Ing Mu
ET8021
Jan. 18, 2011
EDLD 5335 Curriculum Management
Week 1 Assignment
Overview
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills of an instructional leader who also effectively manages curriculum and instruction. The course assignments will guide you as you increase your leadership abilities in the areas of curriculum management, application of state law and local policy as they relate to curriculum and instruction, and campus improvement planning.
In this week’s assignment, you will summarize required curriculum components and high school graduation requirements, describe the components of the TEA learning system
and make suggestions for improvement, and collect data to begin decision-making on a
learner-centered staff development session. This week, you should:
· identify and summarize the components of a state-required curriculum.
· analyze the components of the TEA learning system and make suggestions for improvements.
· analyze state-generated data and a Campus Improvement Plan for the purpose
of decision-making.
Rubric
Use the following rubric to guide your work.
Accomplished / Proficient / UnacceptablePart 1: Summary of Curriculum Requirements / Clearly summarizes the requirements of the Texas-mandated curriculum with seven paragraphs – one for each component.
(3 points) / Summarizes the requirements of the Texas-mandated curriculum. Not all seven components addressed.
(2 points) / Does not summarize the requirements of the Texas-mandated curriculum.
(0 points)
Part 2: TEA Learning System Components / Effectively summarizes the state and local provisions of the TEA learning system.
(3 points) / Summarizes the state and local provisions of the TEA learning system.
(2 points) / Does not summarize the state and local provisions of the TEA learning system.
(0 points)
Part 3: Gathering Data for Decision Making / Makes an in-depth analysis of AEIS data and a CIP to select a content area and objective for a learner-centered staff development session.
(3 points) / Analyzes AEIS data and a CIP to select a content area/ objective for a learner-centered staff development.
(2 points) / Does not analyze AEIS data and a CIP to select a learner-centered staff development topic.
(0 points)
Mechanics / Few to no errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
(1 point) / Responses lack clarity and depth and/or multiple errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
(0 points)
Week 1 Assignment: Curriculum and the TEA Learning System
Part 1: Summary of Curriculum Requirements
Knowledge of the state’s required curriculum provides an emerging leader with a foundation for decision making. In this part of the assignment, you will examine what Texas law says about curriculum.
Directions:
From your Web address box, access the TEA Web site
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/index.html.
Read and study the following sections of the Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part II:
74.1 Essential Knowledge and Skills
74.2 Description of a Required Elementary Curriculum
74.3 Description of a Required Secondary Curriculum
74.4 English Language Proficiency Standards
74.62 Minimum High School Program
74.63 Recommended High School Program
74.64 Distinguished Achievement High School Program—Advanced High School Program
(Note: Requirements changed as of the 2007-2008 school year, and §74.63 and §74.64 reflect the new 4 x 4 requirements.)
Compose a two-page summary of the seven components. Include at least one paragraph on each section. Type your paper in the expandable box below.
Summary of Curriculum Requirements
Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part II, Chapter 74 outlines and defines curriculum requirements for the Texas public schools. Chapter 74.1, Essential Knowledge and Skills known also as TEKS, is categorized into two curriculum areas. One is the foundation curriculum, which includes English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, consisting of Texas, United States and world history, government, and geography. Only state-adopted textbooks and instructional materials ratified by a school district’s Board of Trustees will be purchased by the state for the courses in the foundation curriculum. Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test is given annually in this foundation curriculum to measure school and student performance and progress. Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report is provided to schools to be used as performance measurement system, and to develop, review and revise the Campus Improvement Plan, which sets goals and objective for each school.
The second required curriculum is the enrichment curriculum which includes: to the extent possible, languages other than English; health, with emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition and exercise; physical education; fine arts, which includes music, art, drama, and dance; economics, with emphasis on the free enterprise system and its benefits; career and technology education; technology applications; and religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on history and literature. Non-adopted instructional materials and textbooks may be selected for these courses, but the local school districts are responsible for paying part of the cost. Subjects in the enrichment curriculum are not part of the state-mandated tests.
A school district must follow the specified law in providing instruction in the essential knowledge and skills in the foundation and enrichment curriculum at the appropriate grade levels. A school district may add elements at its discretion but must not delete or omit instruction in the foundation and enrichment curriculum.
Chapter 74.2, Description of a Required Elementary Curriculum, states that a school district that offers kindergarten through Grade 5 must provide instruction in the required curriculum. The district must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn English language arts and reading, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, health, physical education, technology applications, and to the extent possible, languages other than English. The school district may provide instruction in a variety of arrangements and settings, including mixed-age programs designed to permit flexible learning arrangements for developmentally appropriate instruction for all student populations to support student attainment of course and grade level standards.
Chapter 74.3, Description of a Required Secondary Curriculum, outlines the curriculum requirements for middle grades six through eight and secondary grades nine through twelve. All schools and all levels must provide instruction in the required curriculum consisting of foundation and enrichment curriculum. The district must ensure sufficient time for teachers to teach and students to learn. The school district may provide instruction in a variety of arrangements and settings, including mixed-age programs designed to permit flexible learning arrangements for developmentally appropriate instruction for all student populations to support student attainment of course and grade level standards.
Middle grade schools must ensure that, beginning with students who enter Grade 6 in the 2010-2011 school year, each student completes one Texas essential knowledge and skills-based fine arts course in Grade 6, Grade 7, or Grade 8.
Secondary schools must offer courses listed in paragraph (2), subsection (b) in Ch. 74.3, which includes foundation and enrichment curriculum, and school district must maintain evidence that students have the opportunity to take the courses. Districts may offer additional courses from State Board of Education approved course list to satisfy graduation requirements. They must provide courses to ensure students to meet graduation requirements in a timely manner. If the school district will not offer the required courses every year, but intends to offer particular courses only every other year, it must notify all enrolled students of that fact. For students entering Grade 9 beginning with 2007-2008 school year, districts must ensure that one or more courses offered in the required curriculum for the recommended and advanced high school programs include a research writing component.
