place over a few years: STEP 1: The content areas in each grade level develop a completed map template. STEP 2: Representatives from each content area compare maps between grade levels to check for consistency, gaps, and overlaps. STEP 3: After implementing the curriculum map as a work in progress for 1 year, minor adjustments are made to improve the map. STEP 4: Continue to monitor and adjust the curriculum map, keeping in mind any long-term goals and base changes on assessments

How do I participate in the process? Collect data – get together and review what concepts MUST be taught at your grade level Provide feedback on the map – see the examples  Each map MUST include: 1) Recommendations for when the content should be taught (flexible month-by-month timeline) 2) What content is taught 3) What skills/objectives will help to reach the content 4) How to assess if the students learned the content 5) Which standards are aligned with the content  Big Ideas, Essential Questions, Skills, Objectives and Assessments aligned to the standards Math teams- revise the map as you implement it during fall 2011 (please do not be overwhelmed…we are going to go through the process step-by-step)

Progress to date…. Math maps are nearly complete in grades K-8 which include consistent language Math representatives are meeting with like grade levels and above-below grade levels to describe process, and seek understanding Math maps are incorporating side by side analysis of common core and Arizona standards District message is consistent and clear – focused and prioritized

Goals for remaining 2011 school year Math grade level teams in each building are provided with a map – access to create diary maps – training to navigate software used in the mapping process Crosswalks, AIMS blue prints, common core language included and adjusted in each grade level map Phase two planning begins- next year the district math leadership team will spend weekly professional development meeting with school teams to create and add assessments to the current maps District message is consistent and clear – focused and prioritized

What we have learned so far….. “The process of curriculum mapping has brought my training from college back to mind. I was taught to plan according to units with big ideas to focus on. You had lesson plans within those units that took the big ideas and the units and broke them down into smaller manageable chunks, but it always led back to the whole. Over the years, because of daily lesson plans and other responsibilities, I stopped focusing so much on the whole unit and focused more and more on the day to day activity. This brings the big picture back to the main focus for me!”

What we have learned so far….. “The big changes to instruction that I see is that the district is more uniform in what and when curriculum is taught and that teachers will have a better focus on the big picture instead of the day by day activities. All of which are important, but we can sometimes get more caught up in what is happening moment by moment instead of the end result. Therefore time will be used more wisely and focused better on where our students need to end up being.”