1. Valparaiso Community Schools Curriculum, Assessment, and Technology
Dr. Robert Haworth
Assistant Superintendent
Mrs. Stacey Schmidt
Executive Director of Elementary Education

2. Agenda Strategic Planning & Advisories Curriculum Process
Standards-Based Reporting
Types of Assessment
Technology

3. Strategic Plan Finished this past November Three areas of concern
Finances & Facilities
Communications
Student Achievement

4. Student Achievement
Each student will experience challenging and appropriate instruction
Each student will be a contributing citizen in our democratic society

5. Strategic Plan
District Curriculum & Assessment Advisories will meet to create and update curriculum maps starting in 2010 (Curriculum)
A District Literacy Advisory will be established by February of 2011 to develop a comprehensive approach to literacy. (Literacy)
An Experiential Education Academy Advisory will be established in February of 2011 to develop a comprehensive approach for implementing experiential education in grades (Experiential Education)
Alternative school committee representatives will be established in February of 2011 to develop a comprehensive approach to K-12 alternative education. (Alternative School)
The current Wellness Committee will review and revise the current wellness plan by March of (Wellness)
A Character Advisory will be established by April of (Character)
The current Safety Committee will review and revise the current safety plan by March of (Safety)
A Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) plan will be researched by March of 2011 (PBIS)
A School Mentoring Advisory will be established by April of 2011(Mentoring)

6. Strategic Plan Advisories
Wellness
Safety
Literacy
Character
Mentoring
Experiential Education
Alternative Education
Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems (PBIS)
Curriculum

7. How it Works

8. Where are we now? Advisory Chairs have been identified
Advisories members are been identified and selected
Advisories will begin meeting in late February and March
Advisories will begin reporting out to the School board in the near future

9. Curriculum Process
The curriculum process follows the Indiana textbook adoption cycle
2008 – Language Arts / World Languages
2009 – Social Studies
2010 – Mathematics (took a waiver)
2011 – Science / Health
2012 – Art / Music / Business / Technology Education / Family & Consumer Sciences
Curriculum Revision/Development - Establish work groups to revise curriculum and develop/revise content and performance standards.
Assessment Design - Design assessments.
Materials Review - Establish work groups to review materials for correlation with curriculum performance and content standards and compile results. (Sometimes known as textbook adoption committee.)
Pre-Implementation Training - Conduct training in the content and performance standards, instructional strategies, and assessments using the newly adopted materials as tools to implement the standards.
Implementation - Implement fully the use of materials and standards for students. 9

10. Curriculum Process Year 1 - Before textbook adoption
Revise / develop curriculum
Create curriculum maps
Year 2 - During textbook adoption
Begin assessment writing
Review textbook materials
Conduct gap analysis
Curriculum Revision/Development - Establish work groups to revise curriculum and develop/revise content and performance standards.
Assessment Design - Design assessments.
Materials Review - Establish work groups to review materials for correlation with curriculum performance and content standards and compile results. (Sometimes known as textbook adoption committee.)
Pre-Implementation Training - Conduct training in the content and performance standards, instructional strategies, and assessments using the newly adopted materials as tools to implement the standards.
Implementation - Implement fully the use of materials and standards for students. 10

11. Curriculum Process Year 3 - After textbook adoption
Begin standards-based reporting
Begin using new texts
Implement new assessments
Create resource documents
Curriculum Revision/Development - Establish work groups to revise curriculum and develop/revise content and performance standards.
Assessment Design - Design assessments.
Materials Review - Establish work groups to review materials for correlation with curriculum performance and content standards and compile results. (Sometimes known as textbook adoption committee.)
Pre-Implementation Training - Conduct training in the content and performance standards, instructional strategies, and assessments using the newly adopted materials as tools to implement the standards.
Implementation - Implement fully the use of materials and standards for students. 11

12. Curriculum Process 2010-2011 Curriculum Work
Mathematics (adopt textbook)
Science (adopt textbook)
Language Arts and Social Studies working on maps (3 weeks/examine Indiana maps)
Elementary Science and Math will begin mapping process this summer
3 week assessment writing

13. Standards-Based Curriculum
State
National
International
Common Core
Measurement categories
Learner outcomes
This is year one of a four year cycle.

