“The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is developing the ability of school personnel to function as professional learning communities” (DuFour).
The Millbury Public School district believes in the importance of all members of our community to impact meaningful change for the students we service. In order to support this belief we have created a process for continual curriculum review that will engage professionals from each of our learning communities in a collaborative effort to evaluate, revise and redefine curriculum and instruction throughout our district. In order to achieve this we will dedicate time and resources to bring professionals from all levels together to pursue collaborative investigation of best instructional practices and current trends in teaching and learning.
As we pursue the continuous evaluation of our current curriculum scope and sequence, practices, and assessments we will approach this work with the understanding that our curriculum will never be a finalized product. We know that our work needs to stay fluid and flexible in order for it to meet the ever changing needs of our students.
While reviewing our curriculum across all content areas we will ensure that all of our work is aligned to current state standards as well as the expectations outlined in the common core. These standards will be analyzed by staff in order to identify for all students the skills being developed within them. Units, courses, and individual lessons will be adjusted and aligned to these skills with clear and high level expectations outlined for students and for educators. Assessments will be reviewed to ensure that they are created with those expectations and goals in mind and are truly providing feedback on whether or not students have reached the intended goal. Our curriculum will also be reviewed through the lens of creating opportunities and supports that will help our students PreK-12 own their own learning, think creatively and critically, and work collaboratively with peers and with the community in order to prepare them for their future.
The Millbury Public Schools believes strongly in the tenets of Universal Design for Learning. This construct was developed under the premise that our job as educators is to meet the needs of all learners. We are committed to reviewing all areas of our curriculum with UDL in mind. All of our curriculum documents will reflect a shift from focusing on the teaching of knowledge to the teaching of learning. We aim to create “expert learners” in students with diverse backgrounds and learning needs by promoting voice and choice. With UDL, we can reach our goal of both challenging and supporting all students in the same classroom, while also meeting rigorous state-based standards.
Rationale for a Curriculum Review Cycle:
- ∙ Ensures that the district has clearly articulated curriculum that is well coordinated through PreK-12 ∙ Provides for an ongoing review and revision of curriculum
- ∙ Supports the ongoing use of assessment data to inform and improve curriculum and instructional practices ∙ Ensures that revisions and updates to curriculum, instruction, and assessment take place to maintain adherence to changes in state and federal mandates, as well as MA Curriculum Frameworks
- ∙ Outlines a planned approach towards researching and budgeting for expenditures in curricular materials and professional development
- ∙ Evaluates potential needs for curricular or programmatic changes to support student learning
Committee Team Structure:
The Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment will invite staff and administration to serve on a curriculum review team. The curriculum team should consist of grade level representation from grades or grade spans from a relevant content area and should include ELL and special educators.
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