5
EDL 621
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Syllabus
Spring 2013
Dr. Howard Coleman
Phone: 910-962-7287 E-Mail:
Office: Friday Annex, Room 131
COURSE DESCRIPTION: (3 Credits) This course is designed to build upon candidates’ prior experiences as teachers and curriculum designers/evaluators. The course will develop school leaders’ skills in analyzing & evaluating system-wide curricular efforts under the scrutiny of state and national accountability mandates.
TEXT:
Textbook: English, Fenwick, W. & Steffy, Betty E. (2001) Deep curriculum alignment: Creating a level playing field for all children on high-stakes tests of educational accountability. CA: Scarecrow Publications
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK This course will focus on the key components developing highly competent professionals to serve in educational leadership roles. All educators must use data for decisions, reflect upon their practice, exemplify their commitment to professional standards, implement appropriate communication strategies, and strive to meet the needs of all learners and constituents. Assignments in this course will assist you in preparing to be a competent professional and an effective leader at the district level and beyond.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify and define curriculum management measurements
2. Evaluate curriculum management at the classroom, local school, state, district, and national levels
3. Conduct a K-12 district-wide curriculum management audit to identify strengths and weaknesses of instruction relative to subgroup and overall student achievement.
4. Assess the effectiveness of district-wide intervention programs, support services, and resource allocation in addressing specific needs of lower socio-economic, ESL, special education, and minority students
5. Complete a summary report of a K-12 district-wide curriculum management audit and present the results.
WRITTEN WORK: Written work is expected to be complete and accurate. All work submitted needs to conform to APA style, be typed, and free of errors. All work must be completed and posted online based on the attached calendar. Late work will not be accepted.
ATTENDANCE: Class participation is required. This course is delivered F2F and Online. Students are expected to actively engaged in all aspects of the in-class and online components. If a student cannot meet a scheduled deadline or class requirement, the instructor should be notified in advance. Failure to participate in online assignments within the timeframe allotted will result in the loss of participation points.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT: All students are required to adhere to the Watson College of Education Standards for Professional Conduct (See http://www.uncw.edu/ed/advising/documents/StandardsofPC.pdf).
VIOLENCE PREVENTION: UNCW violence prevention information and resources are available at http://www.uncw.edu/safe%2Drelate/
OTHER WEBSITES OF INTEREST:
Educational Lab (WSE), http://www.uncw.edu/ed/edlab/;
Randall Library, http://library.uncw.edu/
Randall Research Site, http://library.uncw.edu/web/research/tools.html
Students with Disabilities, http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/disability/;
University Learning Center, http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/uls/
Technology Assistance Center, http://www.uncw.edu/itsd/tac.htm/
CLASS FORMAT: This course is offered in a hybrid F2F/OL format with all F2F meetings held in a classroom and all online class assignments via Blackboard. The instructor will post the weekly materials and notes by Monday, each week of the class. It is the responsibility of the student to access the materials, note any due dates, and ask the instructor questions as soon as possible. Please note the due dates and times on the course calendar that will require a response.
BLACKBOARD NETIQUETTE:
Carefully consider your tone when posting messages to Blackboard. Since there are no visual clues, other than the message posted, pay careful attention to the manner in which messages are posted so that messages will not be taken out of context. Do not use all caps, bold, or underline to emphasize your points. Also, remember that even if you disagree with another person's idea, opinion or solution, do not attack the person. Simply state that you disagree with the person's idea, opinion or solution, and defend your alternative response with logical, coherent, and non-judgmental statements. Refrain from continuing a discussion that simply rehashes what has already been stated. Furthermore, in order to keep the level of discourse at a graduate level, please refrain from using "e slang" when posting messages (i.e. "i no ur readin @ home" is not acceptable). Please use complete and coherent thoughts with appropriate punctuation and capitalization. Threaded discussions should be used for comments relative to the topic for discussion only. A General Discussion Board will be under the Discussion Board for informal conversations.