Chapter 74.4, English Language Proficiency Standards, outlines a school district’s responsibility for English Language Learners (ELL). School district is responsible for identifying the student’s English language proficiency levels, provide instructions for foundation and enrichment curriculum in a manner that is linguistically accommodated commensurate with the student's levels of English language proficiency, provide content-based instruction including the cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills in a manner that is linguistically accommodated to help the student acquire English language proficiency, and provide intensive and ongoing foundational second language acquisition instruction to ELLs in Grade 3 or higher.
Chapter 74.62, Minimum High School Program, describes the minimum course graduation requirements for high school students, beginning with school year 2007-2008. A student must earn at least 22 credits to complete the Minimum High School Program. The credits must consist of four credits in English language arts, three credits in mathematics, two credits in science, two and a half credits in social science, half credit from economics, one credit from academic elective, one credit from physical education, half credit from speech, one credit from fine arts, and seven and a half credits from other electives.
Chapter 74.63, Recommended High School Program, outlines the requirements for completing the Recommended High School Program. A student must complete all the same requirements for the Minimum High School Program and additional four credits, one additional in mathematics, two additional for science, and one additional for social studies. Two credits from Language other than English needs to be part of the elective courses.
Chapter 74.63, Distinguished Achievement High School Program—Advanced High School Program, describes more rigorous and challenging curriculum requirements. Students are encouraged to enroll in Advanced Placement and college prep courses. The credit requirements are basically the same as the Recommended High School Program. Additional requirements are three credits for Language other than English rather than just two, and students must achieve combination of four advanced measures. The measure must demonstrate performance at the college or professional level.
Part 2: TEA Learning System Components
In this section of the assignment, you will describe the minimum state provisions of the six components of the TEA learning system, desirable local provisions for each component, and your preliminary ideas for improvement.
Directions:
Review the components of the TEA learning system in the Week 1 lecture and the information you gathered in Part 1 of the assignment. As you review, think about desirable local provisions for each component. Consider strengths and weaknesses in local provisions.
Access the Texas Education Code at http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/ed.toc.htm and/or the Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, (TAC): Part II Texas Education Agency at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/index.html. Peruse these sites for more information about the TEA learning system components.
Collaborate online with two colleagues to complete the table on the TEA learning system by describing the minimum state provisions, desirable local provisions for each of the six components, and your preliminary suggestions for improvement. Your suggestions may change after completing the course.
TEA Learning System Components
Collaborator #1: Victoria Satterwhite / Collaborator #2: Ranada SmithComponent / Minimum State Provision / Desirable Local Provision / Preliminary Suggestion for Improvement
Learning Goals / Minimum state learning goals provision for school district is to follow the guidelines of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Under the Texas Administrative Code-Title 19, Part II, Chapter 74, school districts are required to provide instruction in the TEKS of the appropriate grade level in the foundation and enrichment curriculum, and specifications for English Language Learners. / A school district may use alternative procedures for delivering instruction to ensure that TEKS are taught. The district shall pay any fees or other costs for students to participate in alternative delivery procedures.
A school district may operate a magnet program, academy, or other innovative program to serve student populations with specialized interests and aptitudes.
Students may earn credits through correspondence courses or distance learning by following the guidelines in Ch. 74.23
A school district may adopt a policy that allows a student to earn credit toward high school graduation for completing a college-level course through an accredited institution. / Financial burden of providing alternative instruction could be lifted from school districts. If the school is following guidelines of teaching TEKS the state should be obligated to pay for costs associated with delivery of the instruction. Schools should offer variety of methods for students’ to succeed. Some schools may not be able to offer alternative delivery procedure because of the burden of the costs.
Curriculum Documents / A school district’s written curriculum that follows the TEKS, which includes the foundation and enrichment curriculum, will serve as a guide for instruction (the taught curriculum). The results of which are assessed are the tested curriculum. Aligned written, taught, and tested curriculum serves as guiding document for student achievement.
State provides funding for textbooks for students, teacher editions for lesson planning, and additional teaching materials that support TEKS curriculum. / Local school boards are responsible for selecting teaching materials and textbooks for the foundation curriculum. The materials must be from the state adopted instructional materials that have been ratified by the school district’s board of trustees.
The school district may select non-adopted materials for enrichment subjects such as technology, fine arts, health or physical education. However, the district would be responsible for portion of the cost. / Allowing a small panel of people, some non-educators, to review and select textbooks for all the public schools for the entire state may be a dangerous practice. Texas is a leader in education and the decisions it makes may affect the whole nation.
Selecting textbook should be left to teachers and experts of particular subjects and the books should be approve by the school principal and the district.
Instructional Program / As an accredited district all schools in the district must provide instruction following the curriculum requirement using the TEKS.
The school district must provide each student the opportunity to participate in all courses listed in subsection (b)(2) of Ch.74.3. If the school district will not offer the required courses every year, but intends to offer particular courses only every other year, it must notify all enrolled students of that fact. The school district must teach a course in which ten or more students indicate they will participate or that is required for a student to graduate. For a course in which fewer than ten students indicate they will participate, the district must either teach the course or employ options described in Subchapter C of this chapter (relating to Other Provisions) to provide the course and must maintain evidence that it is employing those options. / The school district may provide instruction in a variety of arrangements and settings, including mixed-age programs designed to permit flexible learning arrangements for developmentally appropriate instruction for all student populations to support student attainment of course and grade level standards.