1. November 1 & 8 Curriculum implementation and curriculum alignment
Curriculum mapping introduction
Developing core maps
Sharing of maps within teams and across grade levels
 Principal’s role as curriculum leader
Using technology to chart progress, view lesson plans, etc.

2. Curricular Change Influences
Leadership – Superintendent and leadership team’s vision and mission of teaching & learning
District policies
Available resources and revenue to run programs
School board politics
Climate of community – what’s important to them is often pushed in a school to happen

3. Curricular Leadership & Curriculum Councils
Requires planning and organization
REVIEW: Programming and curriculum driven by leadership (Instructional Leadership)
Using feedback looping to determine needs and aspirations each year
Remaining future-focused on new initiatives, trends, and innovations
Laying out proposed solutions to identified problems

4. Curriculum Implementation
Must provide appropriate PD to all staff involved
Report/communicate to parents, school board, faculty about progress of initiative
Include weekly or bi-monthly PD to staff, who can then share with others where necessary (train the trainer). EX: PLN, LFS, etc.
Inspect what you expect
Provide summative feedback after first year

5. Curriculum Alignment
Purpose: to ensure that the planned (written), taught, and assessed curricula are as parallel as possible.
Begins with standards to be assessed as a baseline (PA’s former standards & now the Common Core).
Want to eliminate gaps and any overlaps in curriculum
Want to align horizontally & vertically in a spiral format

6. Curriculum Alignment A backwards-design approach is crucial
Design curriculum based assessments (CBAs) that will summative assess content and skills (final exams, unit exams, quarterly assessments, etc.)
Determine content and skills to be learned
Determine big ideas and essential questions for each unit
Design experiences and activities to approach the content and skills (lessons)

7. Curriculum Alignment Assessment drives everything
Pre-assessments (that help determine correct placements), formative, and summative are keys to making major decisions about effectiveness of teacher instruction
Use of best practice and research crucial to alignment process

8. Curriculum Alignment Assessment drives everything
Pre-assessments (that help determine correct placements), formative, and summative are keys to making major decisions about effectiveness of teacher instruction
Use of best practice and research crucial to alignment process

9. Implementing Curriculum Mapping
Ideally, a common template should be used by all in order to sustain cohesiveness and coherence so that…
Any two or more teachers, teaching the same course, have the same maps that are horizontally articulated
A teacher also knows for a fact what is being taught before and after the given grade level / content of a given course (vertical articulation)

10. Implementing Curriculum Mapping
Some software has built in mapping already (Story town)
Because software is web-based, using it can occur from anywhere
Having carefully planned professional development to implement mapping is key
Stipulation: mapping is NOT a glorified lesson plan
It is a holistic method for designing content, skills, learning plan, and assessment

11. Mapping & the Principal
Curriculum mapping is like any other initiative
REMEMBER: Goal is to design it as an evolutionary process that is never over
Course sequencing, resources, programs, and a pulse on best practice, state mandates, etc. is important
Mapping (and doing it well) requires the necessary time, support and resources
Must be viewed as something that will ALWAYS be around, regardless if it is mapped electronically or otherwise
It cannot be viewed as another fad

12. Mapping & the Principal
Teachers will look to principal for guidance, to lead discussion and training on it…
Principal must encourage staff to look for gaps and overlaps and make necessary changes
Principal must also be the lead cheerleader for staff
Principal and core group of teachers need to be well trained in mapping process before training staff

13. Planning & Implementation of Mapping
If using computerized mapping system, principal should give folks plenty of time to feel comfortable with the technology itself
Reinforce why technology is more efficient than traditional ways of sharing curriculum
Be creative with time during each day/week in which PD time could be used to map…
Use subs on various days so departments/teams can meet
Principal: insist that they map it correctly; otherwise, it is a waste of time

14. Planning & Implementation of Mapping
Principal and key group of staff who are training others must...
Ensure trust in the process
Ensure that no person’s ideas are invalid
Not allow key staff to monopolize time of others using sarcasm, irrational dissent, or flat out ancient reasoning
Encourage a positive attitude where SHARING is key component to the horizontal and vertical process necessary in mapping

15. Planning & Implementation of Mapping
All maps must be made available to all staff (this is still quite different from what some veteran teachers are accustomed to…)
Staff must discover for themselves through entering information and then discussing it where potential gaps and overlaps exist
Teachers within a department/grade level must come to consensus (hopefully aligned to standards and big ideas…) on content, skills, and assessments

16. For next time…
Task: Talk with a principal about what he/she believes is his/her role in curriculum mapping OR in supervising the instructional design and experiences of teachers.
 Respond to this: As a principal, what would you use to review prior to entering a teacher's classroom to observe or complete a walkthrough on? Consider researching the types of tools available to do so, and/or inquiring with an administrator in your district.