COURSE CONTENT: This course focuses on 5 curriculum alignment standards that are available on Blackboard. Please note the identified standards and operational definitions for each standard under the following Work Products:
Work Product I - Curriculum Structure, Resource, & Productivity Assessment
Standard I: A School System Is Able to Demonstrate Its Control of Resources, Programs, and Personnel
· Policies - A clear set of curriculum policies, centrally defined and adopted by the board of education, which reflects national and state requirements
· Organizational Chart - A functional organizational structure that facilitates the communication, the design, and the delivery of the district’s written curriculum via a direct, uninterrupted line of authority from school board/superintendent and other central office officials to principals and classroom teachers,
· Resources - A clear mechanism to within the school system to permit and to promote maximization of its resources in achieving curriculum goals and objectives
Standard V: A School System Has Improved Productivity
· Planning - Documentation of school board and central office planning which allocates resources based on needs assessments and outcome data
· Budget -A financial data base system which compares costs to results and provides a financial expression of priorities identified as essential to improving student achievement
· Climate - District and school climates which are conducive to high student achievement and continual improvement, including school facilities which are well-kept, sufficient, safe, orderly, and support the effective delivery of the instructional program
Work Product II - Curriculum Content & Standards Assessment
Standard II: The School System Has Established Clear and Valid Objectives for Students
· A written curriculum that addresses both current and future needs of students
· A clearly established, system-wide set of SMART Goals and Objectives adopted by the board of education that addresses all programs and courses
· Demonstration that the school district is responding to national and state expectations as evidenced in local initiatives
Standard IV: A School System Uses the Results from System-Designed and/or Adopted Assessments to Adjust, Improve, or Terminate Ineffective Practices or Programs
· Formative and summative assessment system linked to a clear rationale in board policy,
· A way to provide feedback to the teaching and administrative staffs regarding how classroom instruction may be evaluated and subsequently improved,
· A data base to compare the strengths and weaknesses of various programs and program alternatives
· A data base to modify or terminate ineffective educational programs
Work Product III - Curriculum Equity Assessment
Standard III: A School System Demonstrates Internal Connectivity and Rational Equity in Its Program Development and Implementation.
· Mission Statement and Policies - district level mechanisms to assure maximum opportunities for all students within the school system
· Current Student Demographic Data – descriptions of currently enrolled students in the school system by race, SES, special education, etc.
· Longitudinal Student Achievement Data – descriptions of overall K-12 proficiency scores for Language Arts/English and Math for the past three years.
· Longitudinal Subgroup Student Achievement Data – descriptions of K-12 proficiency scores for Language Arts/English and Math for the past three years.
· Subgroup Intervention Programs – identification of academic intervention programs funded and implemented to address specific subgroup achievement deficiencies
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Requirements of this course are intended to be authentic tasks, aligned with your role as a future school leader. Students will complete 3 Work Products utilizing the following:
· Students will collect data from documents, interviews, surveys, report cards, and/or site visits to school district.
· Students will triangulate and corroborated information from curriculum data sources to reveal the extent to which a school district’s written curriculum is aligned with teaching and student academic outcomes through the establishment & verification of:
o content - what students should know and be able to do
o standards - a set of clear, appropriate, and measurable standards (NC Accountability Standards and Federal Mandates);
o practices – central office and school-based
o evaluation – determined by student achievement results
· Students will assess budget and resource management plans to determine if intervention and support programs are appropriate to address the learning needs of lower socio-economic, ESL, special education, and minority students in a school district.
GRADING:
Assignment / PointsWork Product I / 20
Work Product II / 20
Work Product III / 25
Discussion Postings (7) / 35
TOTAL / 100
Evaluation and Grade Assignment - Grading Policy – 100 point scale:
A 93-100
B 85-92
C 77-84
F Below 77
COURSE CALENDAR: It is the responsibility of the student to check the calendar and the course site each week. All work due must be submitted via UNCW email by the due date. Students must make it a habit to check their university email and the course site on a regular basis for any updates or information from the instructor. This calendar may change without warning.
ADDITIONAL READINGS: The following readings are recommended in addition to the required text. The readings provide a foundation for the materials that will be discussed during this class and to provide references for students’ work products. These readings may be accessed via web-based links and/or the Randall Library.
Glass, G.V, McGaw, B., & M.L. Smith (1981). Meta-analysis in social research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
English, Fenwick, W. (2004). The sage handbook of educational leadership. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
Frase, L. E., Fenwick, E. W., & Poston, W.K. (2000). Curriculum management audit: Improving school quality. CA: Sage
Hoyle, English, and Steffy (1990). Skills for successful school leaders. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators
International Society for Technology in Education Curriculum and Content Standards for School Administrators. Retrieved August 28, 2006 from
http://cnets.iste.org/currstands/cstandsnetsa.html
Johnston, H. (2008). A simple curriculum alignment activity for high school faculty. Retrieved on 10 February 2009 from C:\Documents and Settings\catapanos\My Documents\Department\New Course Development\C&I\5xx\A Simple Curriculum Alignment Activity.htm.
Orozco, L. (2001). Instructional leadership for the new millennium. Retrieved August 28, 2006 from http://hdcs.fullerton.edu/faculty/orozco/lecturewebs.html
Parke, C.S. & Lane, S. (2008). Examining alignment between state performance assessment and
mathematics classroom activities. The Journal of Educational Research, 101(3), 132-146.