Policy-Code-IGA

Section I: Instructional Program

Policy Title: Curriculum Development, Implementation, and Assessment
Policy Code: IGA

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Curriculum Development

The Board recognizes the need for and value of a systematic, ongoing program of curriculum development and evaluation. The design and implementation of the curriculum will be consistent with the Board's adopted mission, long range strategic plan, state laws and Board of Education rules. The Board deems it essential that the school system continually develop and modify its curriculum to provide common direction of action for all instruction and programmatic efforts in the District and to meet changing needs. This curriculum component will be an integral part of the District's long range strategic planning process. An environment to support curriculum delivery must be created and maintained by all functions of the organization.

The Superintendent shall establish and maintain a quality and effective District-wide curriculum that is (1) aligned to both Arizona standards as well assessments; (2) implemented with fidelity in every classroom; and, (3) continually evaluated using aligned, formative, and diagnostic assessments. A quality curriculum shall include the requirements for an aligned written, taught, and tested curriculum for all subject areas at all grade levels and a multi-grade scope and sequence document for each content area, covering all grade levels of the taught curriculum.

While curriculum in TUSD shall be responsive to the unique needs of individual students, instruction shall be derived from a set of curriculum learning common to all students. There will be equitable access to the curriculum for all students.

The Superintendent/designee shall develop a District curriculum framework that establishes course descriptions and strives to exceed statutory and regulatory requirements. This curriculum framework shall support and reflect the District's curriculum documents.

The District's written curriculum shall be culturally relevant and shall ensure vertical articulation and horizontal coordination within schools as well as vertical articulation across grade levels and horizontal coordination among schools at a given level for all content areas.

The Superintendent shall establish procedures to ensure all written curriculum is both formatively and summatively assessed for all grade and content levels on a five year cycle and revised as necessary to meet the needs of all students.

Subject-related and School-wide Programs

The Superintendent shall establish procedures to ensure that all educational programs are aligned with the district's long range strategic plan and are assessed regularly for such alignment and program effectiveness.

Curriculum Framework

The Superintendent/designee shall develop a curriculum framework and make it available to schools. The framework shall translate enhanced learning goals and academic expectations into a curriculum framework with sufficient specificity such that teachers shall consistently describe how students will demonstrate mastery of the intended objective. The framework shall be useful to teachers and accessible to parents while supporting the curriculum mapping system. The framework, course descriptions, curriculum maps ancillary materials and textbooks shall support the curriculum to be used by schools.

Instructional Program and Curriculum Design:

A basic instructional program shall be designed and implemented to meet the needs of students Pre-K – 12 as required by law. This program shall encourage critical thinking and include but not be limited to instruction in the foundational skills of reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and humanities, practical living, and vocational studies.

The Superintendent shall provide the schools with the curriculum framework and curriculum maps. The Superintendent shall also provide professional development to support the instructional program and ensure that all students are college and/or career ready as a result of receiving a challenging curriculum in the following subjects: reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and humanities, practical living and vocational studies.

Implementation of Curriculum

The Superintendent shall ensure that professional development is provided to all certificated staff to support the implementation of the curriculum. Each teacher shall teach and assess curriculum as aligned to the District's written curriculum prescribed for the assigned grade and subject area.

Monitoring:

• Principals shall monitor the delivery of the curriculum with the support of central office curricular staff and shall evaluate teachers on the effectiveness of their delivery of the curriculum to students.
• Central leadership responsible for the evaluation of Principals shall ensure that the evaluation of Principals includes an assessment of the fidelity of the delivery of the curriculum on a school wide basis.

Alignment of Assessments

Benchmark assessments and other assessment instruments, aligned to the district curriculum shall be utilized to monitor student achievement, effectiveness of curriculum and curriculum delivery. Assessment instruments shall be reviewed annually for alignment with the curriculum framework and the district and state accountability systems.

Parental Engagement

The Superintendent shall ensure parent access to and information about the curriculum.

Governing Board Oversight of the Curriculum

• The Governing Board shall adopt the District's written curriculum.
• The Governing Board shall adopt any new or revised curriculum.
• The Superintendent shall make an annual report to the Governing Board regarding the status of curriculum delivery.
• The Superintendent shall provide periodic summative reports to the Governing Board for all content areas before any curricular adoptions or major materials acquisition.

Adopted: July 2, 2012
Revised: April 14, 2015

LEGAL REF: A.R.S. 15-203
15-341
15-701
15-701.01
15-721
15-722