14. Common Core Standards Adopted by Indiana in August 2010
State-led effort
Establish common standards for language arts and mathematics
Working to provide students a great education no matter where they live

15. Curriculum Transition
teach state standards and common core
2014 teach common core only
test state standards
test state and common core
2014 test common core

16. Curriculum Map Social Studies
Measurement Categories - Clear, specific, short descriptions of a knowledge and skills used to report student progress. Measurement categories can be a subdivision of a standard, a standard, or a group of standards
The important work that comes out of the developing the curriculum map is (1) the collaboration of the instructors teaching the course and (2) the knowledge that each teacher receives from working with the curriculum documents.
They learn the standards and the measurement categories. 16

17. Curriculum Map Language Arts
Measurement Categories - Clear, specific, short descriptions of a knowledge and skills used to report student progress. Measurement categories can be a subdivision of a standard, a standard, or a group of standards
The important work that comes out of the developing the curriculum map is (1) the collaboration of the instructors teaching the course and (2) the knowledge that each teacher receives from working with the curriculum documents.

18. Curriculum Map Mathematics
Measurement Categories - Clear, specific, short descriptions of a knowledge and skills used to report student progress. Measurement categories can be a subdivision of a standard, a standard, or a group of standards
The important work that comes out of the developing the curriculum map is (1) the collaboration of the instructors teaching the course and (2) the knowledge that each teacher receives from working with the curriculum documents.
They learn the standards and the measurement categories. 18

19. Types of Assessment Diagnostic
Given before instruction to determine readiness for instruction
Formative (3 week assessments)
Given during instruction to determine pace of instruction and develop interventions
Summative
Given after instruction to determine success of instruction

20. Assessment Types NWEA K-2 Acuity 3-8 / Algebra I STAR Reading and Math
ISTEP+ Grades 3-8
End of Course Assessments
Creating 3 week assessments for pilot

21. Curriculum and Assessment Improvements
Provide webpage for curriculum maps for public access
Pilot 3 week assessments
Balance curriculum maps and assessments between content areas
Explore a online delivery of assessments
Continue to develop a data warehouse
Create a proposal for full day kindergarten

22. Technology Director of Technology: Bill Moran A staff of 5
Annual budget of about $1.75 million (includes personnel, benefits, equipment, telephones, software, licensing—more to come on budget and finance next month!)
Provides services to 8 elementary buildings, 2 middle schools, one high school, the Porter County Career Center, and Administration Building

23. Current Equipment Currently we have: 235 laptops
3,625 desktop computers
175 document cameras
925 netbooks
138 interactive whiteboards
Wireless connectivity in all buildings

24. Systems to Monitor Snap – Food Services Transfinder – Transportation
HealthOffice – Nurses
Follett – Library System
Software Systems – Financial/Payroll
Admin+ Student Management System
Assessment Systems
Renaissance Place – Accelerated Reader, Star Math, Star Reader

25. Goals Provide interactive technology in each classroom
Provide individual pieces of technology for each student
Expand the virtual and online educational support to the learning community across the curriculum

26. Technology Plan
Currently working on a 3 year plan (we are in year 2) which will provide every classroom:
Laptop
Interactive White Board
Projector
Speaker system
Document Camera
Phone system replaced in all buildings

27. Technology Plan Progress
K-2, Science, and Math teachers have laptops (3-4, media center, Language Arts, and Social Studies are on order)
4-5, Language Arts, and Social Studies have interactive white boards/document cameras/speakers (2-3, World Language, Allied Arts will be ordered for summer installation)

28. Technology Curriculum
Curriculum based on National Standards
Goal is integration into each content area
Resource documents to provide resources
Two professional development trainers

29. Technology Improvements
Need to evaluate staffing
Need to evaluate 1 to 1 devices
Need to continue the process of integrating technology into the curriculum

30. EACH STUDENT